William F. Ludwig Sr.

William Frederick Ludwig was the son of German immigrants to America, arriving when he was just 8 years old in 1887.{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicpage.com/ludwig|title=Ludwig Drums's Profile | Musicpage|website=www.musicpage.com}} His father was a professional trombonist and Ludwig started taking music lessons upon arriving to Chicago that same year, initially on piano and violin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pas.org/about/hall-of-fame/william-f-ludwig|title=William F. Ludwig|website=Percussive Arts Society}} Ludwig soon switched to drums and became increasingly unhappy with the technology available for drum pedals. Ludwig's first musical gig was at the Wood Brother's Circus in 1895, followed by several other miscellaneous posts.Ludwig, William F. W.F.L Complete Drum Instructor. Revised edition. Chicago: W.F.L. Drum Company, 1942. In 1903 he joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.{{Cite web|url=https://nard.us.com/History_of_N.A.R.D..html|title=History of N.A.R.D.|website=nard.us.com}} From 1904 to 1906 he performed with the English Grand Opera Co., and in 1909 he became the timpanist for the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

In 1909, with his brother Theobald Ludwig, William set up the Ludwig & Ludwig Drum Company.{{Cite web|url=https://drumheadauthority.com/news/happy-birthday-theobald-ludwig/|title=News: Theobald Ludwig, Co-Founder Of Ludwig Drums: Born December 18, 1888.|date=December 18, 2017}} They manufactured the first modern-style bass drum pedal to meet the needs of jazz, ragtime, and circus drummers of the day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1897457/William-F-Ludwig-II.html|title=William F Ludwig II|first=11:46AM BST 22|last=Apr 2008|date=April 22, 2008|website=www.telegraph.co.uk}} Ludwig played with the Chicago-Philadelphia Grand Opera Company from 1910 to 1912 when he joined the Chicago Civic Opera, a post that would last until 1914. He returned to the Chicago Symphony in 1915 and remained there until 1918 when he resigned to focus on manufacturing. Theobald died in 1918 from influenza, but the Ludwig Company continued to grow with William and was one of the largest drum companies in the world by the 1920s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.carlbouchaux.com/gear-sponsors/ludwig-drums/|title=Ludwig Drums|website=www.carlbouchaux.com}}

In 1933, at the American Legion National Convention, Ludwig and a group of 12 other notable rudimental drummers, including George Lawrence Stone, formed the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD) to promote rudimental drumming. They organized a list of 13 essential drum rudiments, later to be followed by another 13 to complete the 26 Standard American Drum Rudiments.{{Cite web|url=https://nard.us.com/N.A.R.D._Rudiments.html|title=N.A.R.D. Rudiments |website=nard.us.com}} These would be the authoritative set of American rudiments until the Percussive Arts Society published another set in 1984.{{Cite web |title=Rudiments|website=www.pas.org |url=https://www.pas.org/resources/rudiments}}

Ludwig's company suffered during the Great Depression so he merged with Conn in 1930 and moved to Indiana. In 1937, he left Conn and founded the WFL Drum Company, which his son William F. Ludwig Jr. and daughter Betty would join in 1938.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ludwig-drums.com/en-us/ludwig/about|title=About|website=Ludwig Drums}} He published his Collection of Drum Solos featuring the 26 NARD rudiments in 1942,Ludwig, William F. Collection of Drum Solos. WFL Drum Company, 1942. his Complete Drum Instructor in 1947 (interestingly, this volume lists 30 rudiments despite Ludwig's involvement in codifying the 26 NARD rudiments 14 years prior), and the WFL Drum Corps Manual in 1948.Ludwig, William F. WFL Drum Corps Manual. WFL Drum Company, 1948.

In 1955, Ludwig bought the name Ludwig back from Conn (WFL drums had been directly competing with Conn-made Ludwig drums) in order to found the Ludwig Drum Company. He published the book The Ludwig Drum and Bugle Manual in 1956,Ludwig, William F. The Ludwig Drum and Bugle Manual. Ludwig Drum Company, 1956. followed by the Ludwig Tympani Instructor in 1957.Ludwig, William F. Ludwig Tympani Instructor. Ludwig Drum Company, 1957. He also published The Ludwig Drum Method in 1967.Ludwig, William F. The Ludwig Drum Method. Ludwig Drum Company, 1967. Ludwig Sr. ran his new company until his death in 1973, popularizing his drums through relationships with Ringo Starr of The Beatles and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

His son William F. Ludwig II was named president of the Ludwig Drum Company after his father's death. Ludwig's grandson William F. Ludwig III owns his own drum company called WFLIII Drums.{{Cite web|url=https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/bill-ludwig-iii-b3|title=Not So Modern Drummer|website=Not So Modern Drummer}}

Ludwig performed with the Chicago Marine Band, T.P. Brooke, Max Bendix, Arthur Pryor's Band and several opera companies during his long career, and he was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in its inaugural year, 1972.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pas.org/about/hall-of-fame|title=PAS Hall of Fame|website=www.pas.org}}

• Collection of Drum Solos
• WFL Complete Drum Instructor
• WFL Drum Corps Manual
• The Ludwig Drum and Bugle Manual
• Ludwig Tympani Instructor
• The Ludwig Drum Method

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Category:1879 births

Category:1973 deaths

Category:20th-century American drummers

Category:American male drummers

Category:20th-century American male musicians

Category:Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States