Rock and Roll
Billy Amendola is the Editor At Large for Modern Drummer magazine whose background as a musician makes him perfect for the job! His passion for music began at an early age and by the time he began working for the magazine in 1997, Billy was already a seasoned studio musician and founding member of...
Don Cromwell realized music was his passion when was playing in bands with his friends at a young age. His sophomore year of high school he switched from guitar to bass and never looked back. After graduating high school and attending college, Don started playing with better musicians and started...
Mutter Slater played harmonica, flute and sang as a member of the influential British band Stackridge beginning in 1970s. Although often categorized as a progressive rock band, their sound included themes of folk, the blues and psychedelic rock. Among the bands successful albums were their self-...
Tony Ferguson has had an amazing career in music! He began playing guitar at a young age growing up in England, touring with bands such as Unit 4 + 2 and Christie before switching to the record industry as a producer, manager and as Artist & Repertoire (A&R) for over 20 years. While working...
Jerry Greenberg began his long and successful musical career in 1957 when his band Jerry Green and the Passengers began recording. Within a few years he had established Seaboard Distributions to provide a way to promote recordings to radio stations and record stores. While working in the recording...
Jerry Blavat was a DJ and radio broadcaster with a lot of energy! Also known as “The Geator with the Heater” and “The Big Boss with the Hot Sauce,” Jerry started his career on the original American Bandstand TV Show in the 1950s. He became the road manager for Danny and the Juniors, allowing him to...
Chad Smith developed a great sense of rhythm at an early age and attributes that to having music constantly surrounding him. He was in love with the musician’s lifestyle and knew that he wanted to make drumming a career. After putting in the work playing clubs six nights a week and playing in...
András Simonyi grew up listening to traditional Yiddish and Hungarian folk music, but his true love was rock and roll music. This became a lifeline for him growing up behind the iron curtain and helped him feel less isolated. Mr. Simonyi became an economist and later an ambassador for Hungry which...
Steve Miller led a popular rock band beginning in the 1960s with a string of hit songs, most of which he wrote. His passion for music began at a very young age. Did you know Les Paul was his godfather? The Steve Miller Band was formed in San Francisco in 1966 and went on to record some 25 albums (...
Benmont Tench was drawn to music at an early age playing piano and being interested in composing and songwriting. He would frequent local music stores and check out all the new instruments. During one of his music store visits he encountered a group of older cool kids, who worked there, one of them...