Bernard Purdie


Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul, funk and jazz musician. He is known for his precise time-keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the Purdie shuffle. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.
Purdie recorded Soul Drums 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!, Soul Is... Pretty Purdie and the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Lialeh.
In the mid-1990s, he was a member of the 3B's, with Bross Townsend and Bob Cunningham.

Biography

Purdie was born on June 11, 1942, in Elkton, Maryland, the 11th of 15 children. 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, as well as Cozy Cole, Sticks Evans, Panama Francis, Louis Bellson, and Herbie Lovelle.
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.
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" at the same session. Purdie is credited on James Brown's albums Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud and Get on the Good Foot.
Purdie started working with Aretha Franklin as musical director in 1970 and held that position for five years, as well as drumming for Franklin's opening act, saxophonist King Curtis and the King Pins. 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 and King Curtis's Live at Fillmore West. His best known track with Franklin was "Rock Steady", 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".
Purdie was credited on the soundtrack album for the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He was the drummer for the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair and appeared on the associated Broadway cast recording. In 2016, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Five Towns College.
Purdie has been a resident of New Jersey, living in Edison, Teaneck and Springfield Township. In 2023, he moved to New Bern, North Carolina.
On 29 September 2024 Purdie was the recipient of the inaugural "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the UK Drum Show, held in Liverpool.

Encounter Records

Purdie founded Encounter Records in 1973 and released five albums:
  • EN 3000: Seldon Powell – Messin' With Seldon Powell
  • EN 3001: Sands of Time – Profile
  • EN 3002: East Coast – East Coast
  • EN 3003: Frank Owens – Brown 'N' Serve
  • EN 3004: Harold Vick as "Sir Edward" – ''The Power of Feeling''

    Drumming style

Purdie is known as a groove drummer with immaculate timing who makes use of precision half note, backbeats, and grooves. Purdie's signature sixteenth note hi-hat lick pish-ship, pish-ship, pish-ship is distinct. 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. 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". Purdie plays the shuffle on Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" and "Home At Last".

Discography

As leader/co-leader

  • Soul Drums
  • Purdie Good!
  • Stand by Me with the Playboys
  • Soul Is... Pretty Purdie
  • Shaft recorded 1971
  • Lialeh
  • Delights of the Garden with the Last Poets
  • Purdie as a Picture with Galt MacDermot's New Pulse Jazz Band
  • Bernard Purdie's Jazz Groove Sessions in Tokyo
  • Coolin' 'N Groovin'
  • After Hours with the 3B's
  • Soothin' 'N Groovin' With the 3B's with Houston Person
  • The Hudson River Rats
  • Fatback! The Jazz Funk Masters Featuring Bernard Purdie
  • Kick 'N Jazz
  • Soul to Jazz I with the WDR Big Band
  • Soul to Jazz II with the WDR Big Band
  • In the Pocket
  • Get It While You Can with the Hudson River Rats
  • The Masters of Groove Meet Dr. No with Reuben Wilson, Grant Green Jr., Tarus Mateen
  • King of the Beat
  • Purdie Good Cookin' with Purdie's Powerhouse
  • The Godfathers of Groove with Reuben Wilson, Grant Green Jr., Jerry Jemmott
  • The Godfathers of Groove 3 with Reuben Wilson, Grant Green Jr., Bill Easley
  • Jersey Blue with Gene McCormick, Jack Hoban
  • Selling It Like It Is with David Haney
  • ''Cool Down''

