Born on this day in 1963, Rick Allen, drummer with Def Leppard, who had the 1987 worldwide No.1 album Hysteria, and the 1988 US No.1 single “Love Bites.” Allen lost his left arm in an accident after crashing his Corvette Stingray on the A57 outside Sheffield in England in 1984.

The day that changed Allen’s life forever happened on 31 December 1984 when the drummer was involved in a tragic accident. Formed in Sheffield in 1977, Def Leppard had enjoyed their best year ever. The group’s latest album Pyromania had turned Def Leppard into a household name. They were all over MTV, both UK and US audiences loved them, they were at the forefront of a new wave of heavy metal/rock groups — Def Leppard were now living the dream — they were rock stars. Def Leppard the definitive hard rock band of the ’80s.

Rick’s idols were Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, Thin Lizzy’s Brian Downey, and Queen’s Roger Taylor. Shortly after turning 15, Allen’s mother spotted an ad in a local newspaper for a group that was looking for a drummer. Allen had already been a member of three other groups (Smokey Blue, Rampant and the Jonny Kalendar band). The group turned out to be Def Leppard, and despite all of its members being several years older than Allen, he got the gig anyway. Since he was still underage, the group would often have to lie about his age to get him into the clubs they were playing, and when they inked contracts, Allen’s father had to sign for him.

The 21-year-old was driving in his Chevrolet Corvette on the A57 (which has been named as one of most dangerous roads in the UK) on his way to a New Year’s Eve party at his family’s home in Sheffield, England, when an Alfa Romeo passed him. Allen claims that the driver had been egging him on and that he would not allow him to pass. In his rage to pass this driver, he became reckless, did not see a turn up ahead, and lost control of his car at high speed. The car sailed over a stone wall and into a field.

Rick was thrown from the car, his left arm severed because the seatbelt was not properly fastened. The car ended up upside down, with his girlfriend Miriam Barendsen secure in her seat. Luckily she was not seriously injured and found Allen in the field. They were helped by a passerby who was a nurse, and Allen was taken to a hospital. Doctors initially reattached Allen’s arm, but because of infection it was removed again.

Allen obviously thought that his drumming days were over, and became very depressed. Apparently the members of Def Leppard had other ideas and still thought that with their support Rick would remain in the group. Lead singer Joe Elliott and Allen set about working with some engineers and hatched a plan to design a drum set to assist Allen’s drumming. After all of this, he could still play some drum rhythms with one hand, using his left foot (typically for hi-hat pedals in common drum sets) to play the snare drum.

Former Status Quo drummer Jeff Rich was a source of help and encouragement during Allen’s convalescence, and they designed an electronic kit Allen could play using only one arm. Electronic drum manufacturer Simmons created a kit to their specifications, and Allen made his post-accident debut in 1986 with a well-received set at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington. In August 1987, the band released their fourth album, Hysteria, which, after a relatively slow start in the U.S., ultimately became another huge success, selling over 20 million copies worldwide.

Understandably Allen’s accident changed his outlook on life forever. To see the drummer come back from this terrible accident is amazing; to still be the drummer in one of the most successful bands ever is also amazing.

Allen and his wife Lauren Monroe are the co-founders of The Raven Drum Foundation, a charity located in Malibu, California, with a mission to serve, educate, and empower veterans and people in crisis. The Raven Drum Foundation commonly works to help individuals and communities in crisis through healing arts programs, drum circle events, and collaborative partnerships. Recently, they have had a special focus on veterans of war through their “Veteran Resiliency Project” including support for the Wounded Warrior Project. Rick and Lauren also host “Resiliency Radio”, an interactive radio show intended to help empower, educate, and inspire during difficult times.

Rick is also the founder of The One Hand Drum Company to assist in providing awareness and funding for his Raven Drum Foundation. Currently, the primary focus of the One Hand Drum Company is promoting StikRick, a drawing by Rick of a one-armed drummer that he sometimes uses with his autograph. The StikRick site sells t-shirts, hats, and other items with the StikRick drawing along with a “Life Is Great!! Be A Rockstar!!” slogan. Proceeds from the One Hand Drum Company go to support the Raven Drum Foundation charity.

For the first time in its history, Musicroom is the main sponsor of this year’s Derbyshire Times Band of the Year competition.

The contest is a countywide “battle of the bands”, which has been running since 1987 and thanks to Musicroom, the UK’s largest music retailer, they have enviable prizes set to get the competitors’ hearts racing.

