Ralph Salmins
AGsm fhea FRCM
DRUMMER/PRODUCER/COMPOSER/CLINICIAN
PROFESSOR, ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC &
GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA,
LONDON
BIO
Ralph’s signature groove and ability to cross musical boundaries has made him the studio and live drummer of choice for artists, producers, composers and orchestras worldwide. He has regularly ranked top ten in Rhythm Magazine Readers Polls, has won the Studio Drummer Category at mikedolbear.com and best drummer category at the British Jazz awards. A first-call studio musician all his life, Ralph has played on countless albums, TV shows and on the soundtracks to over 180 movies, including titles from the Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Mission Impossible and James Bond film series. He can often be found in the studio with composers Alexandre Desplat, Hans Zimmer, Anne Dudley and Lorne Balfe amongst others.
Ralph has performed or recorded with Paul McCartney, Bjork, George Martin, Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Dionne Warwick, Tori Amos, Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, Elvis Costello, Diana Ross and Keith Emerson. Orchestrally he has recorded with Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, John Williams, James Galway, Robert Kraft and Kiri Te Kanawa. Ralph toured the world in Van Morrison’s band from 1995-1999 and 2005-6, recording four albums with him. In 2011 he joined celtic rockers The Waterboys and was a member of the band for ten years.
Ralph’s love of jazz has led to work with some of the legends of the art form that include The Count Basie Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Art Farmer, Jon Hendricks, John Lewis of The Modern Jazz Quartet, Joe Lovano, James Moody, Annie Ross, Kurt Elling, Jimmy Witherspoon, John Dankworth, Cleo Laine and Joe Williams.
In 2012 Ralph acted as consultant for Danny Boyle’s London Olympic Opening Ceremony, coordinating, auditioning and training the 1,000 Pandemonium drummers with whom he performed to an audience of over a billion. He has a lifelong passion for recording and is recognised for his expertise in recording drums in particular. Ralph shared his studio, The Bunker, for many years with ex-Abbey Road chief engineer and producer Haydn Bendall where they worked together on many projects.
A deeply committed educator, Ralph first taught at The Royal College of Music 30 years ago at the age of 27. He has never stopped and he is proud that his former students are now trail-blazers in their own right populating many of the best orchestras, bands and ensembles around the world. In 2021 he was awarded a Fellowship of The Royal College of Music. He continues to be in-demand as a clinician and lecturer, having recently featured at the RCM Festival of Percussion and Abbey Road Institute Paris & London.
CREDIts
Ralph has recorded or performed with:
ABBA
Andy Abraham
Oleta Adams
Nat Adderley Jnr.
Clay Aiken
Howard Alden
Erkan Aki
John Altman
Shola Ama
Larry Adler
Dot Allison
Mose Allison
Tori Amos
Peter Andre
Peter Appleyard
Aranza
David Arnold
PP Arnold
