Who is Andy Newmark, the American session drummer?

Who is Andy Newmark?

Maybe for some, his name is not as familiar as one of the famous drummers, or probably they have never heard of him before. That’s why today, let’s tackle and discover how amazing and popular Andy is.

And here’s a quick intro, Andy has been one of the finest leading drummers and percussionists since 1967 up to the present!

Andrew “Andy” Newmark is an American session drummer who was born on 14 July 1950 in Port Chester, New York. He started to take on drums at the very young age of nine and had his paid gigs at the age of fifteen!

One of his first gigs was with Carly Simon in 1971 for the recording of her album Anticipation (November 1971) which was followed by another album No Secrets (November 1972). And from 1972 to 1973, Andy became the drummer of the funk band Sly and the Family Stone. He recorded one album, Fresh, in 1973, and performed for 2 years in live concerts.

After Andy left Sly and the Family Stone band in 1974, he played drums for George Harrison and Ravi Shankar’s 1974 North American tour for its first month. And in 1975, he returned to session work and played drums on Gary Wright’s album, Dream Weaver.

Andy Newmark continues to perform with Carly Simon’s solo album throughout the 1970s and again in the 1990s. He also performed and recorded with John Lennon, Joe Walsh, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, George Harrison, Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Luther Vandross, Sting, and Steve Winwood, just to name a few.

Andy was the drummer on John Lennon’s last album Double Fantasy, which was released in November 1980 as well as Lennon’s sixth and final album with Yoko Ono, Milk and Honey, which was released in 1984, four years after Lennon’s murder. In 1981, he was also featured on Yoko Ono’s Season of Glass, her fifth studio album and first solo recording.

And here is Andy Newmark’s Discography:

Carly Simon

• Anticipation (1971)
• No Secrets (1972)
• Hotcakes (1974)
• Playing Possum (1975)
• Another Passenger (1976)
• This is My Life (1992)
• Letters Never Sent (1994)

Sly and the Family Stone

• Fresh (EPIC, 1973)

Badfinger

• Airwaves (1979)

James Taylor

• Gorilla (1975)

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

• Double Fantasy (1980)
• Milk and Honey (1984)

George Harrison

• Dark Horse (1974)
• Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975)
• George Harrison (1979)

Carole King

• Wrap Around Joy (1974)

Ronnie Wood

• I’ve Got My Own Album to Do (1974)
• Now Look (1975)
• Not for Beginners (2001)
• The First Barbarians: Live from Kilburn (1974 but only issued in 2007/Wooden)

David Bowie

• Young Americans (1975)

Gary Wright

• The Dream Weaver (1975)

Rickie Lee Jones

• Rickie Lee Jones (1979)

Lalo Schifrin

• Black Widow (1976) (CTI)

Gloria Gaynor

• Gloria Gaynor (1982)

Stephen Bishop

• Red Cab to Manhattan (1980)

B.B. King

• Deuces Wild (1997)

Eric Clapton

• Nothing but the Blues (1995, 2022)

George Benson

• In Concert-Carnegie Hall (1975)
• Good King Bad (1975)
• Benson & Farrell with Joe Farrell (1976)
• Pacific Fire (1983)

Bob James

• Three (1976)

Neil Larsen

• Jungle Fever (1978)

Sting

• …Nothing Like the Sun (1987)

Patti Austin

• End of a Rainbow (1976)

Murray Head

• Voice (1981)

Yoko Ono

• Season of Glass (1981)

Patrick Moraz

• The Story of I- side 2 (1976)

Hank Crawford

• Hank Crawford’s Back (1976)

Gene Parsons

• Kindling (1973)

Irene Cara

• Anyone Can See (1982)

Cheryl Lynn

• In Love (1979)

Bill LaBounty

• Bill LaBounty (1982)

Laura Nyro

• Nested (1978)

Michael Franks

• Objects of Desire (1982)
• Skin Dive (1985)

Urbie Green

• The Fox (1976)

Paul Carrack

• Nightbird (1980)
• Blue Views (1995)
• Satisfy My Soul (2001)

Joe Walsh

• You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind (1976)

Elkie Brooks

• Shooting Star (1978)

Stevie Nicks

• Rock a Little (1985)

Ron Davies

• F.O. (1973)

John Martyn

• One World (1977)

Richie Havens

• Connections (1980)

Mark Farner

• No Frills (1978)

Dan Fogelberg

• Phoenix (1979)
• Exiles (1987)

Randy Newman

• Good Old Boys (1974)
• Little Criminals (1977)
• Born Again (1979)

Mary Chapin Carpenter

• Come On Come On (1992)

David “Fathead” Newman

• Fathead (1976)

Cat Stevens

• Izitso (1977)

Roxy Music

• Flesh and Blood (1980)
• Avalon (1982)
• The High Road (1983)

ABC

• Beauty Stab (1983)

Rod Stewart

• Smiler (1974)
• Atlantic Crossing (1975)
• A Night on the Town (1976)

Carole Bayer Sager

• Carole Bayer Sager (1977)

Pink Floyd

• The Final Cut (1983)

With Roger Waters

• The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984)

With Michael Bolton

• Michael Bolotin (1975)

With Judie Tzuke

• The Cat Is Out (1985)
• Under the Angels (1996)
• Secret Agent (1998)

David Gilmour

• On an Island (2006)
• Rattle That Lock (2015)

Bryan Ferry

• Boys and Girls (1985)
• Bête Noire (1987)
• Taxi (1993)
• As Time Goes By (1999)
• Frantic (2002)
• Dylanesque (2007)
• Olympia (2010)
• Avonmore (2014)

 

Now let’s watch Andy Newmark play!

Dance to the Music with Sly and the Family Stone live (1974)

 

Here’s Andy Newmark in Crotch Music live in Kilburn with Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, Willie Weeks, and Ian McLagen (1974)

 

Take a Look at the Guy live in Kilburn (1974)

 

My Only Love live with Roxy Music (1982)

 

Don’t Shed a Tear with Paul Carrack live in NYC (1988)

 
 
Andy Newmark is still an active drummer today. He has been a member of Rocky and the Natives since 2011, a Kent, UK-based band.
 

Here’s something from 2021, Side Trip

 

With other legends: Mark Mondesir, Andy Newmark, Peter Erskine, Charlie Watts, Steve White

I guess this will be it for now, I hope you enjoy our article today! Thank you and see you on my next blog!