 He landed a steady job at a club owned by a gangster. Legend has it that he was forced to switch from piano to drums after the gangster threatened to shoot him if he didn't get behind a drum kit. From that point onwards, Art Blakey devoted himself to being a drummer. Blakey learned to play drums on the job. I used to play every night, he said. It didn't matter how much money I was making. I just had to play every night.