“If you find a job you love doing
                                Then you will never work again”
                                            Confucius

There are many drummers in the UK who are not in the drumming spotlight but are out there working continuously; Rob Townsend is one of them. Ever since his first big gig with “Family”, one of Britain’s most innovative and appealing outfits back in 1967, he has been continually touring and making albums.
For the last 20 years Rob has been drumming for “The Blues Band” with Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Dave Kelly and Gary Fletcher and has recorded about 16 albums with them. Not being contented with one gig he has also been moonlighting for the last 10 years with “The Manfreds” (featuring all but one of the original Manfred Mann) touring all over the world and recording three albums. Rob has also been involved with the session drumming scene, recording with Tom Robinson, Jona Lewie, George Melly, Duane Eddy, Peter Skelern, Bill Wyman, and Scaffold to name but a few.
I met up with Rob to find out how session drumming has changed, does he still get the same buzz out of playing? And what his wife (Carol) really said to Buddy Rich in the changing room at Ronnie Scotts!

Mike: After nearly 35 years in the business and thousands of gigs and records, have you not had enough yet?

Rob: (Laughing) no way, every day I pinch myself to make sure that I am not dreaming, I love the drums, I have come home from tours absolutely dead on my feet and I will get a call to go a play at a local pub because their regular drummer can’t make it and I say yes, my wife goes mad at me and tells me to just relax.
When I am not playing I go to drum shops or music shows I just love it. I feel so lucky to be able to be doing something that I love to do and to be able to earn a living from it.

Mike: Has the music industry changed much?

Rob: The real music side hasn’t but the business and pop side has, people are just looking for a fast buck and 15 minutes of fame are not prepared to put the leg work into it, when money gets involved it gets complicated, money and fame didn’t come into it when I started - that was a possible bonus. It was just being able to play the drums and the music, oh yes and pull the birds!

Mike: How did you get into the session work?

Rob: When we decided to call it a day with Family after 6 or 7 top twenty albums and 4 top twenty singles we had a number 2 (but never a number 1), anyway I was sitting in a bar with a mate of mine who played trumpet and he asked me “what are you going to do now then?” and I said I don’t know he told me “don’t start thinking money get out there and just play anything, what ever comes in just do it don’t wait by the phone for that big gig to come, get out there and find it” and that’s the promise that I have stuck to. I remember one of the first sessions I did was for a Gas jingle and when it came to play the producer said to me “are you Rob Townsend from the Family” yes I said, he asked “what are you doing this for” my reply was “I play drums, that’s my job”. My first gig after Family was with Medicine Head back in the mid 70s, Family had only just split when ex Family keyboard player named Tony Ashton, who was producing Medicine Head, asked if I would join what was a duo at the time and I stayed with them for about 18 months. I was the drummer on the hit “Slip and Slide” but for financial reasons they decided to go back to a duo.
I then went freelance. My first big session was for Peter Skellern his career was flagging a bit after his big hit “you’re a lady” we recorded “hold on to love” which became a top 10 hit, I then did an album with Skellern and also got to record with the London philharmonic (laughs) my reading came on leaps and bounds.

Mike: How did you learn to sight read?

Rob: I went to this teacher who I think used to teach out of one of the west end drum shops and I told him that I wanted to read but the first thing he asked me was “how did you play the Family hit Burlesque?” which I showed him he then showed me a big band chart and said basically bluff it and that will be £25 please. So I never returned and basically I learnt from the likes of Skellern and other helpful guys and the more I did it the better I got, I even ended up teaching for a while.

Mike: was it necessary to read at the time?

Rob: I thought it was necessary, studios were expensive and time was money. When you were doing a jingle and you had to be set up, play and out within an hour that’s when you need your parts. I got roasted a couple of times but everybody does.

Mike: Do you think the studio drummer’s job has changed over the years?

Rob: Yes we never had to play to a click, I used a click on the last Manfred’s album but drummers were booked because of their timing and feel that was our job. If we were doing jingles and they wanted the music to be say 5 seconds shorter you would have to play the piece faster. Musicians were hired to back the star, which was our job there was no room for champagne Charlie’s, we had to just back the stars.

I eventually got tired of the studio thing I just wanted to get back out on the road and I was given that opportunity by a singer named Kevin Ayres who asked if I wanted to go out on the road to promote the album I had just recorded with him alongside Andy Summers (who went on to join Police). From there I joined up with The Blues band who I have been with for over 20 years.

Mike: Who were your influences?

Rob: I loved Gene Krupa, Sam Woodyard, Joe Morrello and Buddy Rich who when I first saw him just blew me away with his power and speed. Then there was Brian Bennet who was playing his hi hats slightly open and was more the rock ‘n’ roll drummer and I loved the song “Apache” by the Shadows with Tony Meehan on drums it was my introduction into that style of music. And, of course, Ringo!

Mike: Tell us about your first meeting with Buddy Rich?

Rob: My wife’s going to kill me for this. It was at Ronnie Scott’s; a friend of mine knew Buddy so a group of us had front row seats and my wife came with us. My wife Carol used to work for Warner brothers so she knew all the pop stars of the day and also knew that I was a big fan of Buddy’s but didn’t know of his reputation (i.e he never minced his words). So after the first set we were invited into the dressing room to meet him, I was introduced to him and very sheepishly I shook his hand and introduced him to Carol, Buddy then asked if we enjoyed the first set and my wife said “it was all right but it was lacking in some passion” Buddy said “do you think so” yes she continued, at this stage I am trying to drag Carol out the dressing room door. But Buddy agreed and said “Will you be here for the next set?” “I guess so”, said Carol “Rob wants to stay”, and then Buddy promised a different second half performance which we got (ha ha) he was great. Carl Palmer used to date Buddy’s daughter, Cathy, and on my first visit to the States we were in the same hotel. He would go round to their house and then come back to the hotel, see me and say “now that thing Buddy does with his left hand goes like this” They don’t make them like Buddy anymore.

Mike: What’s coming up for you?

Rob: Well The Blues Band released a new album about 18 months ago so we have been out with that, we also have a DVD coming out soon, we have some nice gigs coming up at the Chester music festival, Kew gardens and the Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh and there are plans for a new album, And with The Manfreds we have just finished recording a new album and we have a 40-date UK theatre tour coming up, and what ever else comes in so I am always busy.

Many thanks Rob
Mike