“There are four drummers on the Beatles records. Ringo’s not one of them.” - Bernard Purdie

Taken at face value, this is a bold claim, if not a crazy one.

But consider that it’s the same person who said, “I overdubbed the drumming on twenty-one tracks of the first three Beatle albums.” And then consider that the same man is one of the must influential and famous drummers in recorded music history.

In this video, I’ll detail Purdie’s claims, explain why he said what he did, and separate fact from fiction.

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CREDITS

Footage and Music:
Toto - Live at Montreux 1991 (Eagle Rock Entertainment), http://amzn.to/2zM7hx8
Jeff Porcaro - Instructional Drum (Hal Leonard Corp), http://amzn.to/2jzrakJ
Red Bull Music Academy - Bernie Purdie Lecture (Rome 2004),    • Bernard Purdie on Galt MacDermot, The...  
“Bernard Purdie Drum Lesson - 16th Ghost Notes,”    • Bernard Purdie Drum Lesson - 16th Gho...  
Classic Albums: Steely Dan - Aja (Eagle Rock Entertainment), http://amzn.to/2zKFX2e
“Bernard Purdie recording session ‘If You Need Me,’”    • Bernard Purdie recording session "If ...  
The Beatles - “Let It Be” (Film), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_...)
“Pretty As I Wanna Be - The Story of Bernard Purdie” - GASFACE,    • Pretty As I Wanna Be - The Story of B...  
“The Purdie Shuffle: An Iconic Drumbeat“ - New York Times,    • The Purdie Shuffle: An Iconic Drumbea...  
The Beatles - “She Loves You (Live)”
The Beatles - “You Can’t Do That (Live)”
The Beatles - “I Want To Hold Your Hand (Live)”
Tony Sheridan and The Beatles* - “If You Love Me, Baby / Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby,” http://amzn.to/2ipWIX4
Aretha Franklin - “Rock Steady,”    • ROCK STEADY / ARETHA FRANKLIN  
Steely Dan - “Deacon Blues,”    • Steely Dan - Deacon Blues 1977 HQ  
The McCoys - “Hang On Sloopy”
Ohio State Marching Band - “Hang On Sloopy,”    • Ohio State Marching Band "Hang on Slo...  
Hall & Oates - “She’s Gone,”    • Hall & Oates - She's Gone video  


Images:
bernardpurdie.com
45cat.com
discogs.com


Research sources:
Mark Lewisohn - 1: The Beatles - All These Years - Extended Special Edition: Volume One: Tune In, http://amzn.to/2hGkuAT
Max Weinberg - The Big Beat, http://amzn.to/2AVXp1C
Gig Magazine, “Bernard Purdie: The Real Fifth Beatle?,” Steve Weitzman, Feb. 1978 issue
Diane Gershuny - “Bernard Purdie: The Session Legend” (DRUM! Magazine, 1991), http://drummagazine.com/bernard-purdi...
Billy Amendola - “On the Cover: Bernard Purdie” (Modern Drummer), https://www.moderndrummer.com/article...
The New Yorker, November 18, 1967 issue
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie - Let the Drums Speak!, http://amzn.to/2gm45xn
John Lingan - “You Have Heard Bernard Purdie Play Drums” (Buzzfeed), https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnlingan/y...
Jim Vallance - “Bernard Purdie - Did he really record with The Beatles?,” https://web.archive.org/web/200509142... (Amazing work by Vallance here. It’s a shame his site is down!)
Hans Olof Gottfriedsson - “Beatles Bop - Hamburg Days (booklet),” http://amzn.to/2ipWIX4

The Nerdwriter (Evan Puschak) - “How Steely Dan Composes A Song” (Deacon Blues),    • How Steely Dan Composes A Song  

Special thanks to John Lingan, the team at DRUM! magazine, and the friends of the late Diane Gershuny for your help.

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JMJ