Since the advent of New Orleans music, drums have been the essential element. As the saying goes, “Skin on skin is where it begins.” The drummers, though, don’t always get the attention they deserve. In this column, we hope to rectify this slight.

Our first subject, Bob French, was born in New Orleans on December 27, 1937, the son of jazz bandleader Albert “Papa” French and the brother of bassist/vocalist George French. Bob French is known to many as the genial host of two traditional jazz programs on WWOZ (on Tuesday and Saturday mornings) and asked us to clarify a bit of misinformation that is often repeated in music journals: he did not play drums on Earl King’s immortal “Trickbag”- his friend Joseph “Smokey” Johnson is the true drummer. French’s drumming, however, can be heard on Earl King’s “Come On, Part One & Two.” It is typical of French’s graciousness that he desires that “Smokey” be given his due credit.

My first instrument was the trumpet- I actually wanted to play the drums. I used to travel with my dad when I was a kid and during the intermission, I would always sit down and play around with the drums. So when I decided I wanted to be a drummer, I was about 13 and I told my dad and he said, “You, don’t want to play the drums- you’ll be the first to arrive on the gig and the last to leave. Why don’t you play the trumpet?”

In 1951, I started playing drums at St. Augustine and I was fortunate to be around Louis Barbarin, who was one of the greatest New Orleans drummers that ever played and he was playing with my dad. That was my beginning with the music. They were playing New Orleans trad- I had no appreciation for that. My thing was something else-like everybody else my age, I was playing rhythm and blues.

I started playing professionally in 1955. The first band I hooked up with was Art Neville, Charles Neville, James Booker, J.C. Goods, Cyrus Cagnolatti and myself. The name of the band was the Turquoise.

From that band, Art went with the Hawkettes, Booker went on to stardom, I went to work with “Sugarboy” Crawford and Charles went on the road with a band out of Florida.

Cats said, “Maybe you should get Louis [Barbarin] to teach you,” even though I was already playing professionally. I wish I could’ve gotten this man to reach me because he was the greatest technician in the world. I did have my fundamental teaching and I got a lot of it on the bandstand. I wish I could’ve studied for a year or two with Louis. I’d have something now that nobody else has. Freddie Kohlman was a guy that I got a lot of stuff from. Because everybody steals. The only people that didn’t steal were Byrd (Professor Longhair) and Louis Armstrong- we’re talking about two cats that were out there with their brains.

In New Orleans, we play things differently from everybody else in the world and it all comes from that basic thing that you hear on the street- that’s where it comes from. It’s that groove. As, a kid, you always heard brass bands. In the brass bands, the first thing you heard was the drums. It’s that beat.

Nothing happens in music- I don’t care what kind of music it is- if it don’t have a beat. We have a different thing going on altogether.

I spent time with a drummer who played with James Brown. He’d come over to my house and he’d say, “I want you to show me how to do that New Orleans thing.” I’d play it for him, I’d say, ‘This is how it goes.” He’d get on the drums and he could never play it. I could take a kid from New Orleans who was eight years old and show him the same lick and he’d play it in five minutes. Because he’s been hearing it all his life. It’s all about taking the New Orleans street beat to the bandstand and taking it to another level. It’s our thing.

You’ve heard of the Motown sound-that groove they had. That’s not the Motown sound-that’s the New Orleans sound stolen. Earl King took a band to Detroit: John Brunious, my brother George, Eddie Williams, and ‘Smokey” Johnson was the drummer. When they heard Smokey play the things he was playing, they got on the phone and called all the drummers that worked for Motown. When Smokey would go in the studio, if he was just messing around, they would turn the machine on. Everything he did, they recorded. What Smokey was playing by himself, it took two or three of their drummers to do the same thing.

You’ve heard these stories–jazz was started in St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas City. That’s b.s. It started right here in New Orleans. I know it happened here, you know it happened here.

At one time, I didn’t think there were going to be any more youngsters playing the music. They’re coming out in the brass bands. I don’t want to alienate anybody but if I do, what the hell.

The brass bands of today are not like the brass bands were forty years ago. The music is completely different. They’ve got a whole different style that they’re doing, which is great.

The Dirty Dozen turned the whole music around. I gotta give them their props- they did a great job.

But now you’ve got an influx of brass bands who are just bullshitting with the music. They ain’t playing the music. They’re making up songs as they go. They’re playing on the one chord and it gets monotonous.

I try to tell ’em in a nice way, “Why don’t you learn the old trad jazz?” You can’t shuck the music- you’ve got to get the sheets and read them.

The biggest lie that was ever told was that New Orleans musicians didn’t read music. Back in the game, nine out of 10 of the cats read.

People think you just pick instruments up and play. Everybody thinks drums are easy to play and they’re not. It’s coordination.

I treasure my drums. Whether you paid $300 or $3,000 for them, you treasure them because they’re part of you. I tell everybody my drums are my old lady. I take care of them because they take care of me.