Which musician did Aretha Franklin definitely NOT want missing from the line-up when she recorded her most inspired albums at the beginning of the seventies. Who provided the back-beat for Steely Dan's "Aja", and for whom have Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, B.B. King, "Sweet" Lou Donaldson, Joe Cocker and Hank Crawford reserved that stool behind the drum kit? The list is incomplete; it must be, because no other drummer in the last three decades has seen the interior of a recording studio as often as Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. A native of Elkton, Maryland - Purdie has laid down the beat on over 3000 albums to date.

The legendary drummer's style is described as the "funkiest soul beat" in the business. Purdie has never limited his talents, but has consistently sought out new musical experiences, anchoring sessions with the Rolling Stones, James Brown and Tom Jones with equal ease. "DRIVE" and "GROOVE" are definitely not missing from his vocabulary.