Don’t miss the shortlisted bands battling it out at Chesterfield’s Winding Wheel venue at two semi finals, held on 7th and 14th of November. The six best out of these will then go on to the live grand final on 21st November, also at Chesterfield’s Winding Wheel.

As the chief sponsor, Musicroom will be providing the lucky winning band with a Fender® Standard Stratocaster featuring legendary Fender® tone, classic styling and a ’70s-style headstock logo. Fender® fans will be over the moon if they win this iconic guitar, inspiring them to pick up the fantastic new Fender® and play like a legend while dreaming of making musical history!

The second place band will win a Musicroom package of a Blackstar HT-1 Combo Amplifier, the perfect studio and practice amp, as well as an Amplitube iRig Interface Adaptor, allowing the band to get their instrument’s signal into iPhone/iPod touch/iPad. Finally, the third place band will receive a Boss Micro-BR Digital Recorder, the ultimate palmtop guitar companion and recording studio.

As the world’s leading guitar manufacturer, the Fender® name has become inextricably linked with all things rock ‘n’ roll, with players such as Eric Clapton, John Mayer and Jimi Hendrix bringing the instrument to the forefront of the music scene, which will undoubtedly appeal to our “battle of the bands” contestants. With these renowned musicians associated with the world-famous Fender® brand, we jumped at the chance of Musicroom’s involvement in this contest.

However, you don’t need to be in the competition to bag your own Fender®, Musicroom offers a variety of Fender® guitars both in-store and on-line at incredible prices, so there’s never been a better time to strap on a legendary Fender® guitar!

All of Musicroom’s fabulous and iconic instruments and much more are available at Musicroom’s 19 high street stores and online at www.musicroom.com.

Musicroom stores can be found in: Brighton, Bristol, Dublin, Dundee, Edinburgh, Exeter, Hatfield, Leeds, Lincoln, two stores on London’s iconic Denmark Street, Norwich, Nottingham, Poole, Portsmouth, Salisbury, Stratford, Truro, and York.

A hand-written letter by Sir Paul McCartney asking a mystery drummer to audition for The Beatles has been uncovered at a car boot sale.

Dated August 12th 1960, the letter was written at the time when Pete Best was the drummer for the band.

However, the identity of the addressee is still unknown, but Beatles historians are revelling over the find, which was folded-up in a book in Bootle, Liverpool.

Historians did not know, for example, that the band was looking for a drummer at this time. It was not for another two years that they recruited Ringo Starr to become the Fab Four the world knows today.

Now, the letter is going up for auction at Christie’s and it is expected to fetch as much as £7,000 to £9,000. The high price tag is partly because the letter is one of the earliest occasions that the band referred to themselves as The Beatles.

It is not known if an audition actually took place, but Sir Paul writes that the drummer should head to the Jacaranda club and ask for a member of The Beatles. He also writes about the job: “expenses paid £18 per week (approx.) for 2 months”.

Just three days later, the band travelled to Hamburg as a five-piece with Best for two months.

Commenting on the sale, which will take place on November 15th, Neil Roberts, director of popular culture at Christie’s, said: “My initial reaction was one of disbelief, but on seeing the item and being able to research the significance of the date and its content as well as conferring with renowned Beatles historians, it has turned out to be much more significant than mere words on paper.”

Other collectables at the Rock and Pop Memorabilia auction include the iconic BED PEACE sign that was displayed on the window above John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s bed in Montreal. It has an estimate of £80,000 to £100,000.

Born on this day in 1948, John Henry Bonham. Best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin, Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and “feel” for the groove, (he was in fact a soul drummer). The swing and swagger were his alone.

John Bonham first learned to play drums at the age of five, making a drum kit out of containers and coffee tins. He received his first proper drum kit from his father when he was fifteen.

In 1968, ace session guitarist and Yardbird Jimmy Page was plotting to form the ultimate rock band and had already lined-up Plant as the singer, who in turn recommended Bonham. The drummer was initially reluctant to join as he was also receiving lucrative offers from established artists such as Joe Cocker and Chris Farlowe.

Fast forward to what are now considered nine classic rock albums and we have the biggest group in the world, breaking records set by The Beatles in the 60’s – Led Zeppelin were unstoppable, scoring #1 albums and selling out the biggest stadium shows in the U.S.

Bonham’s now legendary drum solo “Moby Dick” (first entitled ‘Pat’s Delight’ after his wife) was a highlight of their 3-hour live shows. “Moby Dick” would often last for half an hour and regularly featured the use of Bonham’s bare hands to achieve different sound effects.

