I was cruising Youtube and found a show I recall watching as a teenager in the summer of 1967. It was a summer slot while Jackie Gleason was on break. Title - Away We Go.
Buddy Greco, George Carlin & the Buddy Rich Big Band. I noticed he was playing Vox. So as early as summer '67, he was off Rogers. If you'd have asked me, I would have said from memory he was playing Rogers. I would have been dead wrong. Left me holding my '67-68 catalog without notice. Hmmmm
I was cruising Youtube and found a show I recall watching as a teenager in the summer of 1967. It was a summer slot while Jackie Gleason was on break. Title - Away We Go. Buddy Greco, George Carlin & the Buddy Rich Big Band. I noticed he was playing Vox. So as early as summer '67, he was off Rogers. If you'd have asked me, I would have said from memory he was playing Rogers. I would have been dead wrong. Left me holding my '67-68 catalog without notice. Hmmmmhttp://ctva.biz/US/MusicVariety/AwayWeGo.htm
Hey Dan!
Very well researched facts and known info today! That is correct! Buddy stayed with Trixon/VOX for a mere 6 months in 1967, and then went to ... Fibes! There was no official endorsement with Fibes however, and I have always suspected that Bob Grauso GAVE that set of COF Fibes to Buddy, or at the very least, at cost. Buddy only played the full set of Fibes COF's for approx. 6 months too .. until .. along came Slingerland in early 1968! He would stay with Slingerland for just about a full 10 years. Of course the Fibes SFT snare drum remained pretty much throughout his entire Slingerland endorsement, and much to the disbelief and hatred of then president of Slingerland, Don Osborn Sr. It was eventually what eroded that relationship, and Buddy went back to Ludwig .. for the 3rd time! .. in 1978. There's a brief thumbnail sketch for you. I want to add, regarding the 1967 Rogers catalog: Buddy and Louie Bellson were featured on the back cover of the 1967 Rogers catalog until he abruptly split after telling then NEW owners CBS to * * * * off! So ... the remaining printed catalogs with Buddy on them were destroyed, and Rogers re printed the catalog with I believe a drum corp back picture. Not totally sure on that as I have the BR and Louie Bellson EARLY 1967 catalog, which is the one to have anyway! As to WHY Buddy split Trixon/VOX so quickly, I know the story there too ... but for another time!
Tommyp
Hey Dan!Very well researched facts and known info today! That is correct! Buddy stayed with Trixon/VOX for a mere 6 months in 1967, and then went to ... Fibes! There was no official endorsement with Fibes however, and I have always suspected that Bob Grauso GAVE that set of COF Fibes to Buddy, or at the very least, at cost. Buddy only played the full set of Fibes COF's for approx. 6 months too .. until .. along came Slingerland in early 1968! He would stay with Slingerland for just about a full 10 years. Of course the Fibes SFT snare drum remained pretty much throughout his entire Slingerland endorsement, and much to the disbelief and hatred of then president of Slingerland, Don Osborn Sr. It was eventually what eroded that relationship, and Buddy went back to Ludwig .. for the 3rd time! .. in 1978. There's a brief thumbnail sketch for you. I want to add, regarding the 1967 Rogers catalog: Buddy and Louie Bellson were featured on the back cover of the 1967 Rogers catalog until he abruptly split after telling then NEW owners CBS to * * * * off! So ... the remaining printed catalogs with Buddy on them were destroyed, and Rogers re printed the catalog with I believe a drum corp back picture. Not totally sure on that as I have the BR and Louie Bellson EARLY 1967 catalog, which is the one to have anyway! As to WHY Buddy split Trixon/VOX so quickly, I know the story there too ... but for another time!Tommyp
You are correct, the revised 67-68 catalog has a drum corp pic on the left with Louis on the right
You are correct, the revised 67-68 catalog has a drum corp pic on the left with Louis on the right
As I was writing the post, I was certain you (Tommy P) would come in and add clarity to my foggy memory. So thanks for the input. As a teenager, I must have assumed he was on Rogers (set with his usual configuration), but not known enough to notice that the details on the Vox weren't matching up. The first thing I noticed watching the old CBS shows on Youtube was the Vox bass was an 16-lug drum, which was unusual for the major US brands (except maybe Gretsch).
Thanks to Dudly too. I thought I recalled Louie on the back cover of that reissued catalog, but did not recall the marching drums side of it.
(Will be waiting for the report on why Vox for such a short period of time).
As soon as I read the first post, my thoughts were that Tommyp needed to weigh in on this. I wasn't disappointed! Hey TP, how about publishing a book?!!
I also have the Rogers 67-68 catalog with Buddy and Louie on the back cover, in addition to Buddy's signature Headliner and Celebrity kits inside. When I got this catalog years ago, it was in MINT condition. I do look at it from time to time and it shows some wear around the cover edges. Not too bad, though! I keep it in a protective plastic cover. It also came with the original yellow colored price list, which you might be able to see just poking out!
