In Memoriam
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Tulsa Drumming Legend Chuck Blackwell Passes
Chuck Blackwell, whose credits include Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, the Everly Brothers, Taj Mahal, and Freddie King, passed away recently, at the age of seventy-seven. The May 2011 issue of Modern Drummer included the feature Tulsa Time: Jimmy…
Spooky Tooth/Only Ones Drummer Mike Kellie Passes
Mike Kellie, center, as he appeared on the cover of Spooky Tooth’s 1969 sophomore album, Spooky Two. Similar to contemporaries like Argent and the Moody Blues, Spooky Tooth expanded upon its early rhythm-and-blues sound to include proto-progressive-rock concepts, and all…
Dick DiCenso Passes
We at Modern Drummer were saddened to hear of the passing of Dick DiCenso, the father of renowned drummer Dave DiCenso and the founder of Dick DiCenso’s Drum Shop, which was founded in 1982 and for twenty-three years served the…
’70s-Era David Bowie Drummer Dennis Davis Passes
Longtime David Bowie drummer Dennis Davis passed away yesterday. Davis appeared on a string of Bowie studio albums in the ’70s, beginning with Young Americans in 1975 and ending with 1980’s Scary Monsters. The run of recordings, which also includes…
Founding Lynyrd Skynyrd Drummer Bob Burns Dies
Bob Burns at Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction Original Lynyrd Skynyrd Drummer Bob Burns, one of the founders of the legendary Southern-rock band, was killed last week in an auto accident in Georgia, at age…
AJ Pero Dies at Age 55
Last Friday, March 20, longtime Twisted Sister drummer AJ Pero died in Poughkeepsie, New York, from an apparent heart attack while on the road with Adrenaline Mob. He was fifty-five. “My friend, my brother, my band mate passed away today,”…
Lennie DiMuzio Passes
DiMuzio (right) with Armand Zildjian Modern Drummer is saddened to learn of the passing of Lennie DiMuzio, longtime artist relations manager for the Avedis Zildjian company. Later in life DiMuzio worked for Sabian Ltd., which, on its Facebook page, described…
Latin Percussion Icon Milton Cardona Remembered
by Victor Rendón and Ken Ross On September 19, 2014, Milton Cardona, a fixture of the New York salsa and Latin-jazz scene, passed away of heart failure. He was sixty-nine. Cardona, a Puerto Rican who grew up in…
Broadway Drummer Dave Ratajczak Remembered
In October of 2014, the drumming community lost an esteemed member, veteran Broadway drummer Dave Ratajczak, whose credits included the shows City of Angels, Sweet Charity, Titanic, The Music Man, and Mary Poppins. Ratajczak, who was a graduate of the…
Stooges Drummer Scott Asheton Passes
By Robert Matheu Modern Drummer learned of the death this past weekend of Scott Asheton, drummer with the seminal Ann Arbor, Michigan, band the Stooges; his passing was noted in several media reports and on Stooges singer Iggy Pop’s Facebook…
VIDEO: A Tribute to Tonight Show Drummer Ed Shaughnessy
Remembering Ed In this video drummers Joe Vitale (The Eagles), Peter Criss (KISS), Danny Carey (TOOL), Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge), Jojo Mayer (Nerve), and Bobby Rondinelli (Blue Öyster Cult) remember Tonight Show drummer and bebop legend Ed Shaughnessy who…
Renowned Fusion Drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson Passes
Ronald Shannon Jackson died at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, this past October 19. Jackson was a renowned drummer, composer, and bandleader who supported some of the giants of avant-garde jazz, including Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler.…
In Memoriam: Willie “Big Eyes??? Smith
Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, one of the great practitioners of a true American art form, was lost to blues fans around the world when he passed on September 16, 2011. The harmonica player, drummer, singer, and composer, who gained international…
In Memoriam: Woody “Sonship” Theus
by Gerry Gibbs Woody “Sonship” Theus, whose credits include work with McCoy Tyner, Charles Lloyd, John McLaughlin, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Michal Urbaniak, and Pharoah Sanders, passed away this past March 18, at age fifty-eight. Among the pallbearers at his…