    As sideman

  • Herbie Mann – Our Mann Flute
  • Jack McDuff – A Change Is Gonna Come
  • Freddie McCoy – Funk Drops
  • Gábor Szabó – Jazz Raga
  • Benny Golson – Tune In, Turn On
  • King Curtis & the Kingpins – Instant Groove
  • Tim Rose – Tim Rose
  • Ben E. King – What Is Soul
  • Nina Simone – Nina Simone Sings the Blues
  • Phil Upchurch – Feeling Blue
  • Nina Simone – Silk & Soul
  • Tom Rush – The Circle Game
  • The Soul Finders – Sweet Soul Music
  • Wilson Pickett – The Midnight Mover
  • David "Fathead" Newman – Bigger & Better
  • Freddie McCoy – Listen Here
  • Barbara Lewis – Workin' on a Groovy Thing
  • Albert Ayler – New Grass
  • Shirley Scott – Soul Song
  • Solomon Burke – King Solomon
  • Gary McFarland – America the Beautiful: An Account of Its Disappearance
  • Jimmy McGriff – Electric Funk
  • Sonny Phillips – Sure 'Nuff
  • David "Fathead" Newman – The Many Facets of David Newman
  • James Brown – Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud
  • John Lee Hooker – Simply the Truth
  • Randy Brecker – Score
  • Carla Thomas – Memphis Queen
  • Bill Danoff – Reincarnation
  • Al Kooper – You Never Know Who Your Friends Are
  • Hank Crawford – Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul
  • Gary Burton – Good Vibes
  • Shirley Scott – Shirley Scott & the Soul Saxes
  • Yusef Lateef – Yusef Lateef's Detroit
  • Boogaloo Joe Jones – Boogaloo Joe
  • Johnny "Hammond" Smith – Soul Talk
  • Gene Ammons – The Boss Is Back!
  • Gene Ammons – Brother Jug!
  • Rusty Bryant – Night Train Now!
  • Herbie Hancock – Fat Albert Rotunda
  • Dizzy Gillespie – Cornucopia
  • Johnny "Hammond" Smith – Black Feeling!
  • Larry Coryell – Coryell
  • Sonny Phillips – Black on Black!
  • Jimmy McGriff & Junior Parker – The Dudes Doin' Business
  • Johnny "Hammond" Smith – Here It 'Tis
  • Louis Armstrong − Louis Armstrong and His Friends
  • Boogaloo Joe Jones – Right On Brother
  • Boogaloo Joe Jones – No Way!
  • James Brown – It's a New Day – Let a Man Come In
  • The Insect Trust – Hoboken Saturday Night
  • Charles Kynard – Afro-Disiac
  • Percy Mayfield – Weakness Is a Thing Called Man
  • Five Stairsteps – O-o-h Child - Disputed
  • Charles Kynard – Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui
  • Houston Person – Houston Express
  • Eddie Palmieri – Harlem River Drive
  • Hank Crawford – It's a Funky Thing to Do
  • Boogaloo Joe Jones – What It Is
  • Eddie Harris & Les McCann – Second Movement
  • David "Fathead" Newman – Captain Buckles
  • Oliver Nelson – Swiss Suite
  • King Curtis – Live at Fillmore West
  • Johnny "Hammond" Smith – Wild Horses Rock Steady
  • Larry Coryell – Fairyland
  • Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson – You Can't Make Love Alone
  • Herbie Mann – Push Push
  • Dizzy Gillespie – The Real Thing
  • Gato Barbieri – El Pampero
  • Gil Scott-Heron – Pieces of a Man
  • Aretha Franklin – Amazing Grace
  • Les McCann – Invitation to Openness
  • Hank Crawford – Help Me Make It Through the Night
  • Aretha Franklin – Young, Gifted and Black
  • Hubert Laws – Wild Flower
  • Leon Thomas – Blues and the Soulful Truth
  • Gil Scott-Heron – Free Will
  • Esther Phillips – Alone Again, Naturally
  • Miles Davis – Get Up with It
  • Donal Leace – Donal Leace
  • Dakota Staton – Madame Foo-Foo
  • Jerry Lynn Williams – Jerry Williams
  • Howard Tate – Howard Tate
  • Teresa Brewer – Singin' A Doo-Dah Song
  • Ronnie Foster – Sweet Revival
  • Hank Crawford – We Got a Good Thing Going
  • Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
  • Esther Phillips – From a Whisper to a Scream
  • Brook Benton – Story Teller
  • Jackie Lomax – Three
  • Oscar Brown – Movin' On
  • B.B. King – Guess Who
  • Buddy Terry – Lean on Him
  • David "Fathead" Newman – The Weapon
  • Gato Barbieri – Bolivia
  • Leon Thomas – Full Circle
  • Richard "Groove" Holmes – Night Glider
  • Garland Jeffreys – Garland Jeffreys
