There are very few drummers who even come close to racking up the number of sessions that Bernard “Pretty” Purdie has done and the Oct. 9 edition of Greasy Tracks spotlighted just a fraction of what the legendary timekeeper has accomplished.
Click here to check out an archive of the program, while a playlist is here.
Dating to the late 1950s, Purdie — once considered the “house drummer” of Atlantic Records — played on 25,000-plus sessions, has appeared on more than 4,000 albums and recorded with 2,500-plus different artists. He also has a deep catalog of solo releases.
Artists he has appeared with, running the gamut from jazz to rock, include Miles Davis, James Brown, Steely Dan, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, BB King, Joe Cocker, Bob Marley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Mongo Santamaria, Peter Frampton, Hall & Oats, Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff to name only a few.
Employing an innovative use of triplets against a half-time backbeat, Purdie developed an immensely distinct and impactful technique known universally as “the Purdie Shuffle”.