News Source: Howard Farber
LEGENDARY STUDIO DRUMMER HOWARD FARBER CELEBRATES 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF ‘THEY’RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA-HAAA!’
The 1966 Top 10, Million-Selling Novelty Hit Lives On - From Warner Bros. Charts to Hundreds of Millions of Streams
NEW YORK, N.Y., April 13, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Veteran studio drummer and record producer Howard Farber is marking the 60th anniversary of the novelty smash “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” – a record on which Farber performed all drums, tambourines, and hand clapping, and for which he also coined the name Napoleon XIV.
Image caption: Howard Farber, a New York-based veteran studio drummer and record producer.
Sixty years ago, the recording shot into the Top 10 and sold over one million copies, written and performed by Jerry Samuels under the Napoleon XIV name.
Now, six decades later, that same drum track is at the center of a remarkable story. Farber recently discovered that Kanye West and Kid Cudi, recording together as Kids See Ghosts, sampled his original drum track for their recording “Fire” – stripped of vocals, sound effects, and everything else, leaving only Farber’s drums and rhythms as the sonic foundation. “Fire” has since accumulated hundreds of millions of streams.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Farber. “They took my drums – nothing else – and built a whole new record around them. Not everyone gets to say they had two major hits sixty years apart.”
Farber’s career spans decades of work as both a studio drummer and record producer, with credits at United Artists, RCA, and Musicor, and as head of Farber Music Corporation (ASCAP).
“Can’t wait till fifty years from now,” Farber adds with a laugh. “I’ll need another hit by then.”
ABOUT HOWARD FARBER
Howard Farber is a New York-based veteran studio drummer and record producer active since the 1960s, with production credits at United Artists, RCA, and Musicor. He is the founder and head of Farber Music Corporation, registered with ASCAP.
You can find Farber on INSTAGRAM at: https://www.instagram.com/HOWARDJFARBER and https://www.instagram.com/HOWARDJFARBERART
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