Over the years, I have been influenced by many different musicians. The first drummer that I really noticed was Ringo Starr with The Beatles. A bit later, I listened to Bobby Colomby with Blood, Sweat & Tears and also (in the same vein), Danny Seraphine with Chicago. Then along came the fusion era and I was exposed to Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Harvey Mason, Alphonse Mouzon, Airto Moreira, Narada Michael Walden and Tony Williams. Yes, I first heard Tony Williams with his group The New Tony Williams Lifetime. I later went back in time and discovered his playing with Miles Davis. Wow!
I have to say that a few albums (remember LP’s?) stand out as being huge for me: Spectrum by Billy Cobham; Believe It by The New Tony Williams Lifetime; and Chameleon by Herbie Hancock (with Harvey Mason). These albums got worn out!
What were your big influences growing up?
Add Comment