21 Facts About Steve Gadd

1.

Stephen Kendall Gadd was born on April 9,1945 and is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician.

2.

Steve Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1984.

3.

Steve Gadd started playing the drums at a very early age.

4.

Steve Gadd graduated from Eastridge High School, then attended the Eastman School of Music, graduating in 1968.

5.

Steve Gadd was then drafted into the United States Army, where he served the next three years playing drums in the United States Army Field Band stationed at Ft.

6.

In 1968, Steve Gadd made his first studio recording on Gap Mangione's album Diana in the Autumn Wind.

7.

In 1973, Steve Gadd formed the short-lived jazz fusion band L'Image with Mike Mainieri, Warren Bernhardt, David Spinozza and Tony Levin.

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8.

Steve Gadd played drums on the title track of Steely Dan's 1977 jazz-rock album Aja; the drum solo he played at the end of the song has become "the stuff of legend", according to a 2019 Jazziz article, with its "explosive tom-tom runs and crisp cymbal grooves".

9.

Steve Gadd was a member of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet from its founding in 1983 until he left in 1987, replaced by Dave Weckl, although he has reunited with the group several times since then.

10.

Steve Gadd toured the entire year of 1991 with Paul Simon.

11.

In 2009, Steve Gadd returned to Clapton's band to play 11 nights at the Royal Albert Hall and was part of Clapton's touring band throughout May 2009.

12.

Also in 2009, Steve Gadd reunited with L'Image, and the group performed at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, toured Japan and Europe, and released the album L'Image 2.0.

13.

Since 2014, Steve Gadd has played in a soul-jazz trio "Blicher Hemmer Steve Gadd" with Danish 4 times Danish Grammy winner Michael Blicher and Dan Hemmer.

14.

Steve Gadd's influences included Buddy Rich, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, and the "less is more" style of Rick Marotta.

15.

Steve Gadd endorses and uses Yamaha drums, pedals and hardware, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, Latin Percussion, Earthworks microphones, Vic Firth sticks and brushes and Beato bags.

16.

Steve Gadd uses his 14"x5.5" Yamaha Steve Gadd signature steel snare drum with wood hoops, which comes in birch and maple versions, and he has started to endorse the newer Yamaha Recording Custom series.

17.

Steve Gadd has used a Yamaha Club Custom drum kit in a blue swirl finish.

18.

Steve Gadd has Vic Firth sticks with his signature on them.

19.

Steve Gadd uses a variety of Remo heads: a Coated Powerstroke 3 on the batter side of the snare with a Hazy Diplomat on the resonant side of the snare, Clear Pinstripes or Coated Ambassadors on the batter sides of toms, and Clear Ambassadors for the resonant sides.

20.

Steve Gadd is using a Coated Powerstroke 3 both on his snare and kick drum.

21.

Steve Gadd has an LP Steve Gadd signature cowbell, modelled on the LP Mambo cowbell that he has used since the 1970s.