Ed Shaughnessy
Ed Shaughnessy is perhaps the greatest living big band drummer. He came to prominence working with George Shearing, Jack Teagarden, Georgie Auld and especially Charlie Venture. He then became more widely known from engagements with bands led by Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.
After performing with Count Basie, he joined The Tonight Show Band where he became famous from 1963 until 1992 as the most visible drummer in America, playing on television every night with the top artists of the time as the featured drummer of Doc Severinson's Orchestra for host Johnny Carson.
Ed has performed with such greats as Leonard Bernstein at Carnegie Hall and George Ballanchine of the New York City Ballet as well as Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, James Brown and Aretha Franklin. While maintaining a busy recording and live performance schedule, Ed Shaughnessy's consummate skills have allowed him to become one of the most popular drum clinicians in international music education. He has always remained at the forefront of the jazz education movement, serving as a friend and mentor to hundreds of drummers.
Ed Shaughnessy's talent and performances cause critics to say "he is one of the world's greatest drummers." To back that up, Modern Drummer Magazine has awarded Ed the distinction of being the "Best Big Band Drummer" on seven different occasions.
To view Ed Shaughnessy's fantastic tribute on The Tonight Show to a recovering Buddy Rich, click here.