Ardie Dean


Ardie Dean is an American electric blues drummer, audio engineer and record producer. In a varied career over fifty years, Dean has worked with
the Giddens Sisters, Alabama Slim, Homesick James, Little Freddie King, Lee Gates, Ernie K-Doe, Bo Diddley, Gregg Allman, Sweet Betty, Guitar Gabriel, Adolphus Bell, Jerry McCain, Macavine Hayes, Beverly Watkins, Lightnin' Wells, Taj Mahal, Cootie Stark, Sam Frazier Jr., Ironing Board Sam, Captain Luke, Cool John Ferguson, and Robert Lee Coleman, among others.
Involved in the music industry since 1969, Dean has been the musical director, and record producer for the Music Maker Relief Foundation since 1994. He plays a 1930s Ludwig drum kit.
Dean has been inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame, the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame and the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.

Life and musical career

Ardie Dean Strutzenberg was born and raised in Humboldt, Iowa, United States. At the age of 11, Dean purchased his first drum kit for $15 from a Fort Dodge pawn shop; the money came from mowing lawns. He had previously become interested in percussion by listening to his mother playing boogie-woogie piano. One night when Dean was 12 years old, a family friend inquired if Dean and his guitar playing friend, Ed Lindsey, could play him a song. Once the duo had finished playing, the man gave them each $2, jokingly adding "Now you’re professionals". From that humble beginning, Dean and Lindsey joined with John Callahan and Mark Flanagan to form their first band named Blue Condition. Dean then played throughout high school with Callahan, Flanagan, Jon Porter and Randy Berka, billed as the Lazy River Band, and then later teaming with Callahan, Flanagan and John Brandsgard as Goo. With booking agents interested, the teenagers employed their parents to transport them around Iowa to perform. Dean noted "We were making really good money, more than some of my high school teachers were making, and that’s when I decided I wanted to play drums professionally." Dean left Humboldt and played rock, rhythm and blues and then country, before sitting in a jam session with a blues musician, Chicago Charlie. This led Dean to a meeting with Homesick James, and Dean became his drummer for a decade while Homesick was living in Nashville.
Following this experience Dean traveled the Chitlin' Circuit, leading a band for the R&B singer Chuck Strong. Work alongside Guitar Gabriel followed, which indirectly led to the formation in 1994 of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Dean played at Carnegie Hall, alongside Guitar Gabriel and Tim Duffy in the original "Brothers in the Kitchen." In 1999, Dean met and began playing drums for Taj Mahal, an association that has lasted the years. This all led to regular session musician work in Nashville.
His musical journey expended in to record production and Dean has mastered albums for Big Ron Hunter, Jerry McCain, Sweet Betty, Alabama Slim, and Little Freddie King among others.
The Music Maker Blues Revue is an all-star outfit originally created to back Guitar Gabriel, but has outlived that association to create an on-stage presence at Music Maker's various concerts. Etta Baker, Macavine Hayes, Robert Lee Coleman, and Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen have all benefited from having the Revue as their backing band. Dean regularly supplies the percussion work for this group. Albert White, Nashid Abdul, and Lil' Joe Burton form the other semi-permanent members of the ensemble. They first appeared at the 1994 Jazz Charlotte Festival. In 1998 and 1999, the Revue was joined by Taj Mahal for his Winston Blues Revival tour. In 2016, the Revue performed at the Globalfest in New York City.
Dean has also played at the Limestone Correctional Facility, near his home outside of Huntsville, Alabama. Other work took place with Ernie K-Doe, Bo Diddley, Jerry McCain, Gregg Allman, Taj Mahal, and Henry Grey. Dean is one of a few drummers that Bo Diddley allowed to play the Bo Diddley beat with him. Dean also collects and sells classic drum kits.
Dean played the drums and acted a musical director for Music Maker artists who performed at the 2015 Byron Bay Bluesfest.
In 2018, upon hearing about his forthcoming Iowa Blues Hall of Fame induction and that he was required to perform at the ceremony, Dean assembled his former high school bandmates — Berka, Porter and Brandsgard.

Partial selected discography

Dean estimates that he has played on over 100 blues albums.
YearTitleArtistCredited as
1999Back in BusinessBeverly WatkinsDrums
1999Sugar ManCootie StarkDrums
2004Music Makers With Taj MahalTaj MahalDrums
2005Boogie Is My NameJerry McCainProducer, Audio Production, Drums
2005DrinkhouseMacavine HayesDrums
2005Feelings of Beverly "Guitar" WatkinsBeverly WatkinsProducer, Drums, Percussion
2005Ragged But RightLightnin' WellsDrums
2005Mississippi RubberlegAdolphus BellProducer
2006Black Lucy's DeuceLee GatesProducer, Mixing, Audio Production, Drums, Mastering
2006Live and Let LiveSweet BettyProducer, Drums, Tambourine
2006One Man BandAdolphus BellProducer
2006Touring With LucyLee GatesProducer, Drums
2007The Mighty FloodAlabama Slim and Little Freddie KingDrums, Producer
2008One of These DaysCaptain LukeProducer, Drums, Engineer, Tambourine
2008Live at the HamiltonCaptain Luke and Cool John FergusonDrums, Mastering
2008Christmas With CootieCootie StarkDrums
2009One More MileRobert Lee ColemanProducer, Drums
2009The Spiritual Expressions Of...Beverly WatkinsProducer, Drums
2010Blue & LonesomeAlabama SlimProducer, Drums
2012Double Bang!Ironing Board SamProducer, Mixing, Editing, Drums
2013I Know I've Been ChangedThe Giddens SistersEditing, Mastering
2015Cabbage ManSam Frazier, Jr.Mixing, Editing, Mastering
2017Take Me BackSam Frazier, Jr.Liner Notes