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Animal looks on as Buddy Rich drums
Buddy Rich (1917-1987) was considered the greatest jazz drummer in the world. Beginning in vaudeville as a teenager, Rich established himself as a premier jazz percussionist, performing with many of the pioneering big band groups from the '30s through the '50s, including the aggregations of Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown, and Harry James, before forming his own band.
He was the guest star in The Muppet Show episode 522. Rich spoke positively of the experience in a 1981 interview: "The thing that's good about it is; I felt like a Muppet myself; I was like a kid, playing with those guys, because that's how they made me feel. Singing the song was a knockout to me: the silly karate thing with Miss Piggy was beautiful, I thought; the playing on the walls, chairs and everything was a great idea of theirs. Then, of course, the battle at the end with Animal; to play opposite Ronnie Verrell—one of my all-time favourite drummers, along with Kenny Clare—was a total gas to me. That one week will go down as one of the most positive weeks in my career. I loved it—and I thank them."
