Bernard ‘Buddy’ Rich was born on the 30th September 1917, in Brooklyn, New York City USA, and was a drummer representative of swing, bop and in general the jazz of the big bands. He was one of the best musicians in the field of jazz drumming, recognized for his technique, speed and skill in solos. Rich was active in the entertainment industry from 1919 until his passing in 1987.
How much was the net worth of Buddy Rich? It has been calculated by authoritative sources that the outright size of his wealth was as much as $5 million, converted to the present day. Music was the main source of Rich’s net worth.
To begin with, Rich was born into a family of artists and had already performed at the age of four in a concert. At the age of eleven he was already the second highest paid child star in the world.
Buddy Rich Net Worth $5 Million
He first gained experience as a jazz drummer in 1937 with Joe Marsala. At the age of 21, Rich took part in his first major recording with the Vic Schoen Orchestra, then in 1938 he was hired for Tommy Dorseys orchestra, where he met Frank Sinatra. In 1942, Rich left the Dorseys when he joined US Marine Corps. Two years later he left the Navy, and again became a member of Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra, then with Sinatra’s financial help, Rich founded his own big band in 1946, in which he also often proved his considerable talent as a singer.
In addition to his own big band projects, Buddy Rich also appeared as a drummer in the 1950s and 1960s with the Dorsey Brothers, Woody Herman, Harry James and Count Basie. Rich’s virtuosic mastery of the drums influenced generations of drummers from all musical genres worldwide. Together with Gene Krupa and Max Roach, Rich created legendary spectacular drum duels. His charisma and his strong personality were highly appreciated in the music business. He was regarded as a pedantic perfectionist who took the stage presence of his big band very seriously, sometimes to the suffering of his band members, of whom he demanded absolute attention and concentration. He appreciated the individuality of a musician, so he always praised other drummers like Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Mel Lewis and Steve Gadd. One of his last appearances as a bandleader was the legendary “Concert for the Americas” with Frank Sinatra in 1982 in Altos de Chavón in the Dominican Republic, which was recorded and released on DVD in 2010.
Rich fell ill with a brain tumor in 1987 and suffered a heart attack after emergency surgery. He was buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Two years after Rich’s death, a memorial concert, he was held in which some of the world’s best drummers, including Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Marvin Smitty Smith, Steve Smith, Neil Peart and Louie Bellson played. This “Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship Concert” was released on DVD. The drummer Neil Peart produced two CDs entitled “Burning for Buddy – A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich”.
Finally, in the personal life of Buddy Rich, he was married to Marrie Allison. They had one child.
