An all-time great soul, R&B, funk, and pop drummer,
Bernard Purdie's impeccable time and mastery of backbeats and grooves (especially his trademark "Purdie Shuffle") are widely celebrated. He moved to New York from Maryland in 1960, and recorded with
James Brown,
King Curtis, and many others. He was CTI's house drummer in the late '60s and early '70s, and worked with
Grover Washington, Jr. and
George Benson, among several others.
Purdie toured with
Curtis and
Aretha Franklin in 1970 and was
Franklin's music director until 1975. During his studio days in the early '70s,
Purdie recorded with
Louis Armstrong and
Gato Barbieri along with numerous rock, pop, and soul sessions. He recorded with
Dizzy Gillespie in 1980 at the Montreux Jazz Festival and toured with him in 1983.
Purdie recorded with
Hank Crawford during the early '80s, and has continued working steadily into the '90s. He generated a firestorm in 1993 when he insisted that it was his uncredited drumming rather than
Ringo Starr's on some
Beatles tracks.
Purdie claimed proof was forthcoming, but none was presented. He made a rare date as a leader for Flying Dutchman in 1972, Pretty Purdie. But
Purdie can be heard on countless discs by
Brown,
Franklin,
Curtis,
Gillespie, and
Crawford, among many others. ~ Ron Wynn