Ed Shaughnessy
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Edwin Thomas "Ed" Shaughnessy (born January 29, 1929) is a swing music and bebop drummer best known for his long association with Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and grew up in the New York City area, working in the 1940s with George Shearing, Jack Teagarden, and Charlie Ventura. In the 1950s he worked in the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey bands. In the 1960s he played for Count Basie prior to joining the Tonight Show band. In 1969 Ed was the Tonight Show session drummer during the performance of Jimi Hendrix. Shaughnessy recorded extensively throughout his career and was known for his drum competition with Buddy Rich. He is an endorser of Ludwig drums, Sabian cymbals and Pro-Mark drumsticks.
Although best known as a big band drummer, Shaughnessy's considerable skills spilled over into small group work with Gene Ammons, Roy Eldridge, Billie Holiday, Mundell Lowe, Teo Macero, Charles Mingus, Shirley Scott, Jack Sheldon, Horace Silver and many others. For several years Shaughnessy was a member of the house band at Birdland and other New York clubs. In the early 70s he was doing similar work in Los Angeles and is credited with discovering Diane Schuur, whom he introduced at the 1976 Monterey Jazz Festival.
