The Drummers and Percussionists of Michael Jackson

 

We all know the songs and even the dance moves of The King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But how well do we know the men behind those kits that keeps the beats alive? Today, let’s try to get to know them a little bit more.

 

The Drummers:

 

Johnny Jackson

Let’s start from the first drummer of Michael Jackson when he was still with The Jackson 5.

Johnny Porter Jackson was an American drummer and musician that was born on 3 March 1951 in Gary, Indiana. He was known for being the drummer of The Jackson 5 from 1967 to 1975. Some may know him as a cousin or relative of the Jacksons, but he was actually not. Their label introduced them, Johnny Jackson and the keyboardist Ronnie Rancifer, as the cousins of The Jackson 5 only for promotion or publicity.

Johnny Jackson died tragically at his home on 1 March 2006. He was stabbed by Yolanda Davis, his girlfriend, after a quarrel. She was sentenced to 2 years in prison after she was pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

 

Gene Pello

Eugene Pellicci, best known as Gene Pello, is a noted LA musician. He is famously known on playing drums on Motown albums during the 1970s. He became a member of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, and Gator Creek. He worked with Diana Ross, Odyssey, and Eddie Kendricks and Smokey Robinson to name a few. He played drums on the songs I’ll Be There, The Love You Save, I Want You Back, and ABC by The Jackson 5.

Do you know something more about Gene Pello? Share it with us in the comment!

John “JR” Robinson

John Robinson is a prolific session drummer. He is world renowned, Grammy Award winning musician and considered as one of the most recorded drummers in history.

JR was born in Creston, Iowa on 29 December 1954. At age 5, he took piano lessons. When he was 7, his favorite record was “When the Saints Go Marching In” from the soundtrack of The Five Pennies (1959 film). He got his first drum kit when he was 8 and it only consist of a bass drum, snare, and a Zildjian cymbal, and it is actually a second-hand 1940s Ludwig set. And then he had this 1966 Ludwig Champagne Sparkle set. He performed with the Iowa Big Band when he was 14. JR met Ed Soph, a drum teacher, when he went to a jazz band camp at Northwest Missouri State University and Illinois State University. Ed Soph helped him a lot, he even encouraged him to enroll at Berklee College of Music in Boston. And while in Berklee in 1973, the teachers he had were Gary Chaffee, a drum educator and theorist, and Alan Dawson, a jazz drummer.  And guess what? Some of his schoolmates were Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, and Casey Scheuerell. JR worked as a studio musician for Professor John LaPorta (composer and jazz clarinetist) in 1974.

Fast forward a bit, John Robinson became the drummer of Rufus and Chaka Khan. And from there, he became one of the most recorded drummer in history! He played on album that sold over 500 million copies. He played drums on 20 number one pop songs by Steve Winwood, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston, and of course, Michael Jackson! He also played drums on over 50 Grammy winning tracks, not to mention the R&B and Country.

Here are some of the number one hits of John Robinson!

Michael Jackson: Rock With You, Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel
Whitney Houston: I Will Always Love You, Didn’t We Almost Have It All, Saving All My Love For You
Lionel Richie: All Night Long, Say You Say Me
Steve Winwood: Higher Love, The Finer Things
USA for Africa: We Are The World

As for Michael Jackson, John Robinson recorded the Off The Wall album in 1979, and he also played tracks on 1987’s Bad.
Aside from the artists above, JR also played drums on many top 40 hits with artists such as Diana Ross, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, The Pointer Sisters, Peter Cetera, George Benson, David Lee Roth, and Quincy Jones to name a few.
In 1986, he became the musical director of John Fogerty. He also scored 2 films, the If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, and The Super Bob Einstein Story. He also recorded hundreds of movie soundtracks, and to name a few were Superman, the Hangover series, Space Jam, My Cousin Vinny, and The Bodyguard.

Up to now, John JR Robinson still shares his magic touch with us through the many hits, movies, and many more!
You can check John Robinson’s website www.johnjrrobinson.com for his discography and more!

 

Jeff Porcaro

Everybody knows him as the original drummer of the famous rock band, Toto. Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro, born 1 April 1954, a drummer, songwriter, record producer, and one of the most recorded session musicians in history that has done many albums and tons of sessions aside from Toto.

Porcaro started playing drums at the age of seven and had lessons from his father, Joe. He did a further study with Bob Zimmitti and Richie Lepore. At the age of seventeen, he had his first professional gig as a member of the touring band of Sonny & Cher (famous American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 70s, the husband and wife, Sonny Bono and Cher). At the age of twenties, he already did hundreds of albums which includes from Steely Dan, and also toured with Boz Scaggs.

Aside being with Toto, Porcaro was a very in-demand session musician. He collaborated with many famous artists in the music industry like George Benson, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Dire Straits, David Gilmour, Elton John, Bee Gees, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Sergio Mendes, Pink Floyd, Diana Ross, Don Henley, David Foster, Joe Walsh, Michael Jackson, and a lot more!

Jeff Porcaro played drums to four tracks on Michael Jackson’s Thriller album (The Girl is Mine, Beat it, Human Nature, and The Lady in My Life). He also played on the song Heal the World from the album, Dangerous.

Want to know more? You can read more about Porcaro, and his discography here: bestmusicsheet.com/the-totos-drummers/

 

Leon “Ndugu” Chancler

Leon Chancler was born 1 July 1952 in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. He was a pop, funk and a jazz drummer, composer and producer. And aside from being in a music industry, he was also a university professor.
He started playing drums at the age of thirteen. When he graduated from Locke High School, he had been involved in playing with Willie Bobo (his real name is William Correa, an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent) and the Harold Johnson Sextet. He graduated with a degree in music education in Cal State Dominguez Hills (California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California). And by the time when he graduated college, he had already worked with jazz artists like Herbie Hancock (American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer), and Gerald Wilson Big Band. He also did a record with Bobby Hutcherson (American jazz vibraphone and marimba player), Freddie Hubbard (American jazz trumpeter), and Miles Davis (American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer).

Who gave him the name Ndugu (in-doo-goo)? It was Herbie Hancock who gave him the name Ndugu while he was still with the Mwandishi band by Hancock. In Swahili (native language of the Waswahili who are from the East African Coast and litoral islands), it means earth brother, a family member, or comrade.

Chancler usually played or recorded as a sideman for jazz, blues, and pop music. One very notable beat he did on drums was on Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. To name a few of the musicians that he has worked with were George Benson, Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Santana, Frank Sinatra, Donna Summer, The Temptations, Tina Turner.

You can check his discography below for more!

With Michael Jackson

• Thriller (1982)
• Bad (1987)

With Miles Davis

• Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (2015)

With Herbie Hancock

• Mwandishi (1971)

With George Duke

• Faces in Reflection (1974)
• Feel (1974)
• The Aura Will Prevail (1975)
• I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry (1975)
• Liberated Fantasies (1976)
• From Me to You (1977)
• Reach for It (1977)

With Patti LaBelle

• Tasty (1978)

With Donna Summer

• Donna Summer (1982)

With Eddie Harris

• Excursions (1966–73)

With Syreeta Wright

• Syreeta (1980)
• The Spell (1983)

With Robbie Robertson

• Storyville (1991)

With Hampton Hawes

• Universe (1972)
• Blues for Walls (1973)

With Kenny Rogers

• Christmas (1981)
• Love Will Turn You Around (1982)
• We’ve Got Tonight (1983)
• The Heart of the Matter (1985)

With LeAnn Rimes

• What a Wonderful World (2004)

With Keni Burke

• You’re the Best (1981)
• Changes (1982)

With Sheena Easton

• No Strings (1993)

With Peabo Bryson

• All My Love (1989)
• Missing You (2007)

With Lionel Richie

• Lionel Richie (1982)

With Patrice Rushen

• Prelusion (1974)
• Before the Dawn (1975)
• Pizzazz (1979)
• Posh (1980)
• Signature (1997)

With Joe Henderson

• The Elements (1974)

With George Benson

• Love Remembers (1993)

With Cheryl Lynn

• Start Over (1987)

With John Lee Hooker

• The Healer (1989)

With Dee Dee Bridgewater

• Just Family (1977)

With Tina Turner

• Private Dancer (1984)

With Jennifer Holliday

• The Song Is You(2014)

With Harold Land

• Damisi (1972)
• Choma (Burn) (1972)

With Minnie Riperton

• Minnie (1979)

With Azar Lawrence

• Bridge into the New Age (1974)

With Julian Priester

• Love, Love (1973)

With Santana

• Borboletta (1974)
• Amigos (1976)

With Lalo Schifrin

• No One Home (1979)

With Weather Report

• Tale Spinnin’ (1975)

With Jean Luc Ponty

• Upon the Wings of Music (1975)

In 1982, he was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Song for co-writing the song Let It Whip, made popular by the Dazz Band.
Chancler became an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California in 2006. He also gave lessons at the Stanford Jazz Workshop in California. Chancler was a member of the Percussive Arts Society, and in 2020, he was inducted in the PAS Hall of Fame.
3 February 2018, at the age of 65, Leon “Ndugu” Chancler passed away due to prostate cancer.

 

Ricky Lawson

Ricky Lawson was the drummer for Michael Jackson‘s Bad Tour in 1987-1989 and in Dangerous Tour in 1992-1993. He was Jackson’s next choice whenever Jonathan Moffett is not available.

Born as William Riser III, Ricky Lawson was born in 8 November 1954 in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Aside from being a drummer, Lawson was also a well-respected session musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. Michael Jackson, Toto, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston are just some of the few famous names that he collaborated with.

Lawson started to play drums when he was sixteen. He used to borrow his uncle’s kit and bring it to his home via bus. During high school, he was a member of their high school jazz band that has only 5 members including the director. During the 1969 Michigan State Fair, Lawson, together with The Sons of Soul, did an opening act for The Jackson Five. After spending a year in college, he was invited to play drums for Stevie Wonder. And during the ‘80s and ‘90s, he played drums for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

In 1987, he won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for “And You Know That” from the Yellowjackets’ album, Shades. Yellowjackets is a jazz-fusion band co-founded by Lawson. In 2001, he released his solo album, Ricky Lawson and Friends, where he wrote, arranged, performed, and produced all the songs with a collaboration with James Ingram, Phil Collins, Al Jarreau, Robben Ford, and many others. The album is a combination of R&B, pop, and jazz. In 2008, he released a Christmas album called Christmas with Friends.

13 December 2013, while performing, Lawson suddenly became disoriented and was diagnosed with brain aneurysm. After 10 days, 23 December 2013, at the age of 59, he was removed from life support.

You can click here if you want to read more about Ricky Lawson: bestmusicsheet.com/the-totos-drummers-part-2/

 

Jonathan “Sugarfoot” Moffett

Last but not the least, he is one of the most in-demand pop music drummers, and already performed on 23 world tours. Ladies and gentlemen, he is none other than Jonathan “Sugarfoot” Moffett! He was a drummer, song writer, singer, musical director, producer, and designer.

It was Michael Jackson who gave him a nickname of Sugarfoot because of his constant use of advanced techniques on the foot pedals. He was MJ’s main drummer for most of his live tours.

Jonathan Moffett was born on 17 November 1954 in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. His father encouraged him to play drums because his two other brothers are playing the guitar and bass guitar. He was greatly influenced by Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, James Brown, Billy Cobham, Roger Taylor and other drummers who are mostly from New Orleans.

He made his first professional drumming career in 1979 with The Jacksons after they hired him from the audition. And from 22 January 1979 to 13 January 1980, his first major tour, the Destiny tour, happened. Moffett knows how to keep up with the dancing and, how and when to give an accent to MJ’s moves. And this drumming groove impresses Michael Jackson.

His next tour was also with The Jacksons</a, the Triumph Tour (8 July 1981 – 26 September 1981) and the Victory Tour (6 July 1984 – 9 December 1984) where he met Madonna and asked him to drum for her upcoming The Virgin Tour.

Jonathan “Sugarfoot” Moffett was Michael Jackson’s drummer for The Destiny Tour, Triumph Tour, Victory Tour, 1988 Grammy Awards with Michael, HIStory Tour, Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, This Is It, and Cirque’s Immortal World Tour. The last song he performed with Michael Jackson was the Earth Song and it was during their rehearsals for the “This Is It” tour.

Aside from Michael Jackson and Madonna, Moffett also collaborated with other great artists such as Elton John, Diana Ross, Barry Manilow, George Michael, Julian Lennon, Kenny G, Lionel Richie, Mark Ronson, Peter Cetera, Stevie Wonder, even with Cirque du Soleil, and a lot more!

Currently, Jonathan Moffett is still active. And to check for his discography and more, you can visit www.jonathanmoffett.world/copy-of-television. You can also go and check his very own designed SweetBeats double-tipped drumsticks at the Moffett Store here: moffettstore.com/.

 

 

The Percussionists:

Paulinho da Costa

He is a dynamic percussionist, innovative composer, and a producer. A multi-talented, multi-awarded, and also considered as one of the most recorded musicians of modern times, here is… none other than Paulinho da Costa.

Paulo Roberto da Costa was born on 31 May 1948 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the very young age of 5, Da Costa already fell in love for percussion. He explores the different sounds of everything he could tap, or whatever his hands can get. He began learning the pandeiro (a type of a hand frame drum popular in Brazil) when he was a child. He started joining several musical groups in his early teens. And because of his early exposure in music, this gave him an opportunity to participate in music festivals around the world. These tours gave Da Costa more knowledge to jazz and Cuban music which made him developed more of his musical ability. Also, the range of percussion instruments he could play has widened.

