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Steve Gadd was born in
Rochester, New York, April 9, 1945. Steve's Uncle, a
drummer in the army, encouraged him to take drum lessons
at the age of seven; by the time Steve was 11 he had sat
in with Dizzy Gillespie. Studied music at Eastman
College, Rochester, playing in wind ensemble and concert
band, and at nights in a club with Chick Corea, Chuck
Mangione, Joe Romano and Frank Pullara. After college,
drafted into army and spent three years in a military
band. After the army, gigged and worked with a big band
in Rochester. 1972, formed a trio with Tony Levin and
Mike Holmes, going to New York with it. The trio fizzled
out, but Gadd began to work extensively as a studio
musician. He also played with Corea's first Return to
Forever. 1970's and 1980's, toured internationally,
recorded with Paul Simon and with Al DiMeola's Electric
Rendezvous Band. By the end of the 1970's Gadd was the
most in-demand and probably the most imitated drummer in
the world. In Japan transcriptions of his solos were on
sale, and all the leading Japanese drummers were sounding
like him. Chick Corea commented, "Every drummer
wants to play like Gadd because he plays perfect . . . He
has brought orchestral and compositional thinking to the
drum kit while at the same time having a great
imagination and a great ability to swing." Gadd's
favorites are Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Jack
DeJohnette, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, among others.
With many singers, including Aretha Franklin, Stevie
Wonder, Barbra Striesand, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon;
with Corea, Three Quartets (1981), Warner Bros; My
Spanish Heart (1976); Friends (1978); The Mad Hatter
(1978), all Polydor; with George Benson, In Concert
(1975), CTI; with Stuff, Stuff (nda), Warner Bros; with
DiMeola, Electric Rendezvous 1982), Columbia; with Carla
Bley, Dinner Music (1976).
More Bio info
Steve grew up in Rochester, where he and his brother
tap-danced at a small club, and where he played with
local musicians and bands that passed through. He studied
privately with Bill and Stanley Street; later with John
Beck. He attended the Manhattan School of Music for two
years, then transferred to the Eastman School of Music in
Rochester. After finishing school, he played in Rochester
with Chuck Mangione. In [the late] 1960's, he went into
the Army for three years. He came to New York in 1971 and
quickly became one of the most sought after studio
musicians in town. Steve, a musician who "doesn't
believe in labels," has recorded with artists of all
styles and genres, among them Paul Simon, Carly Simon,
Phoebe Snow, Steely Dan, Ashford and Simpson, Aretha
Franklin, Judy Collins, Bette Midler, James Brown, Joe
Cocker, Nancy Wilson, Bob James, and Chick Corea. Until
the late 1970's, he remained almost exclusively a session
player, appearing briefly with Chick Corea, Mike
Mainieri, Herbie Mann, and several others. In 1976 he
became a member of the group Stuff with Gordon Edwards,
Richard Tee, Eric Gale, Cornell Dupree, and Chris Parker,
while continuing his heavy schedule of studio work.
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