Dude is in his sixties, full suit on, and having a heart attack at the same time and gives one of the most outstanding drum solos in history. Incredible.

Buddy Rich was the Best man at my parents wedding. My father is listed in The Who’s Who in jazz. His name was Jackie Mills also a drummer :)

What's really scary is that he was doing all of that whilst having a heart attack. He had to go to the hospital straight after this show. You should also check out when Buddy Rich does a drum battle with Animal on the Muppet Show.

Everybody thinks they are a musician, until they actually see one.

Buddy Rich could kick the ASS out of ANY drummer that came after him. Absolute drum GOD!!

Buddy was 65 when he did this show. Buddy had his own band eventually.

Buddy was one of John Bonham's drum heros..

The GOAT!!.....hands down.....saw him in concert and my high school in 1974....UNREAL!

Roger Taylor (Queen) was asked who he thought the best drummer ever was. Without hesitation he replied "Buddy Rich".

So fast that even Animal from the Muppets couldn't keep up

In his 60s, in a tux, having a heart attack. For a real treat, his drum solo at The Hague is even crazier

His left hand wasn't human. It's what always impressed me most about him. His left hand single roll was faster than most drummer's two hand single rolls. Just sick!

I saw Buddy live in 1981. He played a 20 minute drum solo and never touched a drum skin. He played the stands, the horns, the stage and the rims. Just awesome.

Watch the drum off between Eddie Shaughnessy and Buddy Rich it will blow you away!

During the middle of that performance, Buddy Rich was suffering a heart attack. He continued to play and after his set, he was taken to the hospital. He was the consummate professional.

Your favorite drummers, favorite drummer

The old timers know the secrets. Always seek them out.

Buddy was THE GOAT, period. I was blessed to him live one time just a couple of years before this concert. He played in a room filled with 3000 jazz musicians, not just fans, but musicians. He had so much fun that he actually played an encore! Buddy NEVER played encores!! He was stunning as always. An absolute genius of percussion.

Dude! He was 65 years old when he performed this masterpiece!

I was a drummer and while many are impressed with Buddy's speed I was always impressed with his accuracy. Look at his handwork under the hi-hat when he does the hi-hat work -- amazing control. If you want to sample what 2 legendary drummers listened to (Buddy Rich & Gene Krupa) from the early 1930s listen to both the studio band recording & live version of Chick Webb's drum solo on "Liza." Both are on KZfaq...no images but you can hear the mastery. He was a hunchback who had his traps specially manufactured for him. Remember that in his day they didn't have fancy drums like today but listen to the skill this giant had. There weren't many before him. He also discovered Ella Fitzgerald. It's great that you're open to listening to some vintage superb musicians. It all had to start somewhere. (Listen to the drums on the King Crimson track "21st Century Schizoid Man," from "In the Court of the Crimson King." That drummer is Mike Giles -- he probably started the whole progressive rock style since no one drummed like him in 1969). You don't have to review it -- just enjoy it privately.

Now you know why we kept telling you that you had to hear Buddy!

I played snare drum in the Palmetto High School band (State Champion Marching Band three years running). Our band director took the percussion section to see Buddy Rich for a drum clinic in Greenville, SC around 1970. Our first chair drummer, who played in a rock band, asked Rich if he could do rock drum solos. He did a one-handed solo that would be the envy of any rock and roll drummer. We also went to a clinic given by Gene Krupa who was also amazing.

Buddy Rich was the best drummer of all time There will never be a other drummer like Buddy again

That's the guy every great drummer was aiming for. Perfection !!!!

Whenever Buddy Rich was going to be on Johnny Carson we were allowed to stay up late to watch. Epic.

The best are all behind us. The modern world does not produce this kind of talent anymore.

I had an unexpected encounter with Buddy in the 80's. I was delivering some AV equipment to a Manchester UK hotel. His tour bus was parked outside and as I was going in I held the door open for an elderly man and as he walked through he patted me on the head and said "thanks a lot kid, you're a gentleman". The doorman at the hotel said " Don't you know, that's Buddy Rich you were talking to?". Talk about ships that pass in the night! 😁

Met him...saw him play live...Best ever...

buddy rich is the standard for all drummer's. he had is own orchestra. l saw him in concert in 1977 l was in 7th grade went with my dad.

He was born in 1917, so he must have been in his mid to late 60s here. Another great classic drummer was Gene Krupa, I'll see if I can dig up some of his work

I saw Buddy Rich and his band live in the mid-1970's. This solo was in the tune "West Side Story Medley," one of the tunes that Rich regularly played in concert. At the concert I attended, he soloed for almost 20 MINUTES on that tune. He started playing professionally in the 1930's and was playing until shortly before his death in 1987. Probably the best jazz drummer who ever lived.

