BOOM....Da-dit-dit....ching Drums, Drummers, Drumming

Jeff Porcaro

Grammy winner Jeff Porcaro was one of the founding members of Toto.  He was a very "big deal" studio musician, and as such, he played with everyone from Airplay to Warren Zevon.  His discography reads like a "Who's Who" of the music industry.  He was a first call musician at the top of virtually every artist's list.  His time was phenomenal; he was a human metronome.  He had a style, a groove, that was the envy of anyone who ever heard him play.  He was somehow able to combine the technique of a craftsman with the soul of an artist.

He could play any style of music there was, and often did.  Rock, jazz, pop, fusion, R&B, country,... if it was out there, he could play it.  With lessons first coming from Papa Joe (also a first call studio drummer), Jeff got his start when he left high school to take a job on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.  From there, he moved on to play for the likes of Seals and Crofts, Steely Dan, and Boz Scaggs.  A partial list of other artists Jeff has worked with are Dire Straits, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Don Henley, Rickie Lee Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Michael McDonald, Joe Cocker, Greg Lake, George Benson, Paul McCartney, Pink Flyod, Peter Frampton, America, and Stanley Clarke.

Personally, I think he may have been the greatest drummer to ever sit behind a drum kit.  Now, I realize that there are plenty that will differ with this opinion, but before you start sending the e-mails telling me what a doofus or bonehead I am, consider this: many spend a lifetime in the music industry and never win a Grammy.  "Stars" often have one or two, and although he had three with his name on them, look at the Grammy list where he was the drummer of record...

Jeff Porcaro passed away on August 5, 1992 when he had a heart attack caused by an allergic reaction to pesticides he was using in his garden.  His funeral was attended by an estimated 1500 people, most of whom were fellow musicians.  Had his career not tragically been cut so short, it's a good possibility that he would have become the most recorded drummer in history...  he was well on his way.  He was gone way too soon.  I miss his time... I miss his music. 

If you're interested, there's a few great tribute sites:  Denis Olivier and Hartford-Jive have both put up spectacular Jeff Porcaro pages, complete with articles, images, and information.  Robyn Flans did a great memorial article on Jeff in Modern Drummer.  Anders Jensen and Blogspot have also put up nice tribute pages for Jeff.  There's an unofficial Toto site here. 

Finally, just as an afterthough, the critics always hated Toto... "too smooth, too polished; nothing but studio hacks" they said.  Truth is, they are outstanding musicians and it's hard to listen to music made between 1977 and 1995 that didn't have one or more of the members of Toto on the track.  But, when they started spoofing Toto's music, I knew they had made more than critical enemies.  They made the big time!

Carlos Vega

Where Jeff Porcaro left the music world, Carlos Vega became the heir apparent to the top of the L.A. session scene.  And, like Porcaro, Carlos was blessed with phenomenal time and an artist's sense of feel, groove, and style.  When not on tour, it was quite common for Carlos to perform with other studio legands like Lee Ritenour, Abe Laboriel, Michael Landau, Neil Stubenhaus, Dean Parks, Nathan East, Lenny Castro, and Dann Huff.  In fact, born out of musical kinship, fellow studio great David Garfield now holds an annual benefit concert in memory of his friend.

Besides being the band drummer for James Taylor for a thirteen year run, he's also recorded with artists like Luis Conte, Neil Diamond, Sheena Easton, George Benson, Laura Branigan, Peter Cetera, Barry Manilow, Roberta Flack, and Sarah Vaughn. 

On April 7, 1998, 41 year old Carlos Vega died at his home, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He was scheduled to appear with James Taylor on the Oprah Winfrey Show the following day.  Another great one gone far too soon...

Steve Gadd

It is said of Steve Gadd in a Modern Drummer article, that "For 'Aja' he sightread the entire seven-minute chart perfectly, solo and all, by the second take."  For Steely Dan's demanding Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, this was an absolute first.  If you're not familiar with this, grab the album and listen to it.  Just make sure you listen to the whole thing... some of the best drum tracks ever put on tape are on that album.

Gadd has played with some of the best jazz artists around, including Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Joe Romano and others.  He's also played with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Striesand, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon.  Check out the "grooves" and "discography" tabs on Steve's website.  Although he's crossed musical bounderies, he really shines as a jazz artist. 

Jim Keltner

You may never have heard of Jim Keltner, but if you've listened to any music at all, you've almost certainly heard Jim Keltner.  He's been drumming since the 60s.  As a young, impressionable drummer starting out in the early 1970s, I think Jim Keltner was probably the first session drummer I became aware of.  I remember seeing his name literally everywhere in liner notes!  He was my first major influence as a drummer.

If you're still not sure you're familiar with any of his work, here's a partial list of folks he's played with: the Bee Gees, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, George Harrison, John Lee Hooker, Mick Jagger, B.B. King, John Lennon, Willie Nelson, Randy Newman, Roy Orbison, Pink Floyd, Linda Ronstadt, Boz Scaggs, Ringo Starr, James Taylor and Brian Wilson. 

For a more complete list of his credits, here's Jim's discography.  It's a pretty impressive list.

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie

Along with Hal Blaine and John "J.R." Robinson, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie is, arguably, the most recorded drummer in the history of recorded music.  In a career that now spans over forty very impressive years, it's very safe to say that he's certainly one of them.  He's made contributions to tons of albums and some estimates run as high as over 4000.  Pop, fusion, rock, jazz, R&B, soul, funk... no matter.  Bernie's played them all! 

A short list of some of Bernie's credits include Paul Butterfield, Larry Coryell, Hank Crawford, King Curtis, Miles Davis, "Sweet" Lou Donaldson, Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oates, Donny Hathaway, Isaac Hayes, B.B. King, Al Kooper, Herbie Mann, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Cat Stevens and Lonnie Youngblood.  Bernie has also regularly produced his own solo albums under his own name.  Take a peek at Bernie's website.  While you're there, take a look at some of his credits.  This guy has been everywhere!

Vinnie Colaiuta

"Versatile and ubiquitous."  "Innovative, colorful and tasteful."  Just some of the accolades heaped onto Vinnie over the years...  Vinnie Colaiuta has been around.  In a career that now spans three decades, he plays jazz, rock, pop, R&B and everything in between.  Wheather he's live behind a band or in the studio, he's a modern master. 

From his "humble" beginnings in the early 80's with Gino Vinelli and Frank Zappa, he's played with some of the music industry's giants like Tony Banks, Natalie Cole, Shawn Colvin, Karizma, Los Lobotomies, Joni Mitchell, David Sanborn, Sting, and Barbara Streisand.  Check out Vinnie's website.