Bernard Purdie

Bernard Purdie
Purdie in 2020
Purdie in 2020
Background information
Also known as
  • Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
  • Pretty Purdie
  • Mississippi Bigfoot
Born
Bernard Lee Purdie

(1939-06-11) June 11, 1939
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active1958–present
Labels
Websitebernardpurdiedrums.com

Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939)[1] is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul, funk and jazz musician.[2] He is known for his precise time-keeping[3] and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the Purdie shuffle.[4] He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.[5]

One of the most recorded drummers in music history, Purdie is said to have played on over 4,000 recordings.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

Early life

Purdie was born on June 11, 1939, in Elkton, Maryland, the 11th of 15 children.[12] At an early age, he began hitting cans with sticks and learned the elements of drumming techniques from overhearing lessons being given by Leonard Heywood. He later took lessons from Heywood and played in Heywood's big band. Purdie's other influences at that time were Papa Jo Jones, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Joe Marshall, Art Blakey,[13] as well as Cozy Cole, Sticks Evans, Panama Francis, Louis Bellson, and Herbie Lovelle.[14]

Career

Session work and live performances

In 1961, he moved from Elkton to New York City. There he played sessions with Mickey and Sylvia and regularly visited the Turf Club on 50th and Broadway, where musicians, agents, and promoters met and touted for business. It was during this period that he played for the saxophonist Buddy Lucas, who nicknamed him 'Mississippi Bigfoot'. Eventually Barney Richmond contracted him to play session work.[13]

Purdie was contracted by arranger Sammy Lowe to play a session with James Brown in 1965 and recording session records also show that Purdie played on "Ain't That A Groove"[15] at the same session.[13] Purdie is credited on James Brown's albums Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969)[16] and Get on the Good Foot (1972).[17]

Purdie recorded Soul Drums (1968) as a band leader and although he went on to record Alexander's Ragtime Band, the album remained unreleased until Soul Drums was reissued on CD in 2009 with the Alexander's Ragtime Band sessions. Other solo albums include Purdie Good! (1971), Soul Is... Pretty Purdie (1972) and the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Lialeh (1973).

Purdie started working with Aretha Franklin as musical director in 1970 and held that position for five years,[2] as well as drumming for Franklin's opening act, saxophonist King Curtis and the King Pins.[18] From March 5 to March 7, 1971, he performed with both bands at the Fillmore West; the resulting live recordings were released as Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971) and King Curtis's Live at Fillmore West (1971).[19] His best known track with Franklin was "Rock Steady",[20] on which he played what he described as "a funky and low down beat". Of his time with Franklin he once commented that "backing her was like floating in seventh heaven".[13]

Purdie was credited on the soundtrack album for the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978). In the mid-1990s, he was a member of the 3B's, with Bross Townsend and Bob Cunningham. He was the drummer for the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair and appeared on the associated Broadway cast recording.[21] In 2016, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Five Towns College.[22]

On 13 September 2025, Purdie played at Madison Square Garden with Vulfpeck. Introduced by Jack Stratton and helped to the stage by Antwaun Stanley, Purdie then played drums for the song My First Car, showcased the Purdie Shuffle to the crowd, and played drums for a cover of Simply Beautiful.[23]

Encounter records

Purdie founded Encounter Records in 1973 and released five albums:[6]

All five studio recordings released under Encounter Records were all released in 1973,[25] which is likely when the label also shut down.

Supposed playing on Beatles records

Since around 1967, Purdie has claimed to have over-dubbed or completely re-recorded the drums for twenty-one songs by The Beatles.[26] This claim has been argued since by Purdie and Beatles fans, however none of the members of the Beatles or anyone associated with them has ever confirmed or denied the claims, with the only source being Purdie himself.[26] However, it is confirmed that Purdie did overdub drums for four songs originally recorded by Tony Sheridan with The Beatles as his backing band in 1961, which were later released in America in 1964, but none credited solely to The Beatles that were released from 1962 onwards.[27]

Purdie's first claim was in a 1967 New Yorker interview, where he, without going into specifics, said in passing that he had performed on records for bands like The Animals, The Monkees, and The Beatles.[28]

In 1978, Purdie gave a brief backstory on how these supposed recording sessions came to be, saying he was hired for a recording session in the summer of 1963, around six months before the bands first album was released in the United States.[26] In the interview, Purdie said: "I had never heard of The Beatles but their manager, Brian Epstein, called me and took me down to Capitol's 46th Street studio. I overdubbed the drumming on twenty-one tracks of the first three Beatle albums."[26] Purdie then followed up that he was paid five figures for the recordings, and was told by Epstein "I was being paid to keep my mouth shut."[26]

