 |
William F. Ludwig, Senior, born 1879 in Germany, emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of eight. Jobs in Chicago for his father, a professional valve trombone player, were scarce. Young Ludwig, upon seeing in parade the proud drummers of the First Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, was convinced he wanted to become one of them. However, his father insisted that the drums were not a serious musical instrument. After several unproductive years of lessons on the violin and the piano, his father relented in purchasing a second-hand drum. Progress on the drums led to dates with small amateur groups and eventual paying jobs.The seeds for the Ludwig Drum Company were planted during a 1908 vaudeville job at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. |
 |
Ludwig’s clumsy old wood pedal, accustomed to circus marches, could not meet the rigorous demands of the new syncopated jazz and ragtime rhythms. Visits to local music stores did not yield a satisfactory pedal. As a last result Ludwig built his own wooden foot pedal, capable of faster tempos without any loss of force or volume. Samples built for Ludwig by a local cabinet maker became the envy of local drummers. Robert C. Danly, Ludwig’s brother-in-law in charge of the tool room at International Harvester Company, believed that the pedal could be mass produced from more durable metal materials. William and his brother Theo formed Ludwig & Ludwig in 1910, with the unique pedal being made in a rented barn on the northwest side of Chicago. |