Edvard Artemyev
Peter Asher
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Rick Astley
Burt Bacharach
Badly Drawn Boy
Bill Bailey
Kenny Baker
Alison Balsom
Michael Ball
Iain Ballamy
Antonio Banderas
HB Barnum
Guy Barker
Gary Barlow
John Barry
Shirley Bassey
BBC Big Band
BBC Radiophonic Workshop
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Jeff Beck
Daniel Bedingfield
Madeline Bell
Elmer Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Bjork
Cilla Black
Stanley Black
Jack Black
Blake
James Blunt
Alfie Boe
Michael Bolton
Chris Botti
Susan Boyle
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Sarah Brightman
Ian Broudie
Bruce Broughton
James Brown
Chris Brubeck
Michael Buble
Emma Bunton
Geoffrey Burgon
Charlie Byrd
Cantabile
Liz Carling
Ali Campbell
Mariah Carey
Ian Carr
Mike Carr
Paul Carrack
James Carter
Caught In The Act
Gene Chandler
Deepak Chopra
Tony Christie
Petula Clark
Glenn Close
John Colliani
Jacob Collier
Michel Colombier
Colosseum
Gene Connors
Steve Coogan
Alice Cooper
Elvis Costello
The Count Basie Orchestra
Graham Coxon
Beverley Craven
Hank Crawford
Caesere Cremonini
Kid Creole
Sheryl Crow
Jamie Cullum
Roger Daltrey
Jacqui Dankworth
John Dankworth
Darius
Craig David
Carl Davis
Ray Davies
Brian Dee
Janie Dee
Elaine Delmar
Chris Difford
Celine Dion
Sacha Distel
Il Divo
Patrick Doyle
Eliza Doolittle
Anne Dudley
David Dundas
John Du Prez
Bob Dylan
Kyle Eastwood
Randy Edelman
Teddy Edwards
Cliff Eidelman
Danny Elfman
Kurt Elling
Herb Ellis
Keith Emerson
The English Chamber Orchestra
Gloria Estefan
The Escoffrey Sisters
The Everley Brothers
Everything But The Girl
Jon Faddis
Digby Fairweather
Paloma Faith
Georgie Fame
Tal Farlow
Chris Farlowe
Art Farmer
Jose Feliciano
Mike Figgis
Gregory Fine
Renee Fleming
Mo Foster
The Four Tops
Aretha Franklin
David Freeman
Lady Gaga
James Galway
Melody Gardot
Lesley Garrett
Gareth Gates
Gloria Gaynor
Bob Geldof
Herb Geller
Boy George
Barry Gibb
Robin Gibb
Girls Aloud
The Go Jazz All-Stars
Evelyn Glennie
Go West
Jerry Goldsmith
Oscar Gomez
Wycliffe Gordon
Graham Gouldman
Paul Grabowsky
Peter Grant
Macy Gray
Vivian Green
Josh Groban
Marty Grosz
Tony Hadley
The Halle Orchestra
Lynden David Hall
Scott Hamilton
Gene Harris
Paul Hart
Tony Hatch
Imogen Heap
Heaven 17
Barbara Hendricks
Bonnie Herman
Jon Hendricks
Vincent Herring
Chrissie Hind
Red Holloway
Trevor Horn
John Horler
Hotei
Mick Hucknall
Engelbert Humperdinck
Chris Isaak
Mark Isham
Jessie J
Chuck Jackson
Leon jackson
Yvonne Jackson
Mick Jagger
Jamelia
Herb Jefferies
Elton John
Laurie Johnson
Holly Johnson
Aled Jones
Oliver Jones
Salena Jones
Tom Jones
Vinnie Jones
Sheila Jordan
Julian Joseph
Michael Kamen
Kiri Te Kanawa
Ronan Keating
Brian Kennedy
Gerard Kenny
Nik Kershaw
Chaka Khan
Nicole Kidman
Peter King
Tony Kinsey
Kevin Kline
The KPM All-Stars
Robert Kraft
Alison Krauss
Kumiko Yamashita
Cleo Laine
Duncan Lamont
Phil Lanzon
Michel Legrand
Donna Lewis
Jerry Lewis
John Lewis
Andrew Lloyd-Webber
Julian Lloyd-Webber
The London Chamber Orchestra
London Community Gospel Choir
The London Philharmonic Orch.
The London Sinfonietta
The London Symphony Orch.
