Zoro
Zoro—the man with the hat…
Zoro the drummer has made his mark onstage with acts like Earth Wind and Fire, Vanessa Paradis, and Lenny Kravitz. Add in Jodi Watley, Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons, Bobby Brown, The New Edition, Sean Lennon, and Lisa Marie Presley, and you get a clear picture of career spent at the top of the music industry. Zoro is one of the elite….and he’s done it all under his trademark black hat.
There’s more, though. Zoro the teacher gives lessons, conducts drum clinics, appears at drum festivals, and is in constant demand as a motivational speaker. His recent book, The Big Gig, an inspirational career manual for musicians, is acclaimed as an important read for anyone interested in self-improvement, musician or not.
Zoro the humanitarian, a man of deep Christian faith who has worked extensively with Compassion International, helping children to rise above poverty in dangerous conditions worldwide.
And here with us also is Zoro the musicologist and R&B historian. When it comes to R&B drumming, Zoro wrote the book—literally: his four-volume set, The Commandments of R&B Drumming, is unique. It combines instruction and notation with a play-along CD, a fascinating and authoritative history of R&B drumming, AND…discographies and lists of music to look for, curated from his own massive collection.
Listen to the Zoro Podcast
Playlist
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover — Paul Simon
Album: Still Crazy After All These Years, 1975
Steve Gadd, Drums
Turn On Your Lovelight — Bobby Blue Bland
Single; 1961
John “Jabo” Starks, Drums
Rock Steady — Aretha Franklin
Album: Young, Gifted and Black, 1971
Bernard Purdie, Drums
Cissy Strut — The Meters
Album: The Meters, 1969
Ziggy Modeliste, Drums
Rosanna — Toto
Album: Toto IV, 1982
Jeff Porcaro, Drums
Keep a’ Knockin’ — Little Richard
Single; 1957
Charles Connor, Drums
Rock and Roll — Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin IV, 1972
John Bonham, Drums
Funky Drummer — James Brown
Single; 1969
Clyde Stubblefield, Drums
Use Me — Bill Withers
Album: Still Bill, 1972
James Gadson, Drums
Superstition — Stevie Wonder
Album: Songs in the Key of Life, 1972
Stevie Wonder, Drums
