When Buddy asked his daughter to keep his music alive and to keep the band working after he was gone, she never thought things would work out the way they have. Cathy and her company Scabeba Entertainment has pioneered and produced the most history making iconic drumming events in the world. The biggest names in drumming, Neal Peart, Max Roach, Ian Paice, Phil Collins, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta, to name but a few, have all performed. In 1988, one year after Buddy’s death, Cathy kept her promise to her father by creating and producing The Buddy Rich Memorial Concerts and their related DVD’s. For the past twenty years she has kept the Buddy Rich Band touring from New York’s Carnegie Hall to London’s Palladium and from the Los Angeles Wiltern Theater to Tokyo, Japan’s Blue Note. Also in keeping Buddy’s legend alive in full force, five time Academy Award nominated film, “Whiplash” used Buddy as its inspiration. The film won not one, but two Academy Awards. Cathy was the technical adviser and highly involved in the creation of the soundtrack.
The Buddy Rich Band features Cathy Rich, and Emmy Award winning drummer Gregg Potter, featuring a sixteen piece Alumni band with video footage of Buddy and Cathy throughout his career. Noting the explosive, dynamic, and musically diverse career of Buddy Rich, promoters Bill Graham and Ron Delsener had no problem putting Buddy in the same lineup with rock and pop greats The Who at the Filmore and Led Zeppelin during the 60’s and 70’s. Today’s Buddy Rich Band is performing to the same non-classifying beat playing concerts and festivals with acts just as diverse.
Producers and promoters are discovering that this incarnation of The Buddy Rich Band has much to offer today’s young generation of music tastemakers.. Today’s audiences have a vast appreciation for many types of music as is reflected in the contrasting talent lineups that are being created by talent buyers for concerts, festivals, tours, destination events, corporate events, specialty cruises, and more.
This band is not a throwback Glenn Miller style tribute group or a Count Basie ghost band. This band skews young and loud, hip and fast. Some have described them as “Heavy Metal Big Band”. It’s a band with a high energy performance based on a legendary premise.
In support of the band’s touring, new product of Buddy’s music is produced and released every year by Scabeba Entertainment offering an outstanding selection of merchandise. In 2019 CD’s, LP’s, DVD’s, Wearables, and an instructional drumming book featuring Gregg Potter and the new band have been released. Two of the most exciting releases are coming in June and September of 2019. The first out is a double disc DVD set of a “Never Before Seen” television Special filmed in 1982 Starring Buddy Rich and his friends Ray Charles, Mel Torme, Stan Getz and others, now being shown on PBS stations nationwide. That collectible will be followed up by a release of never before heard audio material of Buddy Rich and his Band at their last performance at Ronnie Scott’s UK captured live November 20 and 21, 1986.
