He helped to create the National Association of Rudimental Drummers and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

[1] His father was a professional trombonist and Ludwig started taking music lessons upon arriving to Chicago that same year, initially on piano and violin.

[1] In 1937, he left Conn and founded the WFL Drum Company, which his son William F. Ludwig Jr. and daughter Betty would join in 1938.

[15] Ludwig Sr. ran his new company until his death in 1973, popularizing his drums through relationships with Ringo Starr of The Beatles and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

Brooke, Max Bendix, Arthur Pryor's Band and several opera companies during his long career,[2] and he was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in its inaugural year, 1972.