Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have always been interested why so little seems to be said or known publicly about the Searchers' drummers. The recent Searchers' poll on this forum also speaks to this indirectly with only Chris Curtis and Eddie Rothe named as a favourite thus far. I would like to know much more about the Searchers' drummers and thus far "Needles and Pins" has only heard from Eddie Rothe. Why do we know so little about those persons who made a substantial contribution to The Searchers. Is this situation generic to all groups? Should anyone know how to contact Chris Curtis, Johnny Blunt or Billy Adamson, please let contact me by email. Thanks.

Peter: "Is this situation generic to all groups?" Interesting question. Certainly many rock drummers take a backseat to the lead singer and the lead guitarist. Why the lead singer? He delivers the lyrics. Why the lead guitarist? Hmm....it probably has a historical background, with stringed instruments being more popular in Western music than percussion instruments. So the guitar was probably a more commonly played instrument when the rock era was ushered in. Rock's near worship of the guitar was sparked and is perpetuated by "guitar heroes" like Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and others. But who are our drum heroes? Sandy Nelson made a successful solo career out of drumming--unusual for a rock 'n' roller.

You have the occasional group whose drummer becomes famous for some reason (The Beatles, obviously, and others), but overall, it seems that drummers are neglected by the general public, as are some bassists and rhythm guitarists. So if there's not much information about The Searchers' drummers out there, it's probably due to a lack of interest in drummers in general. And in the case of Chris Curtis, it's because he seems to have become a very private person since leaving the band, his Spencer Leigh interview being our main source of information on him.

Good points S.J. To go a step further, drummers seem to have resigned themselves to their lot behind the scenes. It would also seem that the folks out front don't overly encourage drummers to come forward. Every lead singer has a tale to tell about a drummer who "thinks he can sing." Don Henley and Phil Collins would seem to be the exception rather than the rule. I have made contact with Chris Curtis and in spite of my best efforts he has not responded. I also have reason to believe that I have reached Johnny Blunt but no response either. Eddie Rothe has been kind enough to respond which is encouraging. Let's hope Billy Adamson will send along a few comments. Many of my favourite Searchers songs are those that have interesting drum patterns and different percussive techniques. I leave that for another thread.

Peter: Your comments remind me of an episode of the American television series "Full House." There was a telethon being held, and The Beach Boys' Mike Love showed up unexpectedly and agreed to sing "Be True To Your School." He asked the drummer of the telethon band for a drum roll after the into, but the drummer gave him a fancy solo instead. Love responded by grumbling something under his breath about how drummers' egoes have grown since Ringo Starr came on the scene. When I first saw that many years ago, I found it funny, but now I think it may have had a more serious underlying meaning about the "unimportance" of drummers.

It's a pity--personally, I like to listen to and sometimes imitate the drumming on a recording, and Chris Curtis ranks as one of my favorite drummers.

S.J. I too enjoy the drumming of Chris Curtis as he provided some very nice fills and signature drum patterns that really stood out on a number of the Searchers' recordings. Ringo did the same sort of thing.