It's Too Late - Music

It's Too Late by Pretty Purdie & The Playboys

Pretty Purdie & The Playboys

Artist Biography For Pretty Purdie & The Playboys

A Band Led By Drummer Bernard Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie Born June 11 1939 Is An American Drummer And An Influential R&B Soul And Funk Musician. He Is Known For His Precise Musical Time Keeping And His Signature Use Of Triplets Against A Half-Time Backbeat The "Purdie Shuffle." He Was Inducted Into The Modern Drummer Hall Of Fame In 2013. Purdie Recorded Soul Drums 1968 As A Band Leader And Although He Went On To Record Alexander's Ragtime Band The Album Remained Unreleased Until Soul Drums Was Reissued On CD In 2009 With The Alexander's Ragtime Band Sessions. Other Solo Albums Include Purdie Good! 1971 Soul Is... Pretty Purdie 1972 And The Soundtrack For The Blaxploitation Film Lialeh 1973 . In The Mid-1990s He Was A Member Of The 3B's With Bross Townsend And Bob Cunningham. Biography Purdie Was Born On June 11 1939 In Elkton Maryland US The Eleventh Of Fifteen Children. At An Early Age He Began Hitting Cans With Sticks And Learned The Elements Of Drumming Techniques From Overhearing Lessons Being Given By Leonard Heywood. He Later Took Lessons From Heywood And Played In Heywood's Big Band. Purdie's Other Influences At That Time Were Papa Jo Jones Buddy Rich Gene Krupa Joe Marshall Art Blakey As Well As Cozy Cole Sticks Evans Panama Francis Louis Bellson And Herbie Lovelle. In 1961 He Moved From His Home Town Of Elkton Maryland To New York City. There He Played Sessions With Mickey And Sylvia And Regularly Visited The Turf Club On 50th And Broadway Where Musicians Agents And Promoters Met And Touted For Business. It Was During This Period That He Played For The Saxophonist Buddy Lucas Who Nicknamed Him 'Mississippi Bigfoot'. Eventually Barney Richmond Contracted Him To Play Session Work. Purdie Was Contracted By Arranger Sammy Lowe To Play A Session With James Brown In 1965 And Recording Session Records Also Show That Purdie Played On "Ain't That A Groove" At The Same Session. Purdie Is Credited On James Brown's Albums Say It Loud – I'm Black And I'm Proud 1969 And Get On The Good Foot 1972 . Purdie Started Working With Aretha Franklin As Musical Director In 1970 And Held That Position For Five Years As Well As Drumming For Franklin's Opening Act Saxophonist King Curtis And The King Pins. March 5–7 1971 He Performed With Both Bands At The Fillmore West The Resulting Live Recordings Were Released As Aretha Live At The Fillmore West May 19 1971 And King Curtis's Live At Fillmore West 1971 . His Best Known Track With Franklin Was "Rock Steady" On Which He Played What He Described As "a Funky And Low Down Beat". Of His Time With Franklin He Once Commented That "backing Her Was Like Floating In Seventh Heaven". Purdie Was Credited On The Soundtrack Album For The Film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1978 And Later He Was The Drummer For The 2009 Broadway Revival Of Hair And Appeared On The Associated Broadway Cast Recording. In 2016 He Was Awarded An Honorary Doctorate In Music By Five Towns College. Purdie Has Been A Resident Of New Jersey Living In Edison Teaneck And Springfield Township. Wikipedia Bernard Purdie