If this legendary drummer wielded his sticks with the inaccuracy displayed by the spelling of his name over the decades then he wouldn't be able to keep a beat at all. Roy Burns would not be on just about every list of great drummers and certainly wouldn't be writing and publishing self-improvement texts for other drummers. That spelling will have to be the one considered to be correct, used by the artist himself when authoring publications such as Modern Rock Play Along for Drums. He appears as Roy Burnes in The Encyclopedia of Jazz by Leonard Feather, and has shown up in discographies as Burness, Burrnes, and even Buns. It is all the same fellow: a drummer who began playing in high school in Kansas, then moved to New Orleans in 1954. He may have been absorbing plenty about that city's famed jazz scene, but in his own performances he was associated with society dance bands, a type of gig he continued the following year when he relocated once again, this time to New York City. Burns stayed put this time, and within two years had begun drumming in top bands, first with Woody Herman, then Benny Goodman. The latter bandleader liked keeping a great drummer in his band and it is this association that usually represents Burns' calling card among jazz fans. In the '60s, he also appeared on some excellent recording sessions helmed by pianist Sir Roland Hanna. That decade was also when Burns built his fire as a New York City freelancer, continuing to show up with Goodman on extra special projects such as the Swing Into Spring television series. Burns told Feather in the '70s that his ambition was to have his own small combo but his projects in years subsequent to this interview have largely been focused on educational and promotional aspects of drumming. He has written and co-written a variety of instructional percussion texts as well as produced videos in the same areas of study. Columns by Burns appear in Modern Drummer on subjects such as not taking out your bad mood on your snare drum. The basements of entire subdivisions could be filled up with the drum sets he has been given for endorsement or testing purposes, and he is quite likely to be among groups of famous drummers hobnobbing at conventions and other music industry events. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide