Drucker was offered the position of principal double bass with the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20.
At the Guildhall School of Music he studied violin, viola, French horn (with Dennis Brain) and tuba in addition to the double bass.
Poor eyesight prevented a wartime call-up in 1939–1940, so he earned pocket money playing in dance bands (often with the American bandleader Xavier Cugat at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York.
His first professional engagement in London during the war had been playing the organ at St Mary Magdalene church, Holloway Road, subsequently working as a violinist or violist with both the leading chamber orchestras of the time, the Boyd Neel Orchestra and the Jacques String Orchestra.and his first encounter with the double bass was when he was invited to fill in for double bassist Gordon Pearce at an ENSA concert for Canadian Troops on the south coast prior to D-day in 1944.
He has appeared as soloist in concerto performances, including performances of work by Bottesini and Virgilio Mortari (including in "Bottesini's Grand Duo for violin and Double Bass and Mortari's double bass concerto) with the Philharmonia under Riccardo Muti at the Royal Festival Hall on 16 February 1978.
He thoroughly enjoyed playing music and exploring the TARDIS set in the Doctor Who cult science fiction BBC TV series during his involvement in the 1960s–1970s including with Tom Baker in The Ribos Operation.
Other session examples notably include his involvement in over 13 James Bond 007 films with composer John Barry amongst others as the John Barry Orchestra between 1963 and 1990, and included working closely with Paul McCartney on "Live and Let Die" which is the main theme song of the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul's band Wings.
[4] Gerald Drucker mentioned in "Philharmonia Orchestra: a record of achievement 1945–1985"[5] In the 1990s he taught Double Bass at the National Centre for Orchestral Studies Goldsmiths' College.
Following retirement however, he continued to play an active role in music establishing the Covent Garden Soloists Ltd, organising the anniversary Far East tour of the London Mozart Players, and mentoring violinists Vanessa Mae and Min Jin Kym and the pianist Hiromi Okada.
[6] A memorial concert was held in Gerald Drucker's honour on 28 July 2010 by his family, friends, colleagues and former students at the Henry Wood Hall, a venue where he played many times over the years.
Excerpt from an archive footage recorded in 1965 at the Royal Festival Hall – London, Great Britain.
[18] 1965 – Mozart's Symphony n°40 in G minor, conducted by Carlo-Maria Giulini and recorded in England in 1965 with the New Philharmonia Orchestra.
Live broadcast at the Royal Festival Hall, London – 1970 Gerald Drucker (extreme left) and Bass section cleally seen on TV at 3.54 mins.
Live broadcast at the Royal Festival Hall, London – 1970 Gerald Drucker (extreme left) and Bass section close up camera shot on TV at 32.14 mins.
Espansiva: a Portrait of Carl Nielsen BBCTV "Workshop" presentation Producer and Director: Barrie Gavin (1970 ca.)
Notable photographs include those of Otto Klemperer, Riccardo Muti, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Ansel Adams and Lillian Gish.
Gerald Drucker album photographer [27] ×1988 Hindemith, Janáček, Vackár: Music for Brass, Piano and Percussion.
Gerald Drucker album photographer [31] ×1992 Respighi: The Ballad of Gnomes; Adagio with Variations; Botticelli Pictures; Suite in G. Geoffrey Simon.