On 24 September 1980, Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for an upcoming tour of the U.S.: the band’s first since 1977. During the journey, Bonham had asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodkas, continuing to drink heavily during rehearsals. The band retired to guitarist’s Page’s house near Windsor, where, after midnight, Bonham had fallen asleep, having been taken to bed and placed on his side. Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones found him dead the next afternoon (Bonham had choked on his own vomit). He was 32 years old.

Musicroom Exeter would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended the A2D event in Exeter on Saturday 19th March, we hope you found our UK launch of the new V-Drums Kits both exciting and informative!

We would like to thank all involved from Roland UK and Korg UK for their support and dedication, and also to Jim and Maria from the Sound Gallery for being excellent hosts!

We hope to be back again next year even bigger and better than before!

We have added a couple of images from the event here, but you can see our full gallery on our Facebook pages.

Master of Puppets by Metallica has been crowned as the best heavy metal song of all time, beating the likes of Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Black Sabbath.

Gibson recently called upon its editors, writers and readers, to weigh in and help it create a definitive list of the greatest metal songs of all time.

The song, first released in 1986, is known for its razor-sharp intro riff and fast tempo.

Metallica managed to fight off competition in the top ten from Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Black Sabbath, as well as defeating a long list of other top bands including Van Halen, Twisted Sister, KISS, AC/DC and Rage Against the Machine.

And it is hard not to agree with the guitar manufacturer’s decision, with Metallica representing the coming together of four hugely talented musicians who managed to steer rock music in new directions and serve to inspire a number of artists.

In fact, their third album Master of Puppets is described as one of the most influential and “heavy” thrash metal albums in history.

Over the course of 30-year carer, Metallica has released nine studio albums, three live albums and 45 singles. The band has won nine Grammy Awards and achieved estimated worldwide sales of 100 million records.

Influenced by early heavy metal and hard rock bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Scorpions the band has experimented with a number of styles incorporating blues and early hard rock influences.

Later albums have also looked to introduce more rhythm and harmony in their song structures.

Motorhead’s Ace of Spades was named by Gibson as the second best heavy metal song of all time.

“From the moment Lemmy hits the gas pedal on the opening bass riff, the song never relents … if that doesn’t set your blood boiling, then you simply don’t have a pulse,” Gibson said.

Musicroom Exeter are proud to announce our close relationship with the Exeter School of Samba with both local support for events and gigs being offered , sponsorship and the supply of Instruments and all things Samba.

The group hold workshops for beginners and intermediate level musicians at the Pheonix Arts Centre in Exeter progressing their pupils through to performances with the Samba Marcianas band.

Please see more details below -

Exeter school of samba is run by music graduate and drum-kit teacher Scott Craig.

Scott the ‘Mestre’, uses Brazilian-made instruments to teach the traditional Brazilian rhythms characteristic of the drum schools (baterias) of Rio and Sao Paulo.

The aim of Exeter School of Samba is to provide an opportunity for anyone with an interest in percussion, music and/or rhythmic movement to develop their musical skill and abilities within the framework of this vital, traditional art form.

Participating in rhythmic workshops increases confidence, energy, team work and creativity.

The philosophy of Exeter School of Samba is  ‘Make Yourself Heard’, which is about finding your voice on all sorts of levels. Because Scott works primarily with schools and school children he has an interest in education, teaching, group
work and behaviour. Bullying is one of the most detrimental forces to arise within any educational or work environment, which is why Exeter School of Samba’s ‘Make Yourself Heard’ anti-bullying workshops are being developed.

Please see the Exeter School of Samba website for further info about this exciting project!

Roland V-Drums have long been a favourite of Channel Five’s team at The Gadget Show. They have made an appearance at the Gadget Show Live events, and in one episode were even used by Suzi to recreate the show’s theme music.

However, the show went one step further last night in it’s Christmas Special by declaring that Roland’s HD-1 V-Drum Lite kit is the number one ‘Gadget For Boys’ beating off competition from lots of other cool ‘tec’ (as they call it), including an intriguing rocking scooter.

All the equipment was put through its paces by the guys from the popular group, Scouting For Girls, but it was the show’s own Jon Bentley who awarded the final positions.

If you are feeling inspired to spread a little Christmas cheer, then the Roland kit is sure to deliver and we have them in stock now!