Loose Tubes
Joe Lovano
Mundell Lowe
Don Lusher
Shelby Lynne
Ken Mackintosh
Madonna
Victor Manuel
George Martin
Giles Martin
Wynton Marsalis
Richard Marx
George Masso
Johnny Mathis
Brian May
Imelda May
David McAlmont
Paul McCartney
Jane McDonald
Joe McElderry
Seth McFarlane
McFly
Marian McPartland
Charles McPherson
Ralph McTell
Paulette McWilliams
Katie Melhua
Natalie Merchant
Anne Akiko Meyers
Mika
Mike Flowers Pops
Tim Minchin
Jane Monheit
James Moody
Gary Moore
Mandy Moore
Mike Moran
Alanis Morisette
James Morrison
Van Morrison
Dick Morrissey
China Moses
Nana Mouskouri
Alison Moyet
Bheki Mseleku
Jim Mullen
Mark Murphy
Laura Mvula
NDR Big Band
New London Chorale
Richard Niles
Jessye Norman
Nu Colours
Ola
Omar
Mike Oldfield
Sinead O'Connor
Danny O'Donahue
Tony O’Malley
Gilbert O’Sullivan
Donny Osmond
Elaine Page
Mica Paris
Gretchen Parlato
Nerina Pallot
Bobby Patterson
Ken Peplowski
The Philharmonia Orchestra
The Pizza Express All-Stars
Rachel Portman
Gerard Presencer
Jonathan Pryce
Pyewackett
A R Rahman
Phil Ramone
Eddie Reader
Cliff Richard
Irene Reid
Tim Rice
Right Said Fred
Carlos Rios
Roachford
Dr. Robert
Juliet Roberts
Tom Robinson
Annie Ross
Diana Ross
Ronnie Ross
Stig Rossen
Kelly Rowlands
Kevin Rowland & Dexy's
Ray Russell
Maaya Sakamoto
Randy Santke
Jack Savoretti
Nitin Sawhney
Leo Sayer
Gunter Schuller
S Club Juniors
John Scott
Tom Scott
Jake Shears
Bobby Shew
Howard Shore
Ben Sidran
Sika
Sounds Of Blackness
The Spice Girls
Charleen Spiteri
Squeeze
Terrell Stafford
Lisa Stansfield
Jim Steinman
Louis Stewart
Byron Stripling
Hamish Stuart
Andy Summers
Ralph Sutton
Tommy Steele
Swing Out Sister
Lew Tabackin
Bill Tarmey
Martin Taylor
Mick Taylor
Clare Teal
Neil Tennant
Jacky Terrasson
Three
The Three Degrees
Tindersticks
Chris Thompson
Colin Towns
Stan Tracey
Bonnie Tyler
Warren Vache
Rui Veloso
Terry Venables
Rufus Wainwright
Rick Wakeman
Scott Walker
Terri Walker
Stephen Warbeck
The Waterboys
Bobby Watson
Russell Watson
Ernie Watts
Elizabeth Welch
Bobby Wellins
Orchestra of Welsh National Opera
Westlife
will.i.am
Tim Whitehead
Bob Wilbur
Debbie Wiseman
Jimmy Witherspoon
Andy Williams
Deniece Williams
Joe Williams
John Williams (Guitarist)
John Williams (Composer)
Robbie Williams
Roy Williams
Ophelie Winter
Fred Wesley
Ronnie Wood
Eric Woolfson
Workshy
Stevie Wonder
Lizz Wright
Yazz
Will Young
Shione Yukawa
Hans Zimmer
Movie Soundtracks
10,000 BC
127 Hours
A Dark Reflection
The Adventurers
A Good Year
A Soldier’s Daughter
About Adam
Above Suspicion
Agate Clery
All Dogs Christmas Carol
All Dogs Go To Heaven 2
Arsene Lupin
Being Flynn
Big Fish
Breaking Dawn: Part 2
Bridget Jones's Baby
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Bright Young Things
Bulletproof
Burden
Burn After Reading
Cats
Chaos & Cadavers
Chaplin
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Click
Clo Clo
Cockneys vs Zombies
Cold Comfort Farm
Connie& Carla
Crush
Daddio
Damned United
De-Lovely
Diggs Nightcrawler
Donnie Brasco
Earth-Oner Amazing Day
Ellen’s Energy Crisis
Entrapment
Evita
Exit To Eden
Faking It
The Family Plan
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Firebrand
Fred Claus
Funny Bones
Geezer
Gemini
Goldeneye
Good Ship Citizen
Gosford Park
Great Expectations
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
Gulliver’s Travels
Hamlet
