Dick Sheridan on drums, with Bobby Short and Beverly Peer 

The drummer Dick Sheridan died on Dec. 15, 2023 at the age of 87. Born on Jan. 26, 1936, Mr. Sheridan was an active New York freelance musician for over four decades. While in high school, he studied drums with Charlie Perry. In 1954, at the age of 18, he joined Local 802 and started playing professionally.

In his career, he worked with the big bands of Woody Herman, Les Elgart, David Carroll, Tony Pastor, Buddy Morrow, Tommy Alexander, Billy May and Gene Williams.

During the 1960s, he was the house drummer at various top venues, including the Blue Angel, Copacabana, Latin Quarter and the Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel. He backed Barbra Streisand, Della Reese, Jack Jones, Carol Sloane, Georgia Brown, Tom Jones and Oscar Brown Jr, among other stars.

In 1968, he started playing with Bobby Short at the Carlyle Hotel, a collaboration that lasted 20 years. Reviewing this gig, Rogers Whitaker of the New York magazine once wrote that Mr. Sheridan was “imperturbable and droopy-mustached” and “presides over the tympani in the manor of a British Indian Army colonel home on leave from Poona.”

Mr. Sheridan also worked with Barbara Carroll, Joe Marsala, Kai Winding, Nat Pierce, Sal Salvador, Tyree Glenn, Gene Roland, Bobby Sherwood, Sheridan Haymes, Gene Quill, Adam Wade, Ronny Whyte and Dan Terry.

In smaller groups, Mr. Sheridan played in a wide variety of settings. He performed with the Johnny McCormick Quintet, backing comedian Jerry Lester. In 1959, he worked in Nassau, Bahamas at a club owned by Boyd Raeburn. He also worked with the Jean Hoffman Trio. In 1964 and 1965, he played the Dupont Show at the New York World’s Fair

Mr. Sheridan enjoyed semi-retirement in Goshen, New York and occasionally performed jazz gigs with his own group. He also enjoyed working at the nearby New York Renaissance Faire, where he sold his own handmade wooden toys and stick puppets.

Mr. Sheridan is survived by his longtime partner Bonnie Trivizas; his children Sean (Lucy Sheridan) Colin, Meghan (Ben McCullough), Moira, Dylan (Wendy Brown) and Michael (Luca Giovanopoulos); and his grandchildren Mark (Crissy Wu), Sam, Charlotte, Maeve, Clementine, Henry, Paloma, Nico and Cleo.

Family contact information: Sean Sheridan