-Mark
As soon as I read the first post, my thoughts were that Tommyp needed to weigh in on this. I wasn't disappointed! Hey TP, how about publishing a book?!!I also have the Rogers 67-68 catalog with Buddy and Louie on the back cover, in addition to Buddy's signature Headliner and Celebrity kits inside. When I got this catalog years ago, it was in MINT condition. I do look at it from time to time and it shows some wear around the cover edges. Not too bad, though! I keep it in a protective plastic cover. It also came with the original yellow colored price list, which you might be able to see just poking out!-Mark
Wow, the price list!!! What was the price of the Citadel if I might ask? I have a small separate advert indicating $610 exclusive of cymbals. The Citadel was my favorite in all the catalogs I had during that era.
I'm on my third set. I got one from Steve Maxwell this spring. A bit tired, but should come around decently when I can get to it. Pic of the previous one that I ended up selling for lack of space to keep it. But now with a barn.........LoLoLoLo
Mark/Dan!
THANKS as always for the kind words Mark! I have oft thought about doing just that .. but .. I believe that window has closed. I SHOULD have jumped on doing that years ago. I will add that a LOT of my research/info is now "out there" as I have written about a lot of this in various replies over the many years. Funny thing ... David and I had all the professional photography done on the entire Buddy Rich snare drum collection/history which was going to be FOR the book! Time, she marches on though, and well ... you know!
Dan!
Regarding BR and Trixon/VOX: First thing is, it was Trixon that offered the endorsement, and the drums are indeed Trixon. VOX was the name used to market them in the US, but there was no VOX per se ... at least in the drum division. So, Buddy splits Rogers .. Trixon heard about it .. and they step up with an actual monetary stipend if Buddy will come aboard. Up to this point, drum endorsements were generally equipment only ... NO CASH compensation. Trixon is to blame for starting that! 😅 The fee is said to have been $100,000.00, and factoring in inflation, would be the equivalent of approx. $817,000.00 today .. plus .. all equipment needed supplied. Not a bad deal by any means!, and especially so as they were going to PAY HIM to play them. So ... Buddy had those drums modified to a good degree as in their original build, would NOT have been able to handle the rigors/stress of the nightly set up .. take down .. playing .. travel .. etc. Word is that The Professional Drum Shop in LA did the "beefing up" and mount addition/modifications on the Trixon's. Buddy used his Rogers hardware with the set, and for good reason! So ... as to the drums themselves: Buddy chose/played the Luxus model which were then 6 ply, birch or sometimes beech. The shells were very much like SONOR shells .. and .. it is said that SONOR supplied a lot of Trixon's shells. If you listen to any of those "Away We Go" show performances, you will hear that Buddy has these drums tensioned UP! I have always suspected that it was the nature of the birch/beech shells "note", and Buddy was looking for the attack/projection that he wanted, and the beech/birch was just a little too "mellow" in that regard. At any rate, after 6 months it was all he could take, and he split that most lucrative deal with Trixon/VOX ... amazing in itself as 817K was a LOT of cash! After his Trixon/VOX endorsement, he was still without a deal .. so .. in came the full set of Fibes COF's. As mentioned, these only hung around about another 6 months until Slingerland made him an offer he could not refuse .. and .. there was CASH in that deal as well. That die had been cast thanks to Trixon/VOX! Buddy would remain with Slingerland from 1968 to 1978 .. and .. as is so well known today, continue to play the Fibes SFT690/COF snare drum pretty much throughout that endorsement, despite Slingerland designing TWO snare drums specifically for him. Seriously, ONLY Buddy could get away with something like that! Here's a pic out of my collection showing his Trixon/VOX set to good advantage in 1967.😎
Tommyp
Wow, the price list!!! What was the price of the Citadel if I might ask? I have a small separate advert indicating $610 exclusive of cymbals. The Citadel was my favorite in all the catalogs I had during that era.I'm on my third set. I got one from Steve Maxwell this spring. A bit tired, but should come around decently when I can get to it. Pic of the previous one that I ended up selling for lack of space to keep it. But now with a barn.........LoLoLoLo
Dan!
Your Citadel is a beauty! I just scanned some pages of the price list for you. Saved them as JPG's so I could easily crop and re-size them for VDF. Enjoy the 1967-68 prices!
-Mark
Tommyp!
Wow, what great information! So, we have Trixon to blame for the soaring costs of endorsements!! I had been aware of Vox amplifiers, as you would see them onstage with the Beatles. In regards to Vox drums, other than a few magazine pictures, I never saw any for sale. Now I know why...they were actually Trixon drums!
-Mark