HE IS BUDDY RICH,,,,THATS HOW!

Buddy Rich is the GOAT!

My late ex husband was a drummer and Buddy Rich was his idol. His parents took us to see him when we were 15, at the Empire State Building..we had front row seating and got to meet him. My ex was in seventh heaven for that next week. When Buddy shook his hand he said to him "you play don't you?" It was incredible this solo is incredible!!

Far and away the best drummer ever

Carl Palmer had open heart surgery last April and was on the road playing in July and keeps going to this day!!!!!❤️✌🏼

I'm not sure if this is the performance where he had a heart attack mid way and didn't miss a beat. Amazing talent. 😊

My idol in the late 70’s GOAT

Everybody's favourite drummer's favourite drummer was Neil Peart , Neil Peart's favourite drummer was Buddy Rich

You can see the pain in his face from the heart attack he's having while he pulls off this amazing solo. In his youth he was even faster.

I was fortunate enough to see Buddy Rich an his orchestra decades ago. I was worn out by the end of the concert! It was high energy and had incredible young talent from across the US in his orchestra. Fabulous!

Buddy Rich's hand speed was inhuman, other-worldly.

The legend! We can all argue about the best rock drummer, but all-time drummers? Buddy is it!

Amazing. Buddy was a hero to a number of drummers including Ian Paice of Deep Purple Check out "the Mule" drum solo by Ian

Our greatest musicians are in jazz. It's just the truth. You'll never see another Buddy Rich.

Best drummer of all time

Keep in mind later in life he had severe heart issues and a brain tumor, but still played.

4:20 😯. He is absolutely inhuman. THE absolute god of drumming. A left hand that will never have an equal.

King of the snare drum. Impeccable stick control.

All of Buddy's solos are worth watching, even studying, from the earliest to the last.

“I’m Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle” Beastie Boys. Sabotage. The man was the goat.

Amazing performance! Buddy was experiencing a heart attack, during this, yet he still played on!

I got to see him live in the late 70's. He was amazing.

There’s the real deal!! Had the fortune of seeing him up close in a high school gym near my parents house 35-40 years ago, no wig. Tight band. He had no song order. Each song had an individual intro drum riff. Once he started playing it they had about 10 seconds to figure out the riff, scramble for the sheet music and begin!!!! AWESOME talent!! Had been playing since about as high to the bass drum! Google the picks!! Keep going! See the movie clip where he plays while Eleanor Powell tap dances!!

If you want to go OLD school, check out Gene Krupa and don't forget Graham Lear from Santana's Moonflower album. He nailed the Soul Sacrifice solo.

I do believe that Neil Peart loved Buddy, as he included a clip of him in his own solo... Excellent choice, man!

I used to love seeing Buddy Rich on late night TV.

When I was in high school in the 1970s, all the drummers I knew had buddy rich as the ultimate drummer. Neil Peart said it many times. He was not the easiest drummer to work with but OMG. The other drummer often mentioned was Ed Shaunesy who played Johnny Carson

hard to imagine that buddy was 65 years old in this video. jeezus what stamina and dexterity. one of THE greatest

There's a lot of really great rock drummers but I don't think there was anybody ever better than buddy rich.

In my opinion Buddy Rich was and always will be the GOAT. Period, end of discussion.

He was one of my Favorite Students, so glad he made it.

Even as a man in his 60's and 70's, he was still better than any contemporary drummers. He was a total master----the best in history.

I saw Buddy and his band in Toronto at the Royal York's Imperial Room in 1970. A thrilling experience! I was nineteen. My favorite recording was Rich playing Love for Sale in 1965.

I saw Buddy Rich at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in London in 1979. It is still a concert that sits in my memory as one of the greatest I have ever seen. Rich was the drummer for The Tommy Dorsey Band during WW2 and there are some great recordings of him at that time with Frank Sinatra. The greatest drum solo I've seen him do was recorded by the BBC in 1969 at a venue called The Talk of the Town . It is his West Side Story Medley and it is staggeringly brilliant. You can find it on KZfaq

He was so great he made the high hat high LOL!

Saw him live 2 times. Worlds best.

I saw Buddy at a club in Upstate New York back in 1978 (I was 16 and got into the club using my cousins drivers license - this is important to the story). An older couple got up and started dancing and Buddy stops and told them "This is a concert. The American Legion hall is down the street." I shout out "Play Brainwashed." and Buddy responds "Shut up kid. I don't do requests." He pauses, squints his eyes and says "How did you get in here kid? You look like your balls haven't dropped yet." The crowd starts laughing. Being insulted by Buddy Rich was the biggest honor of my young life.

