Buddy Harmon built a legacy that will never be equaled in the history of recorded sound. What Hal Blaine was to popular music, Buddy was to country music. Like Hal, once you learn his signature sounds, you will be amazed at how many classic songs were held together by his pulse. This is sad news:

Buddy Harman, whose percussion work on more than 18,000 recordings established him as country music's best-known and most-recorded drummer, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 79.

The native Nashvillian, born Murrey Mizell Harman Jr., is memorialized by his distinctive percussion work on such classics as Roy Orbison's 'Pretty Woman,' Patsy Cline's 'Crazy,' Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire,' Tammy Wynette's 'Stand By Your Man,' Loretta Lynn's 'Coal Miner's Daughter' and Elvis Presley's 'Little Sister.' Harman was also the first staff drummer on the Grand Ole Opry.

From The Boot.

When I first heard this story on Saturday, during an ABC news break on KGO, I was blown away that anybody could have worked on that many recording projects. The ABC news story also had a few clips of his work that showed how versatile he was.