Bernard “Pretty” Purdie

AKA Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer and session musician from Elkton, Maryland who has worked with various well-known soul, rock, pop, and jazz musicians.

He moved to New York in 1960 and started playing with Lonnie Youngblood before going on to work with King Curtis, and in 1970, Aretha Franklin, eventually becoming her musical director for five years. He has also toured with seminal bop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonist Hank Crawford, and performed in concert with seminal bop drummer Max Roach.