About Me
It was the success of his best-selling drum text, Advanced Funk Studies, that launched Rick Latham into the international percussion spotlight, but is has been his expertise as a versatile performer that has made him one of contemporary drummings' most respected players.Rick started drumming at the age of twelve. Initially self-taught, his ears led him to such powerful rhythm and blues influences as the hit Motown and Atlantic label recording artists of the day.Playing club dates during his high school years in North and South Carolina, Rick attended to the technical aspects of drumming, but his primary focus was playing the "groove." Later, while earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Percussion Performance at East Carolina University, he expanded his rhythmic and percussion related vocabulary, studying mallets and timpani under Harold Jones. It was during this period that he performed with such jazz greats as Bill Watrous, David Samuels, Jerry Coker and David Friedman.In 1977, he was granted a teaching assistantship at North Texas State University, where he taught mallets and snare, while working on his Masters Degree in Percussion with Robert Schietroma and Ron Fink, and studying drumset with Jim Hall. The inspiration and knowledge Rick gained from these instructors prompted him to create Advanced Funk Studies. A text of original concepts, transcriptions of recorded works by his favorite drummers, and accompanied by audio cassettes, Advanced Funk Studies was an immediate hit, establishing itself as a leading source of reference with drummers and educators the world over. He then began realizing his dream of becoming a professional touring musician in 1979 after his years at NTSU and toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada. The early 80's brought Rick back to Texas. In Dallas, he became a member of R&B "Bass Legend" Chuck Rainey's band Rainey Man and continued his career as a session player and sought after sideman with such greats as bluesman B.B. King.In 1984, Rick relocated to Los Angeles, where he has since enjoyed the opportunity of performing with a long list of leading figures, including rockers Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer and Pat Travers, as well as jazz guitarist Howard Roberts. His versatility has also been highlighted with such top entertainers as Rita Moreno, Ben Vereen and Redd Foxx, on the theme for television's "9 to 5" series, "Fame," the Quincy Jones produced soundtrack, Fast Forward and more recently the DVD release of "Gone in 60 Seconds and "Daredevil". 1n 1990, he released his second successful book Contemporary Drumset Techniques and soon afterwards the much anticipated instructional videos that parallel these works. 2005 brings his all new 25th Anniversary DVD.He has firmly established himself as a world class artist. Appearances at such major gatherings as Germany's Koblenz International Drummer's Meeting and the Frankfurt Music Messe, the United States NAMM shows, Switzerlands' Montreux Jazz Festival and numerous performances throughout Europe and Asia have provided the uninitiated with the opportunity to witness one of the new masters of contemporary drumming.In addition to maintaining a full playing schedule in Los Angeles - doing sessions and teaching, Rick involves himself with producing and leading his own L.A. all-star jazz group Rick Latham and The Groove Doctors. For more information please visit his web site at http://www.ricklatham.com.
