Here's the story of my Black Beauty:

When I was a kid I studied with one teacher, Tom Sicola, for about 6 years.  At that point he suggested it was time for me to move on.  I searched for a teacher and ended up taking a couple of lessons from several teachers before I found Joe Morello in the summer of 1971.  Around 1970 or 71 I took 2 lessons from a fellow at Larry Rosen's drum studio who was really great but really strict and kind of stern, actually his seriousness frightened me a bit so I never went back.

Some months later a high school buddy, Richie Catanzaro, suggested I check out a new band called the Mahavishnu Orchestra so I bought "Inner Mounting Flame."  This music really was beyond my comprehension at the time but still knocked me out.  As I studied the small photos on the back of the album for insight into the music, I was surprised to recognize my "stern" teacher from Larry Rosen's: Billy Cobham.  I was also captivated by the drum set in the photo and the strange snare drum he was using.

Jump ahead to the early 80s.  I get a phone call from Art Weiss, a pianist I had done a bunch of commercial gigs with when I first moved to NYC.  Art told me there was a woman in his building on the upper West Side selling some drums and asked me if I was interested.  I said "no" but asked her name.  Art said: "Marcia Cobham."  I knew immediately who she was because Billy always thanked her in the credits of his recordings so I decided maybe the drums would be worth a look.

When I arrived at Marcia's apartment she showed me a gleaming gold plated Gretsch floating action bass drum pedal, a beautifully restored Leedy 14x12 "Victory" parade drum from the 40s with no metal parts on it, a Gladstone practice pad and a 14x4 Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum which I immediately recognized as the drum in the photo on "Inner Mounting Flame."  I couldn't imagine playing the gold plated bass drum pedal so I left it behind but purchased the other pieces.

Since I didn't have much use for the parade drum I had Barry, at Drummer's World, sell it.  I kept the snare drum at home and rarely played it but I did become a convert to the Gladstone practice pad.

At one point I mentioned having Billy's Black Beauty to Dennis Chambers and, being the Cobham fan that he is, he begged me for it.  I lent it to Dennis to check out but it took a year to get him to return it.

Years go by and I never cross paths with Billy.  Finally, must be mid 90s, we are both doing things at a PASIC convention.  After Billy's clinic I go up onto the stage, introduce myself and ask "Mr. Cobham, did you ever own a 4" Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum?"  His reaction was "YOU'RE THE GUY!" So I asked: "do you know anything about the history of the snare drum?" and he said: "as a matter of fact I do.  Jo Jones gave it to me and Sid Catlett gave it to him and Gene Krupa gave it to him and Bill Ludwig Sr. gave it to him.."  A couple years back Adam Nussbaum and I had lunch with Billy while he was performing at West Point, at that lunch Billy repeated that chronology.  Recently, after I read Billy's interview in DRUMMHEAD magazine where he mentions getting the drum from Papa Jo, I emailed Billy about the history of the drum and he said he could only confirm that Jo Jones gave it to him and that I bought it from Marcia. Regardless, the drum has been in good hands all these years.

I have been playing the drum of late, with a calf skin head on it, and it sounds fantastic in every setting - small group, big band or playing backbeat music.

John Riley