Bernard "Pretty" Purdie

Legendary for his precision in timing and command of backbeats alongside grooves, Bernard Purdie ranks among the foremost drummers across soul, R&B, funk, and pop, with his signature Purdie Shuffle drawing particular acclaim. After relocating from Maryland to New York in 1960, he laid down tracks alongside James Brown, King Curtis, and numerous additional artists. Serving as CTI's primary drummer from the late 1960s into the early 1970s, he also collaborated with Grover Washington, Jr., George Benson, and others in that circle. In 1970 he joined tours featuring both Curtis and Aretha Franklin, then served as Franklin's music director through 1975. His early-1970s studio work encompassed sessions with Louis Armstrong and Gato Barbieri plus extensive dates in rock, pop, and soul. He captured a performance with Dizzy Gillespie at the 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival and later accompanied Gillespie on the road in 1983. Additional recordings with Hank Crawford took place in the early 1980s, and Purdie maintained a consistent schedule of work through the 1990s. Controversy erupted in 1993 when he asserted that several Beatles tracks featured his uncredited drumming in place of Ringo Starr's; although he indicated supporting evidence would soon appear, none materialized. His sole leader date, Pretty Purdie, arrived on Flying Dutchman in 1972. His contributions remain audible across innumerable albums by Brown, Franklin, Curtis, Gillespie, Crawford, and countless further performers.