One of the finest drummers to make his mark on early Rock ‘n’ Roll, Sander Nelson has died…
OBITUARY by Ian Woolley
Sander Lloyd Nelson, better known as ‘Sandy’, carved a successful career as both a session musician and as a soloist.
Sandy Nelson
Nelson was born on December 1st, 1948 in Santa Monica, California.
Later, at high school, he formed a band with fellow students Jan Berry & Dean Torrence (who went on to record under the name of Jan & Dean). Along with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston who played with them, all of which would influence the growing surf and hot rod movement with their music.
As a session singer, Sandy played on many hit records. Teddy Bears’ To Know Him Is To Love Him, Hollywood Argyles’ Alley Oop, and Gene Vincent songs.
In 1963, he was lucky to survive a motorcycle accident and his right foot had to be amputated. However, this didn’t stop him from resuming his career.
In his long career, he released over 30 albums and had several instrumental singles in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
Songs like Teen Beat, Drums Are My Beat, and Let There Be Drums showed off his unique flashy upbeat style. He certainly helped promote the importance of drum solo breaks in Rock ‘n’ Roll records. Teen Beat sold over a million copies alone and it earned him a gold disc with Richard Podolar playing the guitar riffs on all three instrumentals.
Nelson died on 14th February 2022 in a Boulder City hospice (Nevada). He had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke. He was 83 years of age.