Durham drummer receives dream lesson from Aretha Franklin’s music director Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie
Written by Lily Ballentine on 8th November 2024
Should we meet our heroes? Conventional wisdom says no, but for one County Durham drummer, the experience defied expectations. Just over a month ago, he spent “a magic couple of days” alongside one of his idols and one of the most recorded drummers in the world, Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie.
Ian Bennington with Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie. (Image credit: Ian Bennington)
A few months ago, 51-year-old drummer from County Durham, Ian Bennington, came across a Facebook post from the company Drum.Dog, who were advertising the opportunity for a one-on-one drum lesson with one of the most renowned and influential drummers in history- Bernard Purdie.
Though many may not know him by name, the 85-year-old musician, who goes by the name Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie is an American drummer and legend in the music industry.
Having played in over 4000 songs as a Session Drummer and Recording Artist, Mr Purdie is highly regarded as one of, if not, the most recorded session drummer in history. Featuring on tracks such as Aretha Franklin’s Rock Steady, from her 1972 album, Young, Gifted and Black, Purdie was not only Aretha’s drummer, but also musical director from 1970 to 1975.
Moreover, he has worked with an array of world-class musicians, such as Hall and Oates, James Brown, Frank Sinatra and Steely Dan- to name just a few. Famously, he also created the funky, half-time drumbeat known as ‘The Purdie Shuffle’, contributing towards his legendary status amongst drummers and musicians.
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Though this may not resonate much with non-musicians, he played this shuffle on many famous tracks you may know, such as Steely Dan’s Babylon Sisters and Home At Last. Even when Purdie wasn’t playing on records himself, many famous artists adapted ‘The Purdie Shuffle’ for their music, such as Jeff Porcaro for Toto’s Rosanna and John Bonham for Led Zeppelin’s Fool in the Rain.
You may also be surprised to know that Purdie allegedly overdubbed the drumming on 21 songs which appear on the first three Beatles albums.
Reflecting his success, in 2013, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame, whilst more recently, on 29th September 2024, he received the first ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the UK Drum show in Liverpool.
With only five spots available and having been a fan of Mr Purdie’s work ever since his friend introduced him to the song Funky Donkey from Purdie’s 1967 debut album Soul Drums in the late 80’s, Ian purchased a ticket, unable to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I interviewed Ian and he told me what it was like to not only receive private tuition from, but actually play with one of his music idols, in what he described as: “five minutes of my life I’ll never forget.”
On October 5th, Ian made the trip to the Drum.Dog studio in London. Despite having met Noel Gallagher and being in a band invited to tour with Paul Weller, Ian is not someone who easily gets starstruck. In fact, Paul Weller himself once recommended Ian to Noel for a drumming gig with a band signed to Oasis’ record label in the early 2000s. However, upon first laying eyes on Mr Purdie, he described being “starstruck”.
They entered a studio and both sat at a drum kit, facing opposite one another- drummer-to-drummer. Ian then received a one-hour lesson from the legend himself.
When talking to the drummer about his impressive career, including the producers he’s worked with and the tracks he’s played on, Ian asked if he felt like a “musical butterfly” in the way he’s had to adapt to evolving styles over the span of his six-decade-long career.
The musician replied: “Nobody’s asked me that question in 25 years.” Over the course of the hour, Ian said: “Like any good student should do, I did more listening than drumming.”
However, he did get five magical minutes to play along with Mr Purdie. He said: “It’s five minutes of my life that I’ll never forget. I looked over at him half a dozen times […] and the man was beaming.
“This really moved me and it’s this sort of joy, enthusiasm and wholehearted passion which radiates from Bernard Purdie’s playing, making him enchanting to watch”.
When describing what happened after they stopped playing, Ian said on an Instagram post: “I can now die happy as I then got a round of applause from Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie.” His five-year-old daughter also drew a picture for the drummer, which he said he would place on his fridge in his home in the US.
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Ian got to witness the master in all his glory in a venue which has hosted the likes of Metallica, Blur and Mark Ronson.
The second track of the night was Aretha’s Rock Steady. On his Instagram post, he said: “I might’ve had a problem with my contact lenses at this point. And I wasn’t alone”, adding that, “hearing ‘The Purdie Shuffle’ in the room with him was a treat.”
So, while people say “don’t meet your heroes”, Ian’s experience proves that there’s exceptions to this. Although Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie may not be familiar to the general population, to many, he continues to be a huge inspiration and influence.
Unlike many who may never meet their heroes, this North East drummer did. Drum kit-to-drum kit, this meeting pays true testament to the power of music and its ability to bring people together.
