Bernard Purdie

Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician.

He is known for his precise musical time-keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle."

Purdie was born on June 11, 1939, in Elkton, Maryland, US, the eleventh of fifteen children.

At an early age he began hitting cans with sticks and learned the elements of drumming techniques from overhearing lessons being given by Leonard Heywood.

He later took lessons from Heywood and played in Heywood's big band.

Purdie's other influences at that time were Papa Jo Jones, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Joe Marshall, Art Blakey, as well as Cozy Cole, Sticks Evans, Panama Francis, Louis Bellson, and Herbie Lovelle.

There he played sessions with Mickey and Sylvia and regularly visited the Turf Club on 50th and Broadway, where musicians, agents, and promoters met and touted for business.

It was during this period that he played for the saxophonist Buddy Lucas, who nicknamed him 'Mississippi Bigfoot'.

Eventually Barney Richmond contracted him to play session work.

In 1961, he moved from his home town of Elkton, Maryland, to New York City.

Purdie was contracted by arranger Sammy Lowe to play a session with James Brown in 1965 and recording session records also show that Purdie played on "Ain't That A Groove" at the same session.

Purdie recorded Soul Drums (1968) as a band leader and although he went on to record Alexander's Ragtime Band, the album remained unreleased until Soul Drums was reissued on CD in 2009 with the Alexander's Ragtime Band sessions.

Purdie is credited on James Brown's albums Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969) and Get on the Good Foot (1972).

Purdie started working with Aretha Franklin as musical director in 1970 and held that position for five years, as well as drumming for Franklin's opening act, saxophonist King Curtis and the King Pins.

Other solo albums include Purdie Good! (1971), Soul Is... Pretty Purdie (1972) and the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Lialeh (1973).

From March 5 to March 7, 1971, he performed with both bands at the Fillmore West; the resulting live recordings were released as Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971) and King Curtis's Live at Fillmore West (1971).

His best known track with Franklin was "Rock Steady", on which he played what he described as "a funky and low down beat".

Of his time with Franklin he once commented that "backing her was like floating in seventh heaven".

Purdie founded Encounter Records in 1973 and released five albums:

Purdie is known as a groove drummer with immaculate timing who makes use of precision half note, backbeats, and grooves.

Purdie's signature sixteenth note hi-hat lick pish-ship, pish-ship, pish-ship is distinct.

He often employs a straight eight groove sometimes fusing several influences such as swing, blues and funk.

He created the now well-known drum pattern Purdie Half-Time Shuffle that is a blues shuffle variation with the addition of syncopated ghost notes on the snare drum.

Variations on this shuffle can be heard on songs such as Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain", the Police's "Walking on the Moon", and Toto's "Rosanna" (Rosanna shuffle).

Purdie plays the shuffle on Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" and "Home At Last".

Purdie was credited on the soundtrack album for the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) and later he was the drummer for the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair and appeared on the associated Broadway cast recording.

In the mid-1990s he was a member of the 3B's, with Bross Townsend and Bob Cunningham.

He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.

In 2016, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Five Towns College.

Purdie has been a resident of New Jersey, living in Edison, Teaneck and Springfield Township.

In 2023, he moved to New Bern, North Carolina.