Rick Buckler, drummer for the great British mod/punk trio the Jam, has died. Chronicle reports that Buckler passed away after a short illness. Earlier this month, he cancelled a few spoken-word events because of health concerns. In a statement, Buckler's former bandmate Paul Weller says, "I'm shocked and saddened by Rick's passing. I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey! We went far beyond our dreams and what we made stands the test of time." Buckler was 69.
Paul Richard Buckler grew up in the English county of Surrey, and he formed the Jam with his school friends Paul Weller and Steve Brookes in the early '70s. Early on, the Jam played early rock 'n' roll covers, but the band changed as Weller became more and more infatuated with the UK's mod subculture. After Brookes left the group, their friend Bruce Foxton joined up. In 1977, the Jam signed with Polydor, and their fired-up and unpretentious sound fit right in with the early punk explosion. The band's debut album In The City came out later that year, and its title track was a top-40 UK hit.
The Jam cranked out six albums in a magical five-year run, gradually adapting more and more hip-swinging Motown and Northern soul influences and slice-of-life lyrics into their initially simple attack. Rick Buckler's huge drums were a crucial part of their sound. The band topped the UK charts with four singles: "Going Underground" and "Start!" in 1980, "A Town Called Malice" and "Beat Surrender" in 1982.
"Beat Surrender" was the Jam's final single before Paul Weller broke up the band, moving onto the more soul-centric Style Council and then to a long and successful solo career. Rick Buckler went on to play with the bands Time UK and Sharp, but they didn't go far. Later on, Buckler became a carpenter and wood sculptor, and he and Bruce Foxton started From The Jam, which was essentially a Jam tribute act. Buckler published a memoir in 2015. Below, check out some of Buckler's work with the Jam.
