Brush Stick, used by Buddy Rich: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This brush stick was made by an unknown maker in the United States, around 1970-1980. It is a made of metal, with a plastic sleeve.

This brush stick is from a drumset used by Buddy Rich in 1983-1987.

Bernard "Buddy" Rich (1917-1987) began his professional career as a drummer, tap dancer, and singer with his parents' vaudeville act before the age of two. By the time he was six, "Traps, the Boy Wonder," had performed on Broadway and toured the United States and Australia.

With the demise of the vaudeville circuit and the popularity of the swing era, Buddy became an orchestra musician. His talents as a drummer landed him a job offer with Joe Marsala's band at the Hickory House in New York City in 1937. This led to a long line of high-profile performances with Bunny Berrigan, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Carter. Buddy's playing style was characterized by phenomenal speed, four-way independence, and an uncanny way of driving a big band.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1970-1980
• user: Rich, Bernard "Buddy"
• Object Name: brush stick
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 13 3/8 in x 7/8 in x 1/2 in; 33.9725 cm x 2.2225 cm x 1.27 cm
• place made: United States
• ID Number: 1988.0665.25
• accession number: 1988.0665
• catalog number: 1988.0665.25
• Credit Line: Gift of Cathy and Marie Rich
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.