Ninety years ago, William F. and Theobald Ludwig started their little manufacturing business in a garage in Chicago. The garage is long gone, as are the founders, but from that humble beginning came the mighty business known as Ludwig.

Whether your area of interest is the original Ludwig & Ludwig, the Conn era, WFL, Leedy & Ludwig, the post 1955 family owned Ludwig Drum Company or the modern Selmer owned Ludwig Drum Company, you have a lot of history in your hands.

This article just wants to thank the owners and the employees over the last nine decades for a job well done.

We also want to congratulate Jim Catalano of Ludwig for his ideas on issuing the commemorative 90th Anniversary snares.

There are four models and to some degree, we helped.

The 90 special Black Beauties are being engraved by your pal, John Aldridge. The 90 special solid maple shells for the tube lug solids are being built by our part timer (and former manager), Ryan Payne.

We didn't do anything about the sapelli plied shell snares.

But we did beg, call, write, ask emissaries to intervene and downright pester Jim Catalano to reissue the circa 1940 Top Hat & Cane snare. And they are beautiful.

Happy Birthday to America's largest drum maker and here's to another 90.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of the Ludwig Drum Company, I invite you to order an autographed copy of my book, The Great American Drums ! for $19.95 plus shipping. Email us or call for details.