Rick Buckler Dies: The Jam’s Drummer Was 69

Rick Buckler, founding drummer for popular and influential British rock trio The Jam, died February 17 after a short illness, his management company said in a statement. He was 69.

“Rick Buckler, best known as the legendary drummer of The Jam, passed away peacefully on Monday evening in Woking, after a short illness with family by his side,” the statement reads. “Rick was a loving husband, father and grandfather and was a devoted friend to many, who will be greatly missed.”

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Buckler joined up with frontman singer-guitarist Paul Weller and bassist Bruce Foxton to form The Jam in 1972 and remained with the group until its 1982 breakup. Recording from 1977-82, it was among the era’s most popular band in the UK, where The Jam racked up 18 consecutive Top 40 singles, nine Top 10s and four No. 1s: 1980’s “Going Underground” and “Start,” followed by “Town Called Malice” — which debuted atop the chart — and “Beat Surrender” in 1982.

Schooled in soul and R&B music, the group embraced and was embraced by the punk scene and later the new wave craze and Mod revival. It scored 11 Top 10 LPs in the UK, hitting No. 1 with The Gift in 1982 and No. 2 the year before with Sound Affects, later also reaching No. 2 with a live album and two compilation discs. Among its other memorable tracks were “Absolute Beginners,” “Just Who Is the 5 O’clock Hero?” and “Funeral Pyre.”

The band enjoyed only moderate success Stateside, with Sound Affects and The Gift cracking the top half of the Billboard 200 chart. “Town Called Malice,” with its rollicking Motownesque rhythm and Kinks-like tale of working-class ennui, was its only U.S. singles chart success peaking at No. 31. Sample lyric: “To either cut down on beer or the kids’ new gear/it’s a big decision in a town called malice.” Watch the video here:

The Jam would break up in 1982 — at the height of its popularity — when Weller split, to the dismay of Buckler and Foxton, who wanted to continue and wouldn’t speak with their singer again. Weller joined with Mick Talbot to form The Style Council, whose first three albums from 1984-87 reached No. 1 or No. 2 in the UK.

Born on December 6, 1955, in Woking, Surrey, Buckley went on to played in bands through the 1980s before taking a break from the music business. He and Foxton reunited in the mid-2000s in From the Jam, which lasted about four years. Buckley later worked in a few other groups and published his memoir That’s Entertainment: My Life in the Jam in 2015.

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He is survived by his wife, Lesley, and their children Jason and Holly.

Weller remembered his bandmate on social media, and also posted a reaction from Foxton:

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