DEDICATION

There are a few people who had a profound effect on my love of vintage and custom drums. These people were also owners of drum shops that were truly magical. Their shops were a welcome haven for all drummers, and they offered everything a drummer could ever want: friendship, camaraderie, access to knowledge, access to other drummers and, of course, wonderful drums. These people deserve special recognition: Frank Ippolito, Al Duffy and Papa Jo Jones: To Frank, owner of Frank Ippolito's Pro Percussion in NYC, which was an institution in the drum world, and the Land of Oz for me in the early 70s. To Al Duffy, the industry's first true custom drum builder whose corner of Frank's shop was a sight to behold, and whose work was inspirational for others who followed. To Papa Jo Jones: My teacher, who taught me more in our "sessions" at Frank's than I can possibly say. Charlie Donnelly: To whom I owe a never-ending debt of gratitude for starting me down the path of appreciation of fine vintage drums way back in 1975. Charlie's small shop in Connecticut was a treasure chest of fine vintage drums. Charlie was a wealth of knowledge. He had forgotten more about vintage drums than I will ever know. Maurie Lishon, owner of Frank's Drum Shop here in Chicago. Maurie's shop was well known to drummers far and wide. When the elevators stopped and the door opened, you walked straight into his shop, and the effect was the equivalent of being a kid in a candy store. All of these people truly made a difference in the world of drums that we love so much. Unfortunately, Charlie, Frank, Maurie, Al and Papa Jo are gone, and their shops are only a memory. Our goal is to continue what these folks started. We'll support up and coming custom builders who are making a difference; we'll support high quality products from a select group of today's manufacturers; we'll continue to support the vintage drum market by carrying a large inventory of the finest vintage drums available; and we'll continue to build our museum collection in order to allow drummers to experience some of the history of their chosen instrument. All I can hope is that this shop can bring back even just a portion of the magic generated by the Charlie, Frank, Al, Maurie and Papa Jo.

Steve Maxwell