William Kent, who along with his late brother, Ed, formed the Kent Drum Company, passed away in his Buffalo, New York area home at the age of 99 on December 11.
William and Ed Kent opened the Kent Drum Company in 1947 with a focus to create student-level kits to encourage music making at all economic levels. The company offered professional-level drums as well as other products such as the tambourine.
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The company closed in 1977 to allow Ed and William to retire. Drum Paradise, their retail shop next to the factory, closed the following year.
To view a clip from Kent’s 2013 NAMM Oral History interview, click here:
