1. Steven Bookvich known as Muruga Booker was born on December 27,1942 and is an American drummer, composer, inventor, artist, recording artist, and an autonomous Eastern Orthodox priest.
22 Facts About Muruga Booker
1. 2.
Muruga Booker's father, Melvin Bookvich, was a shoemaker who played accordion.
3.
Muruga Booker is married to Patti, aka Shakti, and they have a daughter named Rani, and a son named Aaron from a previous marriage.
4.
Muruga Booker previously lived in Detroit, New York City and Oakland, California.
5.
Muruga Booker first played the accordion before taking up drums as a preteen.
6.
Muruga Booker studied drums under Misha Bichkoff, a Russian music teacher.
7.
Muruga Booker shared the bill at venues like Detroit's Eastown Theatre and Grande Ballroom with Ted Nugent, Traffic, Jack Bruce, Mose Allison, Sam Lay, Jimmy Reed and many others.
8.
In 1964 and 1965, Muruga Booker played and recorded with the psychedelic folk rock band The Spike Drivers, and they recorded several songs including Can't Stand The Pain and I'm So Glad.
9.
In January 1970, Muruga Booker played several songs with John Lee Hooker on a TV show called Detroit Tube Works, which was syndicated and aired on TV stations all over the United States.
10.
In 1971, Muruga Booker met Darius Brubeck, the son of jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, and along with clarinetist Perry Robinson they formed the electronic experimental trio MBR.
11.
In 1973, Muruga Booker joined the Darius Brubeck Ensemble, along with Perry Robinson.
12.
Muruga Booker toured as part of the Darius Brubeck Ensemble, along with Perry Robinson, and opened up for, and played alongside the quartet, which gave him the opportunity to play with Dave Brubeck, as well as alongside Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond and Alan Dawson.
13.
Muruga Booker performed and toured with the band at many high-profile concerts, including an appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
14.
Muruga Booker continues to work with George Clinton and play with the P-Funk All Stars as his schedule allows.
15.
In 2004, Muruga Booker formed the band Free Funk, featuring P-Funk All-Star rapper Louie "Babblin'" Kabbabie and George Clinton's son Tracey Lewis.
16.
In October 2009, Muruga Booker recorded what would become James Gurley's final recording projects, at his studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
17.
Muruga Booker has been the recipient of a total of six Detroit Music Awards.
18.
Muruga Booker appeared on the Paul Winter Consort's Something in the Wind in 1968, and recorded a meditation record with Swami Satchidananda in 1969.
19.
Muruga Booker's band, Muruga Booker and the Soda Jerks, were produced by George Clinton, and he recorded with George Clinton, Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, and the P-Funk All Stars on many projects, and he is a lifetime member of the P-Funk Family.
20.
In mid-1985 his band Muruga Booker UFM recorded Terroristic Activities 1990 and Rock the Planet 1993.
21.
That same year, Muruga Booker joined Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia to record the Grammy-nominated album Blues From the Rainforest, and their live CDs Save the Planet So We'll Have Someplace to Boogie and Fiesta Amazonica.
22.
Muruga Booker joined Babatunde Olatunji and Sikiru Adepoju to record the CD Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations 1993, which was later remixed in surround sound and distributed on Chesky Records as Circle of Drums in 2005.