I've been playing approx 42yrs and i will always recall the most ringing endorsement for him I ever heard when I was a kid. I was playing at a jazz festival as a teen and after the show I was approached by an elderly gentleman who I knew the second I was within 10ft of him. None other than Louie Bellson, who in my mind is in the top 2 drummers of all time. He practically invented the idea of 2 kick drums and also played often w 4 sticks at a time. He was married to entertainer Pearl Bailey at the time.
We chatted about the songs we played at the show, about my kit, his kits, and drummers in general. I mentioned that he and Neil Peart were top of the heap for me. He had such glowing remarks about Neil and his ability, that it cemented in my mind his place in the Pantheon of drummers. He made a comment something like Neil had taken drums in directions outside what most had done, and he too keyed in on his ability to be musical and not just a hitter.
It's weird to have such a connection to a guy I've never met (Neil) as others have commented, but I feel like if not for him (and Peter Criss) I'm not sure my journey on drums would have started or lasted my whole life. Strange indeed. Still such a bummer.
Why couldnt they have taken Keith Richards finally instead of Neil.
. Lol. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
