Alan Buckley, or "Sir" Alan as he is more commonly known in drumming circles, was raised in Caldmore, Walsall, where he still lives.



Alan Buckley has been playing the drums since 1944 when, at the tender age of eight, his father brought him a Leedy drum kit. It soon had the young jazz enthusiast hooked on drumming.



He travelled the world as a session musician, and has also organised a number of events over the years, including the Upton-on-Severn jazz festival. "Sir" Alan is also a regular contributor for Classic Drummer magazine.



The drum collecting obsession really began to take hold many years later when Alan Buckley bought some vintage bass drums to decorate a jazz festival he was organising. Recalls Alan: "I needed some form of art decoration so I bought a few old drums. This was a good idea and they really looked great. This was the start of collecting."



Alan Buckley's collection is now so extensive it is known by the cognoscenti as The Classic Drum Museum. Comprising over 110 vintage drum kits and 300 snare drums, many of which are on display at Walsall Museum, it is complemented by an extensive collection of drum-related catalogues and books.



Visitors will be rewarded with classic kits of the type played by famous drummers such as British jazzers Jock Cummings and Tony Kinsey and American big band jazz pioneers Chick Webb and Gene Krupa.