Bernard “Buddy” Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time and was known for his virtuoso technique, power, and speed. He performed with Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Count Basie, and led a big band. Rich was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish-American parents Bess Skolnik and Robert Rich, both vaudevillians. As a kid, when he was at a restaurant with his parents, he used the knife and fork as drum sticks. Before he turned two, he was part of his parents’ act on vaudeville, but on breaks he would sneak into the orchestra pit and try to get the drummer’s sticks. He was on Broadway as Baby Traps the Drum Wonder at age four, playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” on a drum. He was a singer and tap dancer. In his teens he led a band and toured in the U.S. and Australia. At fifteen he became the second highest paid child entertainer behind Jackie Coogan during the 1930s.