Born 83 Years Ago Today in Virginia, the “Greatest Drummer in the World” Who Played With Elvis Presley, B.B. King, and Marvin Gaye
Larrie Londin, born Ralph Gallant in Norfolk on 15 October 1943, was a prolific session drummer praised by Chet Atkins as “the greatest drummer in the world”. His work with artists across country, soul, rock and pop, including Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Marvin Gaye, made him an influential but often little-known presence on hit records.
Londin began playing at 15 after volunteering to replace an absent drummer at the Norfolk nightclub where he worked. He recorded with Motown acts including The Supremes and The Temptations, moved to Nashville in 1969, and later played with Elvis Presley, Rodney Crowell’s Cherry Bombs and the Everly Brothers. He died aged 48 in 1992, after spending four months in a coma following a heart attack during a drum clinic.
- Chet Atkins called Londin “the greatest drummer in the world”.
- He worked with Motown artists, Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers.
- He began drumming by chance at 15 and died aged 48.
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Session musicians are players hired to perform on recordings, often without becoming well known to listeners. Drummers help set a song’s rhythm, and their work can be heard across many artists’ records even when their names are not widely recognised.
Larrie Londin, born Ralph Gallant in Norfolk, Virginia, was one such drummer. He began playing professionally as a teenager and later worked in several styles, recording with Motown acts such as the Supremes and the Temptations before moving to Nashville.
His career included work with artists from country, soul and rock, among them Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Marvin Gaye. His story offers a glimpse of how skilled session players helped shape recordings across different genres, while often remaining behind the scenes.