In a 1984 interview, when asked to name any of the twenty-one tracks he supposedly played on, Purdie replied "That's information I don't disclose" because "if I need that information to get me some money, then I'll have what's necessary."[26]

In 1985, Purdie said that his "life was threatened by quite a few people" because of the claims, and that he was in the middle of writing a book that was "going to be about the truth."[26] In both this 1985 interview, and a later one in 2008, Purdie refused to go into detail, as he explained in the 2008 interview "every time I open my mouth about that I've gotten myself into trouble".[26]

In the interview from 1984, and a 2004 interview, Purdie goes on record for the bands drummer, Ringo Starr, did not play on any records: in 1984, he claimed "Ringo never played on anything. Not the early Beatles stuff.",[26] and in the 2004 interview said "There are 4 drummers on the Beatles’ music. Ringo’s not one of them."[28]

Personal life

In 2023, he moved to New Bern, North Carolina. Purdie has been a resident of New Jersey, living in Edison, Teaneck and Springfield Township.[29]

Recognition

Drumming style

Purdie shuffle variants[30] Playⓘ.
Purdie shuffle variant[31] Playⓘ.

Purdie is known as a groove drummer with immaculate timing who makes use of precision half note, backbeats, and grooves.[3] Purdie's signature sixteenth note hi-hat lick pish-ship, pish-ship, pish-ship is distinct.[13] He often employs a straight eight groove sometimes fusing several influences such as swing, blues and funk. He created the now well-known drum pattern Purdie Half-Time Shuffle that is a blues shuffle variation with the addition of syncopated ghost notes on the snare drum.[31] Variations on this shuffle can be heard on songs such as Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain", the Police's "Walking on the Moon", and Toto's "Rosanna" (Rosanna shuffle).[31][32] Purdie plays the shuffle on Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters"[33] and "Home At Last".[31]

Achievements

On 29 September 2024, Purdie was the recipient of the inaugural "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the UK Drum Show, held in Liverpool.[34]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

  • Soul Drums (Columbia, 1967)
  • Purdie Good! (Prestige, 1971) [note: reissued as Legends of Acid Jazz: Bernard Purdie in 1996]
  • Stand by Me (Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get) (Mega Records [in the 'Flying Dutchman Series'], 1972) with the Playboys
  • Soul Is... Pretty Purdie (Flying Dutchman, 1972; reissued on BGP/Ace in 2014)
  • Shaft (Prestige, 1973) recorded 1971 [note: reissued as Legends of Acid Jazz: Bernard Purdie in 1996]
  • Lialeh (Original Movie Soundtrack) (Bryan, 1974)
  • Delights of the Garden (Celluloid, 1975) with the Last Poets
  • Purdie as a Picture (Kilmarnock, 1993) with Galt MacDermot's New Pulse Jazz Band
  • Bernard Purdie's Jazz Groove Sessions in Tokyo (Lexington/West 47th, 1993)
  • Coolin' 'N Groovin' (A Night At 'On-Air') (Lexington/West 47th, 1993)
  • After Hours with the 3B's (3B's Music, 1993)
  • Soothin' 'N Groovin' With the 3B's (3B's Music, 1994) with Houston Person
  • The Hudson River Rats (3B's Music, 1995)
  • Fatback! The Jazz Funk Masters Featuring Bernard Purdie (Seven Seas, 1995)
  • Kick 'N Jazz (Drum Beat Blocks, 1996)
  • Soul to Jazz I (Act, 1996) with the WDR Big Band
  • Soul to Jazz II (Act, 1997) with the WDR Big Band
  • In the Pocket (P-Vine, 1997)
  • Get It While You Can (3B's Music, 1999) with the Hudson River Rats
  • The Masters of Groove Meet Dr. No (Jazzateria, 2001) with Reuben Wilson, Grant Green Jr., Tarus Mateen
  • King of the Beat (3B's Music, 2001)
  • Purdie Good Cookin' (3B's Music, 2003) with Purdie's Powerhouse
  • The Godfathers of Groove (18th & Vine, 2007) with Reuben Wilson, Grant Green Jr., Jerry Jemmott [note: originally released as The Masters of Groove]
  • The Godfathers of Groove 3 (18th & Vine, 2009) with Reuben Wilson, Grant Green Jr., Bill Easley
  • Jersey Blue (Running Rogue, 2009) with Gene McCormick, Jack Hoban
  • Selling It Like It Is (Cadence Jazz, 2009 [rel. 2013]) with David Haney
  • Cool Down (Sugar Road, 2018)