Harmony
Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
Hippie Hippie Shake
Hitchcock
Hoodwinked 2: Hood vs Evil
The Hot Potato
How To Train Your Dragon 2
Hugo
I Capture The Castle
Inkheart
In Plain Sight
It’s Now or Never
Ivanhoe
Johnny English
Judy
Justin and Knights of Valour
Killing Me Softly
King Arthur
Kinky Boots
King of Thieves
La Vie En Rose/ La Mome
Land Girls
Laws Of Attraction
Les Miserables
Lilo & Stitch
Little Men
Locke
Looking For Eric
The Lost Daughter
Lovaganza
Love’s Labours lost
Lucky Break
Mamma Mia 2
Man Up
Meet Wally Sparks
Mighty Ducks 3
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Molly Moon
Mona Lisa Smiles
Moulin Rouge
Mr. Holland’s Opus
Mrs. Caldecot’s Cabbage Wars
Mrs. Harris
Muppet Treasure Island
Mute
My Abandonment
My Life As A Fairytale
Not Like This Like That
One Night Stand
Out of the Furnace
Papadopoulous & Sons
Phantom Of The Opera
Philadelphia
Planet 51
Pola
Prometheus
Racing Stripes
Randall’s Flat
Rise and Fall of Little Voice
RKO 281
Robin Hood
Robinson Crusoe
Robocop
Roseanna’s Grave
Rules of Engagement
Sahara
Shakespeare’s Sister
Shall We Dance
Sherlock Gnomes
Shoreditch
Special Correspondents
St. Trinian’s
Staggered
Stick With Me, Kid
Suburbicon
Tamara Drewe
Teacher’s Pet Movie
The Beautician and the Beast
The Beautiful Joe
The Book Of Eve
The Cobbler and the Thief
The Croods
The Edge of Love
The Golden years
The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey
The Hot Potato
The Ides of March
The Importance Of Being Earnest
The Last King of Scotland
The Laundry Warrior
The Life of Stuff
The Lion King 1.5
The Lord of The Rings-Return of The King
The Mother
The Nanny Diaries
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
The Nutcracker
The Perfect Blue
The Reach
The Runaway
Run
The Saint
Stu
The Vow
The Wind In The Willows
Theatre Of Dreams
Three Guesses
Tom Sawyer
Tomorrow Never Dies
Town And Country
Vermeer's Edge
W.E.
Walking On Sunshine
War Bride
We Were Soldiers
What We Did On Our Holiday
When a Man Loves a Woman
Wilde
World On Fire
Yardie
Young and Restless
Zhongkui: The Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal
Microphones:
AKG C 414 B ULS [x 2]
AKG D190 E
AKG C 451 EB [x 3]
AKG D12
AKG D112 [x 2]
Brauner VM1
Calrec CM1050c - [x 4]
Coles 4038 [x2]
Coles STC 4021 (Ball & Biscuit)
Neumann U 87
Neumann U 47 FET
Neumann M 149
Neumann KM 84i [x3]
Neumann KMS 86
Neumann TLM 103 [x 2]
Neumann Geffel CMV 563 [3 Capsules]
Schoeps MK4 [x2]
Schoeps MK6 Capsule
Sennheiser MD 421 N [x 4]
Sennheiser e609
Sennheiser e606
Shure SM57 [x 4]
Shure SM58 [x 2]
Yamaha SKRM-100SFV Subkick
Guitar amps:
Fender Princeton, 1970's, [Brinsley Schwarz Mod.]
Hartke HS 1200
Hughes & Ketner HK-QC415
Keyboards:
Yamaha S6 Grand Piano
Fender Rhodes MK II 73
Hammond C3 & Leslie
Console:
Harrison 24c [28 channel, 24 bus, 3-band EQ]
A/D D/A:
Prism Orpheus [x 2]
Mic Preamps:
API 512c [x 2]
Calrec PQ1347-2 [x 2]
D.W. Fearn VT-2
Neve 1081
Neve 1073
Compression:
Manley Variable Mu
Purple Audio MC76
Summit Audio DCL-200
EQ:
API 550a [x 2]
Effects:
Lexicon PCM 70
Monitors:
M&K MPS 2510
Yamaha NS10M
Wembley Loudspeaker Auratones
GEAR
Ralph is proud to be associated with purveyors of some of the finest equipment on this planet:
GRETSCH
SABIAN
VIC FIRTH
REMO
GIBRALTAR
HARDCASE
PROTECTION RACKET
ACS
Tuner Fish
