Freddie Gruber first came to the attention of the music industry in print in a 1947 article in Metronome magazine entitled, "The Shape Of Drums To Come." It was written by one of the most prestigious jazz writers of all time, Barry Ulanov (and excerpts were quoted in a 1984 article on Freddie Gruber, part of a Modern Drummer feature entitled "Focus on Teachers"). The opening lines of the article read:

"Some of us have heard the playing of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and now, for the first time, a few of us have heard where the drumming of the future must go. Gruber's drumming was a handsome amalgam of all the great schools of percussion."

During these years we find Fred working around the New York area with various jazz groups and playing with one of the few big bands Charlie Parker was in (which also included Zoot Simms, Red Rodney, etc.) During a stint on the road with Buddy DeFranco, reviewers take particular notice of the young drummer on the bandstand, and a quote from a Downbeat review of one performance reads, "Buddy DeFranco brought in to the Blue Note (Chicago)... a drummer who is potentially the greatest. He's Fred Gruber, a young New Yorker who needs only more experience working with a group to be tabbed the Find of the Year. His playing is a thing to behold."

After being on the road a while, we find Freddie Gruber back in print again in a Downbeat magazine article entitled "Listing Top Drummers." It said, "Listing top drummers? Include Fred Gruber. His ability to play multiple rhythms, his constant playing behind the band and what seemed like his impeccable taste in his choice of what to play, mark him as a musician to watch closely. It shouldn't be long before in any list of modern drummers you'll be able to find Freddie's name. And it won't be very far from the top."

Not only did Freddie develop a reputation as a player during that time, but in the ensuing years his reputation as a teacher in the Los Angeles area also grew. His students have filled every style of drum chair imaginable. One way to describe his effect on the world of drumming is by looking at a small list of students he has taught; Dave Weckl, Peter Erskine, Anton Fig, Ian Wallace, Neal Peart, Mitch Mitchell, Jim Keltner, Gregg Bissonette, Clayton Cameron, etc.

But perhaps Freddie's effect on the world of drumming can best be represented by a quote from Modern Drummer's March, 1984 interview with him regarding his teaching concepts:

"I teach an approach to the drums based on natural principals. Breaking those principals creates stress. That means the person is going to be trying forever, and trying is never doing.... As you teach, you continually learn. It's endless and it's a true joy."