The passing of Remo Belli, founder and CEO of Remo, Inc., on April 25th of this year was met with reactions befitting his stature and character. Tributes and fond remembrances appeared in print, on social media, and online. MMR heard from a number of Remo’s friends and industry colleagues and we share some of their thoughts below…
I am sad to say that a dear friend of Sam Ash Music, the Ash Family, and the Music Industry has lost one of its best, a true original. Remo Belli was the inventor of the plastic/synthetic drumhead and changed the drum industry forever. I remember my father tucking kip hide into hoops in my bathtub. It was hard work, it really stunk up the house, but we didn’t have to take a bath that day! Remo took all of that away, for the better. Without his drum heads even George Martin couldn’t get a good drum sound out of the Beatles. Besides his inventing and his drumming, he was an art lover, a vintner, and a philanthropist. He and Bernice and Jerry had a real friendship – the type that Jerry really liked. They never talked about the business, just the characters and personalities within it.
He will be truly missed.
Sammy Ash, Sam Ash Music
Remo Belli was a music visionary, realizing early on that music education through drumming improves wellness. He was also a cherished life-long friend and mentor to me. Remo’s contributions have made the world a much better and more musical place to live. He will never be forgotten. Thanks, Remo! RIP.
Jay Wanamaker, Roland Corporation
The Gretsch family joins everyone in the drum and percussion industry in mourning the passing of Remo Belli on April 25. As a veteran of that industry myself, I had the pleasure of knowing Remo for many years on a personal and professional basis. My wife Dinah and I shared visits with him at trade shows and other drumming events, and we always enjoyed our time together.
But Remo’s connection to the Gretsch family goes back much further. My uncle, Fred Gretsch Jr., was a little more than twenty years older than Remo. When Remo was touring as the drummer for Anita O’Day and bandleader Billy May in the 1950s, Uncle Fred was running the Gretsch business. He welcomed Remo into the fold as a Gretsch drum artist. In fact, Remo’s smiling face graces the cover of the 1954 Gretsch drum catalog – right next to Louie Bellson, and in the company of other drum greats like Art Blakey, Jo Jones, and Shelley Manne.
Just a few years later, when Remo went into business himself, Uncle Fred supported his efforts by becoming a major customer for his Weather King synthetic drumheads. Remo heads are still factory-installed on Gretsch drums today.
Fast-forward to when I entered the drum business fifty years ago. Returning the favor that my uncle had done for him, Remo (who was a little less than twenty years older than I am) served as a mentor to me, offering sound business tips and valuable personal advice. Over the ensuing years I came to cherish his friendship, his guidance, and his unparalleled professional example. I will miss those things – and Remo himself – tremendously.
Fred W. Gretsch, The Gretsch Company
There is an old expression about not knowing how big a mountain is when you’re standing near it, only at a distance can you appreciate its enormity. Perhaps this was true of Remo. When you were around him, he made you feel like family, that you were in the circle. But standing back one sees the enormous impact of a life well lived and the countless lives made better by his contributions. With a list of accomplishments that seem impossible for one lifetime and the rare gift of moving freely in such diverse universes as music, farming, and medicine, Remo has left an indelible mark on us all. His impact on NAMM is immeasurable; Remo has been a compass point guiding our Market Development efforts for over three decades, including our work in music education, music brain research, music and wellness and recreational music making.
I went to visit Remo last month and little did anyone know that it would be our last meeting. Touring the factory floor and seeing the depth of Remo’s connection to his hundreds of staffers, calling most by their first name, was a lesson in what true leadership was all about. And, surprising for someone nearing their 89th birthday, we spent the day with his team talking not about the past but rather about the future and celebrating the progress that had been made in bringing recreational music making and drumming to the classroom, to the medical community, and all the way to Capitol Hill and the White House.
They say, “We only get so many trips around the sun and to make the most of each one.” Boy, did he ever.
Joe Lamond, NAMM
Three years ago, Remo invited Vic Firth and me to visit with him in California. Remo really rolled out the red carpet, which included a car and driver at our disposal. After touring the Remo plant in Valencia, we headed off to Remo’s vineyard where the fun really began.
Neither Vic nor I were surprised to see how hands-on Remo was in managing the vineyard. Clearly this was more than just a hobby. It was a passion and he wanted to share his passion with us.
I had known Remo for many years as he had long been affiliated with the Zildjian family – first, as a Zildjian Artist and then as the largest Zildjian dealer on the West Coast. But, during our visit to California, I had the opportunity to see beyond Remo the musician and entrepreneur.
We had some great conversations about what was truly important in life to Remo. Remo told Vic and me that he wanted everyone to play music. He said, “I want to give people permission to play badly just as long as they enjoy the experience.” (Vic, who had been head of Percussion at New England Conservatory, sort of cringed with the thought of people playing badly.) There was lots of conversation about music therapy helping Autistic children. And, it was quite moving to hear Remo talk about stroke victims who had lost the ability to talk, but could sing. It intrigued Remo that the brain was so hard wired for music. This set him on a quest to dedicate years and years of his life to health and wellness.
