With a temper sometimes as quick as his drumsticks, Buddy Rich hammered out a percussion legacy second to none.

Bernard “Buddy” Rich was born Sept. 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, the son of vaudeville performers. His father claimed to have first noted Buddy’s talent for rhythm when the toddler was just age 1 and could keep a steady beat with spoons. Sure enough, by age 18 months, the younger Rich was performing on the vaudeville stage as “Traps the Drum Wonder.” By age 11, Buddy Rich was already performing as a bandleader, and at the peak of his childhood career, Rich was reportedly the second-highest paid child entertainer in the world, behind only Jackie Coogan.

Rich never had any formal training on the drums – claiming it would only inhibit his natural skills – and even claimed never to practice. Supposedly playing only during performances, Rich nonetheless admired and was influenced by others, including the playing of Chick Webb, Gene Kupa, Dave Tough and Jo Jones.

Rich first played jazz in 1937 with Joe Marsala’s band, then joined groups led by Bunny Berigan (1938) and Artie Shaw (1939). During his tenure with Shaw, Rich tutored a youngster named Mel Brooks on the drums, and even coaxed Shaw into allowing the 13-year-old to attend Manhattan recording sessions. Of course, Brooks went on to fame not as a drummer, but as a filmmaker, including such hit flicks as “Blazing Saddles.”

The drummer Rich played his way through numerous groups, including three stints with Tommy Dorsey, several with Harry James, and periods backing Benny Carter, Les Brown and Charlie Ventura, and joining Jazz at the Philharmonic. Of course, Rich also led his own band and performed with various all-star groups.

Rich’s most popular performance was a big band arrangement of a medley culled from the music of Leonard Bernstein’s classic “West Side Story.” The piece was demanding even for Rich.

Among the artist’s television performances were a classic 1981 episode of “The Muppet Show,” where he engaged Muppet drummer “Animal” in a fierce drum duel. Rich also guested frequently on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson.

Rich’s style of drumming – a splendid blend of dexterity, speed and execution – is considered among the finest techniques witnessed in the percussion world. Using a traditional grip, Rich is credited with being one of very few drummers to master the one-handed roll with either hand. His “crossover” riffs were legendary, reaching both over and under his opposing arm to strike other drums and instruments. His solos were diverse blend of loud and soft, speed and power.

While Rich was indisputably a talent, and often found to be friendly and helpful to others, he also was a perfectionist who could display a short fuse. In a number of cases, his mercurial rants included threats to fire band members, though rarely did he follow through on them. Some of these rants were recorded by his bandmates, and several of Rich’s more memorable zingers – such as “This guy – this is not my kind of guy!” – reportedly were used almost verbatim by writers Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David (big fans of the Rich rant tapes) for the legendary NBC sitcom “Seinfeld.”

Rich’s outbursts also likely fueled the line in a Beastie Boys rap “Sabotage,” that reads, “I’m Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle.”

Despite his occasional temper, Rich usually lauded his band during interviews and he maintained an active performance schedule virtually to the end of his life. He appeared with his Big Band on Michael Parkinson’s British talk show only a few weeks prior to dying on April 2, 1987, of heart failure following surgery for a malignant brain tumor. He is buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Rich’s life was immortalized in the 1991 book by crooner Mel Torme, entitled “Traps, the Drum Wonder: The Life of Buddy Rich.”