Premier Percussion

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Premier Percussion Limited is a Leicestershire-based manufacturer of drums and percussion instruments.

The company was founded in 1922 as the Premier Drum Company by London drummer Albert Della Porta and drum builder George Smith. At first, the company produced drum kits for wholesalers, who then would sell them as their own, but Premier soon began producing drums under its own name.

Premier also began producing symphonic percussion, marching percussion, and cymbals in addition to drum kits. Premier was originally located in central London (where the current Footes Music Store is now) and moved to purpose built premises in Acton in the 1930s. When WW2 broke out, Premier was engaged in the manufacture of gun sights for tanks and aircraft, but the factory was bombed out in 1940 and the company was relocated to a new Leicester facility shortly thereafter.

The company enjoyed great success during the Beat Boom of the 1960s not only in the UK, but worldwide and won the Queens Award to Industry in 1966. During the 1970s, Premier invested heavily in a new, purpose built factory to meet demand for their products, but in 1983, the Della-Porter family resigned from the board and the company's name was changed to Premier Percussion in 1984 following a management buyout.

In October 1987, Premier was merged with Yamaha, which owned the Leicester factory until 1992. During this period, Limited was appended to the company name. In 1992, Tony Doughty, who originally arranged the Yamaha merger, took over the company. By 1997, Premier was sold to the Verity Group of Companies before yet another buyout by a British consortium a few years later. Today, Premier continues to produce drum kits, marching percussion, and symphonic percussion (including timpani and mallet percussion).

1 Notable artists
2 Trivia
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Notable artists

Keith Moon - The Who
Mitch Mitchell - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Nick Mason - Pink Floyd (live 1966-69, studio 1966-75)
Steve Barney - Annie Lennox and Sugababes
John Panozzo - Styx (1970-early 1979)
Phil Collins - Genesis and solo (1974-82)
Chris Dangerous - The Hives
Paul Doucette - Matchbox Twenty
Ginger Fish - Marilyn Manson
Jim Kilpatrick MBE - The House of Edgar Shotts & Dykehead Pipe Band
Martin Lopez - Opeth
Nicko McBrain - Iron Maiden
Scott Phillips - Alter Bridge
Phil Selway - Radiohead
Tommy Portimo - Sonata Arctica
Chris Sharrock - Robbie Williams
Mike Terrana - Rage
Eric Tribbett - Jill Scott
Mike Chiplin - Lostprophets (2000-2003)
Matthew Slodowy - S-Control
Thomas 'Thomen' Stauch - Blind Guardian/Savage Circus
Clem Burke - Blondie
Matthew "Matt" Helders - Arctic Monkeys
John Bonham - Led Zeppelin
Richard Christy - Death/Control Denied/Iced Earth
Ringo Starr - The Beatles

[edit] Trivia

During an appearance on the Smothers Brothers television show, Keith Moon over-loaded his Premier bass drum with explosive charges which were detonated during the finale of "My Generation", which according to legend resulted in permanent hearing damage for bandmate Pete Townshend and caused Bette Davis to faint.