As sideman

References

  1. ↑ "Bernard "Pretty" Purdie — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  2. 1 2 Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (1999). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press US. p. 541. ISBN 978-0-19-507418-5.
  3. 1 2 Wynn, Ron. "Bernard Purdie". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  4. ↑ Hyatt, Greg & Mitchell, Stan. Get Locked. Alfred Publishing. p. 95.
  5. ↑ "Modern Drummer's Readers Poll Archive, 1979–2014". Modern Drummer. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 "DISCOGRAPHY". Bernard Pretty Purdi. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  7. ↑ "The Biggest Session Drummer Of All Time Is Ready For The Spotlight". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  8. ↑ "Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and Me..." Vinyl Magic. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  9. ↑ Henry, Big Joe HenryBig Joe (2020-06-19). "Meet the world's most recorded drummer, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie". New Jersey 101.5. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  10. ↑ moments, Joe Bosso The Hitmaker on his favourite session (2019-06-11). "Bernard Purdie chooses his six career-defining drum performances". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  11. ↑ "Drummer Bernard Purdie's record collection is going on sale — The Vinyl Factory". www.thevinylfactory.com. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  12. ↑ Clifford, Mike; Frame, Pete (1986). The Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock. Harmony Books. p. 172. ISBN 9780517562642.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Payne, Jim & Weinger, Harry. The Great Drummers of R&B Funk & Soul. Oxford University Press US. pp. 143–145.
  14. ↑ Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians: Biography. Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "James Brown credits". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  16. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Say It Loud-I'm Black and I'm Proud". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  17. ↑ Elias, Jason. "Get On The Good Foot". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  18. ↑ "Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Artist Profile". Bernardpurdie.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Bernard "Pretty" Purdie credits". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  20. ↑ "Rock Steady". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  21. ↑ "Hair Broadway Cast Recording With Never Before Released Tracks Hits Stores". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  22. ↑ "Five Towns College 42nd Commencement Exercises May 21, 2016". www.ftc.edu. 23 May 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  23. ↑ Vulf (2025-12-11). MSG II. Retrieved 2026-02-28 – via YouTube.
  24. ↑ Allmusic Brown N Serve review
  25. ↑ "Encounter Records (2) Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Purdie". www.jimvallance.com. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  27. ↑ "Reference Library - Drummer or Dweeb? - Internet Beatles Album". www.beatlesagain.com. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  28. 1 2 Roll, Just Drugs and Rock & (2025-04-22). ""There are 4 drummers on the Beatles' music. Ringo's not one of them."". Medium. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  29. ↑ Jordan, Chris. "Drummer Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie has kept the time to your life", Asbury Park Press, October 4, 2013. Accessed October 5, 2013. "Purdie eventually moved to Jersey — Teaneck and Edison before settling in Springfield."
  30. ↑ Michalkow, Mike (2008). The Total Rock Drummer, p.64. ISBN 0-7390-5268-3.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Berry and Giani (2003). The Drummer's Bible, p.35. ISBN 1-884365-32-9.
  32. ↑ Segal, David (2009-03-30). "A Signature Shuffle Enjoys a New Life". The New York Times.
  33. ↑ Mason, Stuart. "Babylon Sisters". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  34. ↑ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Theukdrumshow.com.
  35. ↑ "Oliver Darley Stirring Souls in U.K." Billboard, at Google Books. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  36. ↑ "Earthquake at the Avalon – Larry Coryell – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2017.

Bibliography

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  • Gottfridsson, Hans Olof; Sheridan, Tony and Beatles. The Beatles from Cavern to Star-Club: The Illustrated Chronicle, Discography & Price Guide 1957–1962. Premium Publishing (1997). ISBN 978-91-971894-7-7
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  • Miles, Barry, and Badman, Keith. The Beatles Diary: The Beatles years. Omnibus Press (2001) ISBN 978-0-7119-8308-3
  • Payne, Jim and Weinger, Harry. The Great Drummers of R&B Funk & Soul. Mel Bay Publications (2007). ISBN 978-0-7866-7303-2
  • Rabb, Johnny; Brych, Ray and Lohman, Gregg. Jungle/Drum 'n' Bass for the Acoustic Drum Set: A Guide to Applying Today's Electronic Music to the Drum Set. Alfred Publishing (2001). ISBN 0-7579-9025-8
  • Weinberg, Max. The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers. Hal Leonard Corporation (2004). ISBN 978-0-634-08275-7
  • York, William. Who's Who in Rock Music+. Atomic Press (1978). Digitized 30 Aug 2007.