Tambourines

Jack Ashford played percussion as a member of the famed Funk Brothers, the house band for Motown Records beginning in the 1960s.  Jack’s unique approach to the tambourine soon resulted in his growing reputation for adding special layers to the music.  As a member of the Funk Brothers, he recorded several hundred hit records, which he continued to do even outside of Motown as he became in demand.  Among the noted tambourine driven songs he recorded are “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder and “War” by Edwin Starr.

William Kent, along with his brother Ed, formed the Kent Drum Company in 1947 with a focus to create student-level kits to encourage music making at all economic levels.  The company offered professional-level drums as well as other products such as the tambourine. William was always proud that a common story told in the industry by company leaders and professional drummers alike, was of a Christmas morning surprise in 1964 or 1965 for the young Ringo want-to-be, a new Kent Drum set under the tree!   The company closed in 1977 to allow Ed and William to retire.  Drum Paradise, the

Roger McGuinn got a transistor radio from his parents as a young kid and was never the same after hearing Elvis Presley. He instantly picked up the guitar and it changed his life forever. Roger co-founded The Byrds in 1964 with David Crosby and Gene Clark and recorded amazing versions of “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” just to name a few. Roger has also release five solo albums, as well as toured with folk legend Bob Dylan. In 1995, he launched The Folk Den – a website that catalogs folk music and preserves it for the future generations.  

Richard Taninbaum grew up in a musical family. His father, Wolf, played saxophone for many top big bands during the Swing Era and later created his own mouthpiece company. So, it was no surprise that Richard’s drum studio career was highlighted with the creation of Rhythm Tech, a percussion instrument maker that showcased many of Richard’s own clever designs such as the moon-shaped tambourine and shakers for drum sticks.