Remo Belli, founder and namesake of Remo, has passed away. Born in Mishawaka, Indiana in 1927, Belli developed an interest in drums at an early age. In high school, he became a busy performing musician, since most of the drummers in his area had been drafted to serve in World War II. He enlisted at 18, and was assigned to the Navy band. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles and launched his career as a professional drummer, both touring with such artists as Anita O’Day and Betty Hutton, and as an A-list session drummer. In 1950, with $2,300 borrowed from his parents, he opened a drum shop in Santa Monica, Drum City. As his shop grew in prominence, he began consulting for manufacturers such as Slingerland, who introduced him to new drum head made from Mylar, a material developed by Dupont as a heat-resistant film for war-time reconnaissance flights — traditionally drum heads were made from calfskin and were tacked to the drum shell. With a chemist named Sam Muchnick, Remo developed a solution for mounting the new heads by using resin to attach them to an aluminum hoop. Remo’s system was patented in 1957, and he began manufacturing drum heads, with the Weatherking drumheads being the first successful commercial drum head design. The new heads were quickly adopted by major artists of the time, including Louie Bellson, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and even the Beatles.
Throughout his career, Remo continued to invent and innovate, developing heads for every type of drum and percussion instrument, from pop drum set to orchestral timpani. Innovations from Remo include new laminations and coatings found in other Remo firsts such as Controlled Sound, Pinstripe, Smooth White, Powerstroke, Fiberskyn, Suede, Renaissance, Nuskyn, Skyneep, and Comfort Sound Technology.
In the early 1980s, Remo introduced the “Pre-Tuned” head, with a tensioned Mylar film, and in 1983 Remo launched the World Percussion product line using Acousticon Shells, a 100% recycled wood fiber. The instruments that resulted were used by professionals, but also found acceptance helping people with autism and Alzeheimer’s, as well as for other treatments — one of Remo’s passions was working with his wife, Ami, a holistic health practitioner, along with neurologists, and other experts, to develop rhythmically based wellness programs.
During his long career, Remo Belli saw his drum head company grow to a major force — Remo is the largest drumhead company in the world. To many musicians, “Remo” is synonymous with “drum head.” He was also a pioneer in using music to enhance our quality of life and for health treatments. Remo has been recognized for environmentally responsible manufacturing every year since 1998 with the WRAP Award from the California Waste Reduction Award Program, and is also committed to continuing to manufacture in the United States.
Our condolences to his family, friends, and our partners at Remo.