As an affordable ‘all-in-one’ Electronic Drum Kit, it is ideal for a first-timer or casual player. Forged from the same ground-breaking technology as its V-Drum predecessors, but much simpler to use, it’s price is also more accessible to musicians (or their parents!) on a tight budget.

Gabriel Wallace, the stickman behind virtual band Gorillaz, has signed up as one of Pearl Drums‘ featured artists.

Wallace joined the band in 2008, immediately adding a new live flair to their already energetic live performance, which often features large video screens, massive stage production and a full string section.

The artist uses Pearl Masters Series drums in Piano Black to help fill arenas worldwide with the “full-bodied and warm tones that maple shells have become so popular for”, the manufacturer revealed.

He joins other notable artists also using Pearl equipment such as Adam Perry of The Bloodhound Gang, Andy Williams of The Doves, Ben Johnston of Biffy Clyro, Darrin Mooney of Primal Scream and John Bradbury of The Specials among others.

Currently Wallace is with Gorillaz on their 2010 world tour, which has already played to audiences in Madison Square Garden and is soon to grace the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

Encompassing a style which includes influences from multiple musical genres including hip hop, alternative rock, electronic and pop music, the band’s most recent release Plastic Beach, sold over 112,000 units in its first week of sales and reached number two in the Billboard 200 charts in the US as well as enjoying worldwide success.

“The three years spent developing and recording Plastic Beach have yielded one of the most entertaining and thought provoking releases of 2010, with layer upon layer of complexity that continue to reveal the project’s scope with each repeated listen,” a review of the album by Classic Rock Music said.

In addition to this, Gorillaz stepped in to replace U2 to headline this year’s Glastonbury Festival in June.

Votes have been counted and awards have been handed out in the biggest awards ceremony of its kind to celebrate the art of drumming.

With the awards now in its 15th year and stronger than ever,  a record-breaking 6,500 drummers posted 120,000 votes in the 40 categories which make up The Drummies,

Voting for a range of classes including Best Drummer, Best Drumming Accessory and Best Live Performance, the ceremony celebrates the diverse mix of talent which can be found across the industry.

And while nobody could prevent Canadian rock legend Neil Peart achieving the feat of being named Drummer of the Year for the fourth time in succession, there was a host of new talent and products recognised for excellence among the list of winners.

Drum manufacturer Pearl performed strongly in the awards and made history by becoming the first manufacturer to pick up a hat-trick of wins.

The Pearl MHP Masters Mahogany was named as the Best Drum Set, the Pearl Eliminator Demon Drive Pedal picked up the Best Hardware award and the Pearl Jingle Cajon was the number one Percussion Product.

Among some of the world-class artists who choose to use Pearl products and also won in their categories are Joey Jordison, Sammy Figueroa, Jesus Diaz and Frank Knuckles.

The Drummies awards are run by Enter Music Publishing and DRUM! magazine and full results can be viewed in the August issue.

A short video showing how Drum Cymbals are are made, covering the manufacturing process from start to finish.

This video explains the science behind Pearl’s Superior Shell Technology (SST) and the factory process that creates their SST Drumkits.  It is worth knowing that all Pearl drums are made with this same technique, even their beginner kits.

This is a factory tour video showing  how Vic Firth Drumsticks are made and manufactured.

John Bonham is an idol to legions of Led Zeppelin and heavy metal fans worldwide.

Tributes have been paid to the “greatest drummer of all time” on what would have been his 62nd birthday.

Legendary drummer John Bonham died suddenly in 1980 at the age of 32. Despite his untimely death, during his years as Led Zeppelin’s drummer he helped guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant create such famous songs as Stairway to Heaven and Kashmir, changing the face of popular music in the process.

Bonham had a unique style and unmatchable talent which ensures he will be remembered as a great musician as well as rock innovator. On the anniversary of what would have been the ex-Led Zeppelin drummer’s 62nd birthday, BBC 6 Music conducted a celebration of his distinguished career and defining talents.

Speaking to the radio station, Led Zeppelin band mate John Paul Jones said that Bonham’s talent on the drums was easy to spot, and that from the first time he watched him play he was convinced about his skills.

“Thirty seconds,” he claimed. “The first thing we ever played together, the first time we met was in a rehearsal studio in Lyle street in London and we played a thing called A Train Kept a Rolling, which was a Yardbirds song, and as soon as we started, by about the fourth bar I realised this is going to be great, this is a great drummer.”

Bonham died tragically at the age of 32.