I needed a breather just watching him

I am old enough and lucky enough that he came to my city in the mid 70s and performed this very piece. Yes, he is the king in my opinion.

Simply the best there ever was and will ever be. I had the pleasure of seeing him live 3 times in the 70's. His speed, control and agility has never been matched to this day. There's a bevy of close seconds but none compare to this man. Oh, he's probably in his late 50's here and wearing a suit and tie to boot. 😳

And that old dude was playing in a tuxedo, a goat . He was my dads favorite drummer and it is easy to see why.

Loved your reaction. Had the fortunate experience of seeing Buddy Rich perform at The Monterrey Jazz Festival in 1972. He did a drum duel with Elvin Jones if I'm not mistaken. Awesome to watch and hear those guys. There's a video on KZfaq of a young Buddy from 1942 in the movie "Ship Ahoy" where he drums while the dancer Eleanor Powell tap dances and does acrobatics, along with Bert Lahr and Red Skelton singing the song "Tallulah". Very entertaining scene.

Oh my goodness. Just reading all your comments about his heart attack. This is a miracle and it’s a privilege to see it.

When you are gifted and you work at it and love it, you get this❤

DAMN! Best cymbal solo ever!!🔥

This was who Neil Peart looked up to. The master.

Johnny Carson had him on The Tonight Show many times. Always impressive to watch.

Hehe, one of those times I get to thoroughly enjoy a reaction and your comments after as a musician and fully love it. And I've always liked the reactions and commented but this is one of those that's right up your alley and you ramp up the musician relation to it, which is the way I listen to and identify with anything everything all the time. That was really fun. I think I caught him switching out of trad grip a few times, but mostly he stayed there, but man he's just mind-blowing. So many drummers idolize him.

Just followed your reactions to Glen Miller, Joni Mitchell and Buddy Rich in a row and absolutely loved the diversity and musicality.

Buddy was 65??? when he played this. It would be exhausting for a man half that age. The best ever, hands down- no pun intended.

I met him back stage after the concert in Oslo in 1976/77. He signed all my LP covers.

That was pretty astounding.

That was awesome!

Holy shite! I think all the modern day drummers need to up their game!

Goat and RINGO ,

I agree with what you said - WOW.

And he’s wearing a tux! I saw Buddy live once. Also got to see Louie Bellson live. He was great also. Played part of his solo with wooden spoon. Like the kind you would cook with. I feel kinda lucky. I mean I’ve seen Sinatra and I’ve seen Eminem live. That’s a crazy range.

A nice quiet piece.

Watch the Buddy Rich tribute concert but especially in the end you have 3 absolutely incredible drummers going at one time.Vinnie Calluata, Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, you will be blown away!

THE GOAT Nobody’s better, your favorite drummers favorite drummer.

You should read his Biography called Traps the Boy Wonder written by his close friend jazz vocalist Mel Torme. In it Mel tells the story of Buddy's life. Buddy parents were vaudeville performers and took Buddy on the road with them. When Buddy was eighteen months old he was sitting on the stage while his parents were rehearsing. The drummer in the band gave Buddy a pair of sticks to amuse himself and Buddy tapped in time with the band. They decided to make him part of the act. Decades later in the 1950's Buddy was interviewed by Modern Drummer magazine and was asked how often he practiced. He answered "Practice? What for? If I've something in my head and I can't get it in 20 minutes, what difference is 3 hours or 3 days gonna make?' They say he never played any song exactly the same way twice. In the 70's he was asked if there were any young, up and coming drummers he liked and he said "Yeah I like that kid from Chicago. Danny what's his name" That was Danny Seraphine he was talking about. If you want a stellar example of Danny's work listen to "Make Me Smile" on Chicago's debut album. When it comes to drumming, next to Buddy, lets face it, we're all playing waffle ball.

I'm 63, and as a kid if I saw that Buddy would be on Johnny Carson, I'd stay up late EVERY Time to see him. I love Bonham and others, but I think He's the GOAT, bar none.

No words.

a top 10 drummer of any genre of all time.

Growing up as a child drummer I wanted two things. Have a Ludwig trap set and play them like Buddy Rich. When Buddy performed on the Johnny Carson Show I always made sure to ask my parents for permission to stay up past my bedtime so I could see my idol.

He was 65.

What a great performance! I think he may have been working with a ring on his finger in some of the high hat work. Incredible!

Wow is THEE word. Couldn't say more.

You were slack-jawed at the end. Welcome to the club!