Terry Bozzio

created by FlexAble

(person) by FlexAble (5.2 y) (print) ? (I like it!) Fri Apr 14 2000 at 22:26:45

Terry Bozzio is, without question, one of the most amazing drummers in modern music. He was a member of UK and Missing Persons, and has worked with Steve Vai and the late Frank Zappa. Furthermore, he released a number of solo albums.

Bozzio is celebrated for developing the drum set as a solo instrument. His compositions are incredibly complex and can best be described as classical music for drums. Notable elements of Bozzio's music include his extensive use of melody (all of his toms are melodically tuned, and his cymbals are stacked to produce specific notes) and ostinatos.

(person) by nocodeforparanoia (1.1 d) (print) ? (I like it!) 3 C!s Thu Nov 21 2002 at 21:21:32

Drum God, Born 12/27/50, San Francisco, California.

Bozzio began playing drums at age 6 by building makeshift drum kits out of common household materials like coffee cans and pots. His early listening included records of Tito Puente and the music of Sandy Nelson and The Ventures.

At age 13 he saw The Beatles' first American performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and convinced his father to let him take private lessons. In July of 1964, he began taking lessons (Bozzio suggests: Rudiments, Stick Control and Basic Beats). Over the next four years, he formed two garage bands, called Blue Glass Radio, and The Yarde and Tamalpais Jungle Mountain Boys.

At Marin College, he studied with Chuck Brown on drum set and Lloyd Davis and Roland Kohloff, percussionists from the San Fransisco Symphony on percussion and timpani. In 1972, he began playing jazz with Mark Isham, Peter Maunu, Patrick O'Hearn, Mike Knock, Art Lande, Azteca, Eddie Henderson, Woody Shaw, Julian Priester, Eric Gravatt, Billy Higgins, Andy Narell, Hadley Calliman, Mel Graves and Mel Martin. He became a steady drummer in the "Jim Dukey Big Band" at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. He also recorded his first album for Fantasy Records for trumpeter Luis Gasca, with drum phenomenon Jack DeJohnette, George Duke, and Joe Henderson.

In 1975, Bozzio joins Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Records "Bongo Fury" with Zappa and Captain Beefheart. During the next three years with Zappa, he recorded over 10 albums, including a piece titled "Black Page" which Zappa wrote specifically for Terry. In addition to playing drums, Bozzio adds his vocal talents to the band, singing lead vocals on several songs, including Punky's Whips (which pokes fun at Bozzio as well), Titties 'n' Beer, and I'm so Cute. He toured the world three times with Zappa.

In 1977, Bozzio joined The Brecker Brothers, and in 1978 was dismissed from The Mothers. He soon joined Group 87, and auditioned (unsuccessfully) for Thin Lizzy. In 1979, Bozzio replaced Bill Bruford and Alan Holdsworth in the band UK. They toured with Jethro Tull in the USA, Europe, and Japan. He then quit UK to found Missing Persons with ex-Mothers guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. Starting in 1980 and continuing for the next five years, Bozzio toured the world with Missing Persons, and recorded Spring Session M, Rhyme & Reason, and Color in Your Life with them. In 1985, Bozzio left the band and teamed up with Duran Duran's Andy Taylor. He also began work on his own solo projects. He played on sessions with Robbie Robertson, Gary Wright, Don Dokken, XYZ, Paul Hyde, Herbie Hancock, Dweezil Zappa, Richard Marx, Mick Jagger, and Jeff Beck, later joining Beck and keyboardist Tony Hymas to form BB&H and co-write/co-produce and perform on the Grammy Award winning album "Guitar shop". He toured the world with Stevie Ray Vaughn and BB&H.

Between 1990 and 1995, Bozzio developed an ostinato-based style, and wrote compositions and records based in this style. He joined T.Hymas, Toney Coe (winds), Hugh Burns (guitar) to form the Lonely Bears. With them he recorded "The Lonely Bears", "Injustice" & "The Bears are Running", while living in paris. He then formed "Polytown" and recorded with guitarist David Torn and bassist Mick Karn. in 1995, he performed "An Evening of Solo Drum Music", a solo drum show featuring a stage packed with various percussive instruments.

Between 1995 and 2002, Bozzio has gone on several tours of the USA, Australia, Canada & Europe as a "Solo Drum Artist". He recorded two solo albums, "Drawing the Circle", "Chamberworks", as well as a "Live in Concert" video, "Duets" video, and "Alternative Duets" albums, with Chad Wackerman. He was awarded with Modern Drummer magazine's Hall of Fame award, Drum Magazine's "Drummer of the Year" & "Best Clinician" awards, Schlagwerkrant Magazine (of Holland) "best drummer" award, and Player Magazine (of Japan) "Best Drummer" award. He recently helped invent "Beater Ball Enhancer" instruments, "Piccolo Toms" and "Tunerz" tuning locks for DW, and "Radia" cymbals, bells and gongs for Sabian. In 1997 and 2002, Bozzio released two albums with Tony Levin and Steve Stevens, titled Black Light Syndrome and Situation Dangerous. He also recorded an album titled "Nine Short Films" with bassist Billy Sheehan, in which Bozzio sings poetry and plays keyboards as well as drums. He has just finished work on an album titled "Delete and Roll" with guitarist Alex Machacek and woodwind player Geral Preinfalk.

www.terrybozzio.com/bio.html
discography at terrybozzio.com/disco.html

props to machfive for the bozzio/levin/stevens info!
further props to sighmoan for corrections and additions!

printable version
chaos

Missing Persons	ostinato	Frank Zappa	Jonathan Mover
Jeff Beck	Steve Stevens	Mike Portnoy	Meat Beat Manifesto
drum set	Zoot Allures	Dweezil Zappa	I.M. Pei
I fought popular culture, and popular culture won	Beth Orton	snow	Danny Carey
Woody Shaw	Jack DeJohnette	Tony Levin	The Ventures
Joe Satriani	Blacknova	Skinny Puppy	Muffin Man

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