Born 83 Years Ago Today in Virginia, the “Greatest Drummer in the World” Who Played With Elvis Presley, B.B. King, and Marvin Gaye

On this day (October 15) in 1943, Ralph Gallant was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Known professionally as Larrie Londin, the legendary Chet Atkins often introduced him as “the greatest drummer in the world.” During his nearly four-decade career, Londin played on more hit records than any other drummer, spanning the complete musical spectrum. Some of the names he collaborated with include Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Marvin Gaye, and Journey.

Larrie Londin died on August 24, 1992, in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 48. He had spent the previous four months in a coma after suffering a heart attack during a drum clinic at the University of North Texas in Denton. Today, we’re honoring his often unsung contributions to music on what would have been his 83rd birthday.

How Larrie Londin Stumbled into a Professional Music Career

Largely self-taught, Larrie Londin began playing the drums at age 15 — purely by accident. At the time, the teenager was working as a cook and dishwasher at a Norfolk nightclub that featured local bands.

“I moved a lot of beer kegs and I mopped up every night. One night the band’s drummer didn’t show up and I volunteered,” he told journalist James Byron Fox in an October 1991 interview. “I had never played a drum before but I figured it beat washing beer mugs and it paid better.”

Motown

As a young man, Gallant began performing with bassist Eugene E. Bunten as “brothers” Lonnie and Larrie Londin. Together, they joined The Headliners, the first white act to land a contract with a Motown record label.

During his time at Motown, Londin found steady session work with artists like The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and Jr. Walker & the All Stars.

“I used to just hang out at the studio all day and do club dates at night,” he told Fox. “In those days Motown was a real factory and they used to run sessions in shifts around the clock.”

The Move to Nashville

Feeling it was time to move on from Motown, Larrie Londin left Motown and joined the staff band on country singer Tennessee Ernie Ford’s TV show.

In 1969, he relocated to Nashville at the suggestion of Chet Atkins, whom he had met during his time with the Headliners. At a time when session drummers were scarce in Music City, Londin found himself in high demand.

Often practicing for up to 12 hours a day, he never learned to read music, instead developing his own “stick charts” to remind himself of approaches to certain songs.

Londin also established D.O.G Percussion in Nashville, one of the area’s first dedicated drum shops (named after his wife’s initials). He was among the first in his field to to embrace the use of electronic drum kits, often helping mentor younger drummers and pass on his knowledge and experience.

Other Musical Ventures

In 1968, Larrie Londin started recording with Elvis Presley and the Memphis Rhythm Section. He played on a number of recordings both in the studio and live, including the 1980 remix version of “Guitar Man” — the King’s final number-one hit.

Following his work with Presley, Londin spent the 1980s as a member of Rodney Crowell’s backing band, the Cherry Bombs.

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In the years leading up to his death, he also recorded and toured with the Everly Brothers.

Featured image by R.D/Images Press/Getty Images

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