Born & raised in jamaica queens (baisley projects), I started playing drums at the age of 6...my mom put me in drum school at age 12, when she got tired of me tearing up her phonebooks, ashtrays, tabletops, and other personal belongings that i would use to bang on! (lol) I studied at the long island institute of music under Mitchell Cohen (a great instructor...thanx mitch)..i also studied briefly with dad, but was too headstrong, and wanted to go out and play, play, play my drums...to this day i regret not studying with purdie longer, but i made up for it later on in life. I spent most of my teenage years in the mid to late 70's touring with stepdad Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, who at the time was Aretha Franklin's drummer/musical director. "I would sometimes sit in with the rhythm section! I'm talkin about being 14, 15 years old, jammin with king curtis, jerry jemmott, cornell dupree, pancho morales, billy preston, eric gale, & the memphis horns!...what an awsome experience! I pinpoint those situations as the best lessons i've ever recieved to show me what my role entails, as part of the rhythm section...thanx dad! During the 80's, i, along with Glenn Gibson (guitarist), & Frankie Carr (bass), co-founded "Me and my Friends", who along with the singing group, "The Spice of Life" ran rampant amongst all the popular clubs throughout the 5 boroughs of new york. (that was the time of the bands!!!!)It was also around this time when i realized that i could sing as well. It took a few years working on my voice to finally embrace the fact that i am a vocalist! I also spent alot of time with dad at all those sessions; ( steely dan, donny hathaway, roberta flack, aretha, galt mcdermott, as well as his own solo projects.) I was like a kid in a candy store, learning, absorbing, and honing my craft even further. Since those days, i've been playing lots of club dates, jazz clubs, studio recordings (when i'm available). I also get hired just as a vocalist for certain events. I've worked with the Keith Pray Jazz ensemble, and currently am holding down the drumchair for the barbara roy project (formely of ecstacy, passion & pain) w/wayne cobham as the musical director...oh yeah, my old friend glenn gibson is on the project as well. I love my job, and my instrument...i've met alot of talented folks, and learned alot about life along this wonderful journey that god has blessed me with....thanx 4 stopping by...much luv & respect!
left to right: Sly (brass)...Mark (bass)...Wayne (m.d., brass)...John (keys)...Russell (drums,voice)...Roy (percussion)
"Soundcheck"
"...just havin fun @ work!"found this
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