Was saddened by the passing recently of drummer Ed Schaugnessy, best known perched up high on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
As a tot, loved the opening of the show, with Ed perched high above the band, with cymbals at eye level, catching the accents of the Tonight Show theme (composed by the way, by Paul Anka)
Mr. Schaugnessy put the brand Pearl drums on the map. Back then, no professional drummer would touch a Japanese manufactured kit. Hard to believe, isn't it?
As the staff drummer on the Tonight show, he played with a potpourri of artists, from Jimmy Hendrix to Ray Charles. He recorded with Tony Bennet in 1950, at the ripe age of twenty.
Ed, I salute your contributions to the scene, drumming in general. You were part of a great era gone that I sorely miss.
