The Unsung Drummer Behind Motown, Elvis, and Nashville Hits
I still remember spotting the ad in the Classifieds of the
Toronto Star. Something lit up inside me as I read it.
My hands actually started to shake.
The ad read something like,
“Columbia recording artists Morgan require bass player and drummer for immediate work.”
That was all I needed to see. I wanted that gig.
I grabbed the phone, called the number, and booked an audition on the spot.
When I showed up at the rehearsal space, at least twenty drummers were already lined up
along the walls. Some had elaborate stick bags, special snare road cases, and
music stands, all ready to show off their chops and reading skills.
I walked in with one lonely pair of sticks and a whole lot of attitude.
My mindset was simple: “Step aside, gentlemen. This is my gig.”
Two weeks crawled by before the phone finally rang. On the other end was the offer
to drum for Morgan. I hung up the receiver and launched into some kind of tribal
victory dance in my kitchen. In my head, this was the first real step on my path
to becoming one of the great studio session drummers.
Bob Gallo and the Columbia Records Session Drummer
During my time with Morgan, I heard a ton of stories. Bandleader Lindsay Morgan often
talked about his brief recording experiences with producer
Bob Gallo,
who had worked with legends like James Brown, Bo Diddley, Ben E. King,
Aretha Franklin, and The Rascals.
The story that stuck with me the most was about a session drummer Gallo flew into
Toronto’s
Manta Sound
studios to work some drum magic on a track. Gallo wasn’t happy with what a previous
drummer had laid down on a single called Mystical Magical Lover,
and he wanted it fixed by a real pro.
As the story was told to me, this contract session drummer for Columbia Records was
flown in from the U.S., handed a pair of headphones, and given a quick rundown.
The tape started rolling.
Effortlessly, he laid down a pounding groove with some simple tom embellishments that
instantly stamped the track with his signature sound. He knew exactly what the song needed:
an aggressive pulse and feel to make it lift off.
A couple of takes later, the drummer from the States packed up and was gone.
At first, the whole thing sounded a bit far‑fetched. But later I realized the story
absolutely added up. This session ace was in his prime when he got the call to Toronto.
Gallo — and everyone else in the room — witnessed firsthand why this drummer was
considered one of the greats.
Ralph Gallant Didn’t Start at the Top
The man in that story was Ralph Gallant. He didn’t start as a legend. Very few champions do.
Ralph’s first drumming gig happened almost by accident. He was working in a restaurant,
mopping tables and moving beer kegs, when he noticed the band booked for that night
had a serious problem: their drummer wasn’t going to show.
Ralph volunteered to sit in on drums, even though he had never played before.
In his mind, hitting drums had to be better than washing beer mugs.
That one decision quietly launched his career.
Time passed, and after a few twists and turns, Ralph ended up in Detroit with a band
that signed to the
Motown Records
roster. Most of his early time at Motown’s Hitsville, U.S.A. was spent watching
legendary drummer Benny Benjamin help crank out hit after hit as part of the
Funk Brothers.
One day, Motown founder Berry Gordy burst into the offices, grabbed Ralph, and told him
to get to the studio and start playing. Benny was having a heart attack and couldn’t
make the session, and Gordy wasn’t about to waste studio time in the Motown
“music factory.” Ralph was already on the payroll, so he was next up to fill the
Motown drum chair.
Benny Benjamin’s health eventually failed, and Ralph moved into the role as one of
Motown’s regular session drummers, backing some of the label’s biggest artists.
Drumming for Hitsville, U.S.A.
Despite what a certain Bernard Purdie has claimed over the years, Ralph Gallant was
the drummer on many classic Motown hits such as “Come See About Me,” “Baby Love,” and
“I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” as well as “Shotgun” by
Jr. Walker & The All‑Stars.
He recorded with Stevie Wonder and countless other Motown artists, often without his
name appearing front and center in the credits.
Those grooves you hear on so many iconic tracks? A lot of that is Ralph behind the kit.
From Motown to Nashville
Ralph Gallant eventually moved to Nashville, where he worked in television with
Tennessee Ernie Ford and soon became what guitar legend
Chet Atkins
called “the greatest.”
He wasn’t the “fastest gun in town” in a Buddy Rich kind of way, but Chet knew what made
Ralph special. After more than 50 years in the business and helping launch countless careers,
Atkins recognized greatness when he heard it.
Ralph went on to play drums on more hit records than almost any other drummer, with the
possible exception of the amazing
Hal Blaine.
His discography reads like a roll call of country and pop royalty:
Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner,
Tennessee Ernie Ford, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Hank Williams Jr., and many more
all relied on his feel and versatility.
Elvis, Steve Perry, and Beyond
Ralph Gallant also spent several years recording and touring with
Elvis Presley,
stepping into the drum chair alongside the TCB Band.
He brought his own voice to the music while respecting the legacy he’d stepped into.
You can also hear his unique drumming style on
Steve Perry’s solo album Street Talk
and on Journey’s
Raised on Radio
He was that kind of drummer: one foot in soul and R&B, the other in rock and country,
always serving the song first.
The Unsung Giant Behind the Kit
This incredibly versatile drummer is probably one of the most unrecognized players ever
to work with so many of the world’s biggest stars over a career that spanned roughly
four decades and scores of hit records.
Musicians who talk about him always come back to the same themes: gentle, kind, humble,
thoughtful — and completely dedicated to making every track feel good.
I write in the past tense about him because the music world lost Ralph Gallant in
August of 1992, after he collapsed following a performance in Nashville.
Drum companies took notice too.
Evans Drumheads was once quoted as saying that this drummer wore a lot of different hats throughout his career,
but managed to fit them all perfectly — studio ace, live player, TV drummer,
Motown groove machine, Nashville anchor.
Today, with a quick search and a few clicks, you can dig into what he accomplished
and discover just how spectacular his career really was. Just remember that you’ll
need to search using his stage name, not his birth name.
He was the one and only
Larrie Londin
.
