Dick Cully

SticksEasy

Senior Member
I didn't see his name up here, so I wanted to post it. I found this guy on Youtube, and believe me, his technique and demonstration is unreal. The guy has hung around all the legendary big band drummers that most of us idolize, including Buddy Rich himself.

He recently came out of ten year retirement has been performing again with The Dick Cully Big Band. He takes time to talk to me on a few occasions, and is more than happy to help me out with technique, and any other things I might need help with.

I'm sure a hand full of you know who he is, but hopefully all of you will take the time to watch some of his stuff on Youtube.

He probably comes closer to Buddy Rich than any drummer ever will.

http://www.worldsgreatestdrummer.com/ (website)

https://www.facebook.com/dick.cully
 
I just typed a huge paragraph about Dick Cully and my run ins with him.....then deleted it because my mother always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say about someone not to say anything at all.

Mr. Cully is not a good person ....I'll leave it at that
 
Last edited:
I've actually been around the block a few times with some of the 'bad' things about Mr. Cully.

I gotta' admit, we're not exactly what you'd call 'best friends' but as long as I've known the guy, he's been nothing but helpful to me.
 
I've actually been around the block a few times with some of the 'bad' things about Mr. Cully.

I gotta' admit, we're not exactly what you'd call 'best friends' but as long as I've known the guy, he's been nothing but helpful to me.

so then you must have a bit of a clue of what I might be getting at
 
Yeah. all I can say is it isn't any of my business.

Don't ask, don't tell.

But you have to admit, he's a talented dude.
 
I've never met the guy but I've seen and read a lot about him. He strikes me a guy with great chops who idolized Buddy Rich and was able to emulate him as well as anyone ever has, including Butch Miles, Donny Osbourne, or whoever. His playing style is very derivative. Plays a set that looks just like Buddy's, plays the same solo, does the single stroke roll that gradually speeds up then goes to the rim and back again, etc.

He seems to swing a band really well and he also seems passionate about the music. Anyone who can front a big band in this day and age gets some respect from me.

But he also comes across as a guy with a big chip on his shoulder about never having received the recognition from the music industry he feels he deserves.

I'd love to know more about why he's such a polarizing figure. The people who don't like him have no use for him while his supporters seem to think he walks on water. Some people seem to have gone from his good side to his bad.

If anyone is dying to share stories, feel free to PM me :)
 
I've never met the guy but I've seen and read a lot about him. He strikes me a guy with great chops who idolized Buddy Rich and was able to emulate him as well as anyone ever has, including Butch Miles, Donny Osbourne, or whoever. His playing style is very derivative. Plays a set that looks just like Buddy's, plays the same solo, does the single stroke roll that gradually speeds up then goes to the rim and back again, etc.

He seems to swing a band really well and he also seems passionate about the music. Anyone who can front a big band in this day and age gets some respect from me.

But he also comes across as a guy with a big chip on his shoulder about never having received the recognition from the music industry he feels he deserves.

I'd love to know more about why he's such a polarizing figure. The people who don't like him have no use for him while his supporters seem to think he walks on water. Some people seem to have gone from his good side to his bad.

If anyone is dying to share stories, feel free to PM me :)


PM sent 8
...............
 
There are two drummers who I am aware of that imitate Buddy Rich's drum licks. The first is Donny Osborne, Jr., who actually rehearsed Buddy's band while Buddy himself watched. Donny is the son of the former president of Slingerland Drums.

The second is Dick Cully.

While both of these gentlemen have the licks copied, the true "Buddy Rich" fire is just not in their playing. I understand that neither one of these drummers are young, but neither one of them had the fire in their younger days. Buddy Rich had a unique quality to his playing that made it special - it wasn't just the rhythms he played. Although, I will admit that Dick Cully comes the closest to sounding like Rich.

Donny and Dick are both great drummers to have been able to copy anything Buddy ever did.

Buddy was an original, not a copy.
 
Last edited:
After watching a recent video of Gregg Potter with the Buddy Rich Band, maybe Cathy Rich should have selected Dick Cully to play drums for the band. At least the licks and technique would be in place. Gregg Potter uses a double bass drum pedal. That's about as "non-Buddy Rich" as it gets. C'mon Cathy, get with the program and at least get a drummer that can bring the band closer to Buddy's sound and swing !!!!!
 
Oh, there's a reason why Cathy won't ask Dick Cully to do anything.

I don't want to make the information public, but if anyone wants to discuss it, please message me.
 
The new MD is a Buddy issue.

GP has a section, & it says why they did it. They are very aware that GP is NOT Buddy Rich. Greg and Cathy Rich have been in a relationship for a long time.

I don't think the point was to have someone "imitate" Buddy and make it like a look/sound-alike tribute anyway.

The point is to get the music out there to a new generation.
 
There is only one Buddy Rich. Nobody has his experiences. Buddy played with all the jazz greats. While many drummers are inspired by Buddy to become better drummers and learn some of his techniques to achieve that goal, you need to keep it in a drumming perspective. As a musician you are a product of your own pesonal experiences, musicial influences and your drum learning foundation. The great drummers listen to their favorite drummers and incorporated other drummers style, technique, and feel in to their own playing, giving them a new and unique personal drum sound or feel. That's how you become a Buddy, a Gene, a Bonham, and so on....... They just didn't come out of thin air and they didn't live in a vacuum. We are all a product of many. The gifts these great drummers gave us, was their their creative, artistic musicianship individuality. It's almost a paradox, THE PRODUCT OF MANY CREATES INDIVIDUALITY.
Buddy Rich and all the other great drummers have set the bar at the highest levels.
 
Last edited:
I don't know who Dick Cully is but I've been friends with Gregg Potter for many, many years. He is a great drummer. He's doing a great job with the BRBB and bringing big band music to the masses. He plays his ass off, double pedal or not.

Peace, MT
 
Back
Top