Looking back at that trip to Remo’s vineyard, I feel privileged to have spent so much time with percussion’s most important visionary, the man who always had been ahead of his time whether that meant popularizing the synthetic drum head or paving the way for music therapy.
I’m sad to think that when I go to the next PAS or NAMM Show, Remo won’t be there and Vic won’t be there. But, both these giants of percussion have so profoundly influenced my thinking that I still feel their presence. And, I will always treasure those memories from the trip to California.
Craigie Zildjian, The Avedis Zildjian Company
What Xerox is to copying machines and Kleenex is to tissue, Remo is to drumheads: a trademark that has become virtually synonymous with an entire product category. Remo Belli, the man behind the product, did more than anyone else to introduce the world to synthetic drumheads. With his passing, the industry has lost one of the few individuals deserving of the much-overused phrase “icon”. Not only did he revolutionize a products, he built a world-class company and spent an entire career promoting the benefits of drumming with an unmatched zeal.
While the origins of rock ‘n’ roll remain the subject of debate, it’s safe to say the genre would never have gotten as far as it did without Remo’s synthetic head. Previously, drumheads were laboriously made by wrapping calfskin around a wooden hoop. As rock ‘n’ roll gained traction in the early 1960s, driving demand for drumkits, the makers of calfskin heads were simply unable to keep up. Remo’s Mylar solution, dubbed the “Weather King” because it was impervious to climate, saved the day, providing drum makers with enough heads to fill their growing order books.
The story behind Remo and his drumhead is a classic entrepreneurial tale. Born in Mishawaka, Indiana, Remo developed his interest in drums at an early age, watching his uncle’s polka band at the local Italian Club. His father urged him to take up the accordion, but he was determined to play drums. Remo, who often said the market for musical instruments was made up of “compulsive” musicians who had no choice but to play and “impulsive” musicians had only a passing interest, placed himself squarely in the “compulsive” category.
By the time he entered high school, World War II had broken out and all the local drummers had been drafted. As one of the few drummers left in Northern Indiana, he soon had more gigs than he could handle. The varied performance experience honed his skills, and when he enlisted in the Navy at 18, he was immediately assigned to the Navy band.
After receiving his discharge, he moved to Los Angeles and began his career as a professional drummer. Starting in saloons, he quickly graduated to touring with singers Anita O’Day, Betty Hutton, and a host of other notables. When he was off the road, he was a first-call studio drummer.
Although Los Angeles had five drum shops at the time, Remo didn’t think any of them were serving the market properly. In 1950, with $2,300 borrowed from his parents, he rented a small space on Santa Monica Boulevard and opened Drum City. It quickly became a destination for top West Coast drummers.
Drum manufacturers began actively courting Remo, not just because Drum City was a growing customer, but also because his proximity to leading players gave him unique insights into the market. On a visit to the Slingerland Drum Company in Chicago, owner Bud Slingerland asked for his opinion about a new head, made from Mylar, Dupont’s revolutionary new plastic film. Remo was impressed with the material, but immediately realized that a new technique was needed to attach it to the rim; tacks just didn’t work.
Upon returning to Los Angeles, Remo’s accountant put him in contact with a chemist named Sam Muchnick, who devised an innovative solution: punching holes around the edge of the Mylar head and using a fast-setting liquid resin to bond it to a U-shaped aluminum hoop. The unique bonding system was patented in 1957, and Remo immediately began head production in a 500-square-foot space adjacent to Drum City.
As with any new invention, Remo’s synthetic head initially drew criticism from purists who argued that it “wasn’t the same as calfskin.” He responded by marshaling an all-star list of endorsers including Louie Bellson, Buddy Rich, and Gene Krupa to vouch for the musical quality of Mylar heads. As demand for drumkits soared, manufacturers and retailers enthusiastically embraced the new head, and by the time the Beatles made their U.S. debut in 1964, the Remo Weather King had become the undisputed head of choice.
In the early 1980s, Remo developed a “Pre-Tuned” head, which involved tensioning Mylar film on a hoop without the use of any hardware. This invention led to the development of a broad line of world percussion instruments. It also dovetailed with Remo’s personal interest in drumming as a tool for enhancing human well-being. He explained, “Drums can be used by anyone for relaxation and enjoyment. They can be used for helping people with Autism or Alzheimer’s, or for someone just showing up at a recreation center on a Tuesday night having a ball.” With his wife Ami, an MD practicing alternative medicine, he partnered with neurologists and education experts to develop wellness-based programs using rhythm.
Remo committed himself and his company to providing drummers, the world over with quality products and programs while striving to expand the acceptance of rhythm and in particular drumming as an integral component of an individual’s wellbeing. Through his ongoing efforts, the professional, the enthusiast, children, the elderly, those at risk and those faced with both emotional and physical challenges have been brought to the joy of drumming.
Remo Belli made the world a better place by giving drummers better tools, by pioneering the concept of music as a means of enhancing health, and by creating a valuable enterprise that employs hundreds. His name, emblazoned on millions of drumheads worldwide, is a fitting and perpetual epitaph.
The Belli Family
