THE LASTING LEGACY OF A 2 BAR DRUM LOOP

THE LASTING LEGACY OF A 2 BAR DRUM LOOP

Here's the most famous 2bar drum break of all time...

Strung together in this video sequence of only some of the artists that sampled it.

Pretty interesting stuff, eh?

So... It was played by James Beck Gordon, then a well known drummer who played on many of the albums we all know. Here, he is featured on the Incredible Bongo Band’s rendition of “Apache” in 1973.

It has since became a foundational hip-hop sample used in more than 750 songs.

However, Gordon was often said to be "tormented" by the people who knew him.

Abusive and diagnosed with schizophrenia, he spent the rest of his life in prison after he murdered his own mother - bludgeoning her with a hammer and stabbing her multiple times.

Does that make you feel any differently about his drumming?

These untold stories of creators, the process of creation, and the unseen effects it can have on a person is often times overlooked. In his case, James Gordon was certainly dealing with more than most of us could even understand. So it appears.

He died in his prison cell just a few months ago. Alone. It makes me wonder 2 things..

1. Who collected on all of his royalties?

2. Being in prison for so long, was he even aware of the contribution he made to music? How big of an impact he had on on a new form of music that is still prevalent today?

Hmmmm...