JOE CALATO , Regal Tip Founder & Inventor of the Nylon Tip Drumstick , Turns 100
Joe Calato , the inventor of the nylon tip drumstick and founder of Regal Tip , has reached a major life milestone , having recently turned 100 years old .
Calato was born in Niagara Falls , NY in 1921 and has remained based there his whole life , and it continues to be the home of Regal Tip headquarters . Growing up , his father was a drummer in the vaudeville era and a young Calato followed in those footsteps , picking up the sticks when he was 13 years old . In 1942 , while studying engineering at the University of Buffalo , he was drafted into the U . S . Air Force and spent the last years of WWII stationed in England , serving as a lieutenant and navigator on a B-17 bomber . While there , Calato found time to play drums in military jazz groups and dance bands .
In the 1950s , working as a cabinet maker and part-time musician , he was inspired to try something that would ultimately revolutionize the drum market . Until then , drumsticks were only made with wood tips , which sounded good but wore out quickly . Wanting to solve this problem , Calato attempted to make a stick that would last longer and offer a new sound . After a lot of experimentation , he created a nylon tip that stayed on and didn ’ t break while still offering a new , ultra-clear sound on the drumheads and cymbals .
Once other young drummers around town saw and heard Calato ’ s new sticks , they began bringing their own sticks to him to modify — grinding the tops off and replacing them with plastic ones .
Joe Calato
In 1958 , he placed in ad in the American Federation of Musicians ’ magazine , International Musician , and offered these new creations for $ 1.95 .
“ The mailman came back with a bag full of orders ,” Calato recalled to the Percussive Arts Society when he was inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame 20 years ago . “ They would ask for different models , but I sent them all 7As with a nylon tip and nobody complained ! I built my own machinery to make the sticks , and soon I started making five models .”
Eventually , the business grew and he bought the machinery needed to scale up and replaced his cabinet shop with drumstick manufacturing . In 1962 , the first Regal Tip brushes were introduced and the company patented retractable-handle brushes in 1975 , which were followed in 1982 by the popular Blasticks .
Even into Calato ’ s old age and after the company had been handed over to his daughter , Carol Calato , he never lost his love for drumming and the products , continuing to come up with new innovations and even the machinery needed to create them .
JOHN WARWICK & RICHARD BOILEAU
Announce Their Retirements from SFM
SFM is congratulating John Warwick on his recent retirement after 37 years of dedicated service , as well as Richard Boileau – a . k . a . Mr . Shure Canada – after 25 years of service with the company .
Warwick joined SFM in 1984 as the its first sales representative in Western Canada and was instrumental in building the SFM foundation . He has contributed to all aspects of the business through strategy , sales , marketing , and operations . The company says that Warwick ’ s keen intellect , wide-ranged curiosity , wicked sense of humour , and technical prowess in everything from audio production to data structures has left a lasting imprint on the organization .
Boileau started working for SFM in 1996 as a pro audio technical support specialist . He has since made a tremendous contribution to the Shure brand and the Canadian pro audio industry . The company says that as a market development specialist , his passion and knowledge of audio were second to none . “ Anyone who worked with Boileau was witness to his warmth , enthusiasm , and go-getter attitude . He could lift the spirits of his peers and customers with humour and ease ,” SFM adds in its announcement .
Canadian Music Trade offers our congratulations to John and Richard for their outstanding careers and wish them all the best in retirement .
John Warwick , centre , with SFM ’ s executive team
Richard Boileau
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE 19