When da Costa moved to Los Angeles in 1972, he played with the famous Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’77. He also started to play with some other artist that gained him fame. He extensively worked with Joe Pass, Milt Jackson and Dizzy Gillespie. And then he ventured into different genres and recorded with Gloria Gaynor, Earth Wind & Fire, Donna Summer, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Eric Clapton, Jon Bon Jovi, Herbie Hancock, John Legend and a lot more!

His album projects with Michael Jackson are Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book 1, and Invincible.

Da Costa was a regular musician on the albums that Quincy Jones produced and that includes Light Up the Night by The Brothers Johnson, Give Me The Night by George Benson, Till I Loved You by Barbara Streisand, and We Are the World by USA for Africa. He also contributes on the film scores like Ally McBeal, Footloose, Flashdance, Selena and more!

He also released solo albums:

• Agora (1977)
• Tudo Bem! (with Joe Pass) (1978)
• Happy People (1979)
• Paulinho da Costa (1984)
• Sunrise (1984)
• Breakdown (1991)

 

Paulinho da Costa, as described by Downbeat Magazine, is “one of the most talented percussionist of our time.” And for Los Angeles Times he’s “a virtuoso on percussion.” Because of his incredible talent, he was recognized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences as its “Most Valuable Player Award’ for three consecutive years and was also given an honorary “Musicians Emeritus Award.”

For updates and complete performances and discography, you can visit his website here https://paulinho.com/

 

 

Bashiri Johnson

Percussionist, vocalist, songwriter, composer, producer, programmer, and educator Bashiri Johnson is, as they say, the most visible and recorded percussionist on the planet. You can see his works on films, televisions, commercials, videogames, and of course, on many records and live concert performances!

Bashiri was born on 12 May 1955 in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. According to his mother, his talent in music and percussion started as early as he’s in pre-school. He was strongly influenced by Sly, Hendrix, Cream, Bill Summers, Miles, Paulinho da Costa, and James Brown to name a few.

He did a formal percussion education on many forms that includes high school bands, lessons at Jazzmobile, the Dance Theater of Harlem, and had lessons with Olatunji (Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist). He also had a three-year mentorship with the funk and soul group, Mtume, where he learned not just the art of percussion but also gained knowledge in the world of music business and session recording. His first professional session was with Stephanie Mills’ “Watcha Gonna Do With My Lovin”.

And from there, Bashiri’s career grew quickly during the 1970s and 80s. He has contributed to the gold records of Luther Vandross, and Madonna. He also started to work with popular artists and even some big names in politics. He has been with Whitney Houston’s band for 20 years. And as for Michael Jackson, he was the percussionist for This Is It band, and also been part of The Immortal World Tour with Cirque du Soleil.

Aside from the famous names mentioned, Bashiri also recorded and performed with Beyonce, Steve Winwood, Rolling Stones, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Paul Simon, Barbara Streisand, Spice Girls, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Sade, Lionel Richie, Aretha Franklin, Sting, Queen, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Herbie Hancock and a lot more! He also performed in South Africa for Nelson Mandela, and during the 2013 Presidential Inauguration.

Bashiri has been nominated by readers of Drum Magazine and DrumMagazine.com for Percussionist of the Year in 2010, and in 2011 World Percussionist. He was also voted as a top 5 percussionist in 2011 Modern Drummer reader’s poll.

As being one of the most visible and recorded percussionist, here are his Discography and Filmography.

Discography:

• Art ‘n’ Rhythm(BBE Music, 2007)
• Soul Liberation(Life in Rhythm Media, 2007)
• Musical Aesop(Life in Rhythm Media, 2009)
• Musical Alphabet(Life in Rhythm Media, 2009)
• Musical Multiplication(Life In Rhythm Media, 2010)

Filmography:

• This Is It
• Get Him to the Greek
• The 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
• Crazy Love
• The Hoax
• Slavery and the Making of America, “Liberty in the Air”
• Naked World: America Undercover
• Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration
• Hitch
• Mission Impossible
• The Score
• Godzilla
• The Mask
• Last Holiday
• Sex and The City 2
• Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston
• Whitney: Brunei The Royal Wedding Celebration
• Classic Whitney Live from Washington D.C.
• Sting: A Winter’s Night Live from Durham Cathedral

 

He has appeared in the following films:

• This Is It(2009)
• Get Him to the Greek
• Whitney Houston: Concert for South Africa

Bashiri is still currently active in recording, producing, composing and performing. He has his own production company, the Bashman Production. And he also has his own record/media label, the Life in Rhythm Media, a recording studio, The Lab-Brooklyn, and a Trademarked Company and Touring Duo called Rhythm Healing.

And to give back to the people and to give inspiration, he hosts seminars, lectures, and holds workshops and clinics for children at his recording studio.

 

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