Jones also praised Bonham’s style. “He plays behind the beat or in front of the beat depending on what it needs, what the beat needs, most drummers can only play on the beat if they’re lucky, but he could move it around which takes a good bit of skill and musical awareness to know that it needs to be moved around,” he added.

Bonham has continued to be a major influence for a number of successful artists, with rock drummers such as Tony Thompson, Tommy Lee, Peter Criss, Stewart Copeland and Chad Smith all citing him as an inspiration.

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters once described him as being the “greatest drummer of all time” and it is likely that he will continue to encourage new generations of drummers for years to come.

Click here to buy Bonham’s biography, featuring a track-by-track recordings analysis, 45 colour photos, and a detailed inventory of his kits and equipment.

Roland have introduced the TD-12KX as the latest addition to the V-Drums family. Targeted to the demands of drummers who perform live and in the studio, the TD-12KX electronic drum kit builds on the feature set of the popular TD-12KV kit, adding a larger kick, floor tom pad, and a new stand with improved pad mounts and durability. The editing features of the TD-12 module have also been enhanced for even more flexible sound creation.

The TD-12KX features Roland’s patented multi-layer mesh heads for the kick, snare and tom pads, providing the dynamic feel and playing sensitivity which make V-Drums the professional’s choice in electronic drums. To enhance playability, these professional drums include a larger 12” V-Kick™ KD-120 for the bass drum and a 10“ V-Pad PD-105 for the floor tom. The TD-12KX also comes equipped with a V-Hi-Hat® VH-11 and three12” CY-12R/C V-Cymbals®.

The TD-12 Percussion Sound Module features the same COSM® sound engine as the popular TD-20, and provides supreme sound quality and direct outputs for professional flexibility. Editing sounds is easy on the TD-12 thanks to V-Edit, which allows drummers to adjust parameters, such as shell material, head type and cymbal size with a simple icon-based graphic interface. With the TD-12KX kit, the V-Edit functions have been enhanced to include microphone placement, bass drum beater selection, adding a hi-hat tambourine, and more. The TD-12 also offers many useful functions for drum practice, including onboard music patterns, a sequencer, a programmable click, and a mix input jack for connecting MP3 or CD players.

Easy setup and increased stability are among the many practical enhancements offered by the all-new MDS-12X stand. Its lower weight centre provides more stability and playability. Additionally, newly improved cymbal and tom mounts include ball clamps for flexible and easy set-up and positioning.

The original Korg WAVEDRUM was introduced to the music world back in 1994. This legendary musical instrument was instantly famous for its innovative design, performance possibilities and unique sounds. Now, Korg offers the affordable, next-generation WAVEDRUM Digital Percussion Synthesizer.

WAVEDRUM can be used as a stand-alone percussion instrument, or integrated into an existing drum kit or percussion rig. Unlike digital trigger-based systems, WAVEDRUM uses a real drum head as the playing surface, providing an authentic and familiar feel. This allows the performer to employ sticks, brushes, mallets and/or traditional hand-drum techniques (mute, slap, bend, etc.) to play with comfort and confidence. Aside from drummers and percussionists, additionally vocalists, DJs, and many other types of entertainers and musicians can take advantage of the versatility and playability of the new Korg WAVEDRUM.

There are actually two playing surfaces on WAVEDRUM: the head and the rim. Under the head is an audio transducer, similar to a microphone. This transducer drives WAVEDRUM’s DSP and PCM sound engines, providing a far more expressive and natural playing experience than trigger-based systems that rely on PCM playback alone. The rim is outfitted with different-sized raised patterns on the left and right sides. In addition to using the rim as a traditional playing surface, rubbing a stick or mallet over these raised patterns can create interesting percussion effects, similar to an afro-cuban güiro, for example.

By combining 36 advanced DSP (Digital Signal Processing) synthesis algorithms with 200 PCM samples (100 for the head; 100 for the rim), WAVEDRUM provides a wide palette of sounds, ranging from traditional drum and percussion instruments to complex synthetic tones and sound effects. In addition to the ability to create new and unusual sounds, WAVEDRUM also re-creates a vast array of percussion instruments from around the planet, from familiar cajons, congas, and tablas, to the rare and exotic. These include the udu, a clay pod percussion instrument; the jegog, a bamboo gamelan marimba from the island of Bali; a talking drum from Africa; gongs, and many others.

WAVEDRUM can even reproduce stringed instruments such as the sitar, koto, and berimbau. This allows a single WAVEDRUM to replace what would have been a room full of instruments, sure to be a welcome addition to crowded stages, theatre/show pits, project studios and classrooms.