  • Lightnin' Rod – Hustlers Convention
  • Danny O'Keefe – Breezy Stories
  • Cat Stevens – Foreigner
  • Hall & Oates – Abandoned Luncheonette
  • Bette Midler – Bette Midler
  • Teresa Brewer – It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
  • Margie Joseph – Margie Joseph
  • Jimmy McGriff & Richard "Groove" Holmes – Giants of the Organ Come Together
  • Richard "Groove" Holmes − New Groove
  • Robert Palmer – Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley
  • Eric Kaz – Cul-De-Sac
  • Gato Barbieri – Yesterdays
  • Aretha Franklin – With Everything I Feel in Me
  • Richie Havens – Mixed Bag II
  • Joe Cocker – I Can Stand a Little Rain
  • Rusty Bryant – Until It's Time for You to Go
  • Margie Joseph – Sweet Surrender
  • Aretha Franklin – Let Me in Your Life
  • Tim Moore – Tim Moore
  • Esther Phillips – Performance
  • Arif Mardin – Journey
  • Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Change Up the Groove
  • Cornell Dupree – Teasin
  • Geoff Muldaur – Is Having a Wonderful Time
  • Todd Rundgren – Initiation
  • Margie Joseph – Margie
  • Paul Butterfield – Put It in Your Ear
  • Joe Cocker – Jamaica Say You Will
  • Roy Ayers Ubiquity - A Tear to a Smile
  • Jorge Dalto – Chevere
  • Hummingbird – We Can't Go On Meeting Like This
  • Michael Bolton – Michael Bolotin
  • Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
  • Letta Mbulu – There's Music in the Air
  • The Tymes – Tymes Up
  • Essra Mohawk – Essra
  • Steely Dan – Aja
  • Hummingbird – Diamond Nights
  • Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis – Home in the Country
  • Joe Cocker – Luxury You Can Afford
  • Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Pronto Monto
  • Cheryl Lynn – Cheryl Lynn
  • Felix Pappalardi – Don't Worry, Ma
  • Cheryl Lynn – In Love
  • Far Cry – The More Things Change...
  • Dizzy Gillespie – Digital at Montreux, 1980
  • Steely Dan – Gaucho
  • Al Johnson – Back for More
  • Aretha Franklin – Aretha
  • B.B. King – There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
  • Houston Person – Heavy Juice
  • Houston Person – Always on My Mind
  • Bob Cunningham – Walking Bass
  • Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff – Soul Survivors
  • Hank Crawford – Mr. Chips
  • Jimmy McGriff – The Starting Five
  • Flip Phillips & Scott Hamilton – A Sound Investment
  • Jimmy McGriff – Blue to the 'Bone
  • Hank Crawford – Night Beat
  • Jimmy McGriff – You Ought to Think About Me
  • Hank Crawford – Groove Master
  • Garland Jeffreys – Don't Call Me Buckwheat
  • Cissy Houston & Chuck Jackson – I'll Take Care of You
  • Al Green – Don't Look Back
  • Carrie Smith – June Night
  • Laura Nyro – Walk the Dog and Light the Light
  • Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers – Jungle Strut
  • Carrie Smith – Every Now and Then
  • Jimmy Smith – Damn!
  • Al Green – Your Heart's in Good Hands
  • Raw Stylus – Pushing Against the Flow
  • Houston Person – The Opening Round
  • Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff – Road Tested
  • Jimmy McGriff – The Dream Team
  • Hank Crawford – After Dark
  • Jimmy McGriff – Straight Up
  • Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff – Crunch Time
  • Leslie West – As Phat as it Gets
  • Jimmy McGriff – McGriff's House Party
  • The Hitman Blues Band - Blooztown
  • Oliver Darley – Introducing Oliver Darley
  • Jimmy McGriff – McGriff Avenue
  • Liv Warfield – Embrace Me
  • Elliott Randall – Still Reelin
  • Larry Coryell – Earthquake at the Avalon,
  • Hair – Broadway Cast Recording
  • Chihiro Yamanaka – Reminiscence
  • Mick Taylor – 'East Coast Tour Appearances'
  • Vulfpeck – 'Various Tour Appearances'
  • Eddie Palmieri – Sabiduria
  • George Freeman–Mike Allemana Organ Quartet with special guest: Bernard Purdie – Live at the Green Mill
  • Gonzalo Aloras – Nuestra Canción
  • Vulfpeck – ''The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate''