One of the most influential
drummers of all time, Steve Gadd
set a new standard in contemporary
drumming techniques and
performance, and in doing so
launched a thousand imitators. 

Recording so many legendary
drum tracks like; " Aja"," Fifty
Ways to Leave Your Lover"
and "Nite Sprite", there is no
drummer alive today who in 

some way has not been effected
by Steve Gadd. His influence is still
very much felt and can be heard
in the playing of everyone from
Vinnie Colaiuta to Carter Beauford.
And still to this day there is no
one who can get "inside" a tune
and find the "pocket" quite
like the great
Steve Gadd.

Stephen Kendall Gadd
was born April 9, 1945
in Rochester, NY.

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.
Healso 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."

After graduating from
Eastman, Steve was drafted
into the Army. While carrying
out his three-year tour
of duty, Steve ended up playing
drums in the military band. After
leaving the Army, Steve began
gigging with a big band in the
Rochester area and in 1972,
formed a trio with Tony Levin
and Mike Holmes. It was after
relocating to New York City
that Steve became one
of the most sought after studio
musicians in town. It was as a
studio musician that Steve came
into his own and worked with
such musicians as Chick
Corea, Paul Simon, Donald
Fagen and Walter Becker,
Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, 
Bob James,  Nancy Wilson
and Joe Cocker
to name a few.

In the 70's and 80's, Steve Cut
five albums with Chick Corea,
several albums with Al DiMeola
including Al's Electric Rendezvous,
and recorded and toured
with Gato Barbieri, George
Benson, Stanley Clarke, Steely Dan,
Joe Cocker, Maynard Ferguson,
Roberta Flack, Jim Hall
and of course,
Paul Simon.

In 1976 Steve 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. Towards
the end of the 70's, Steve had
not only become one of the
most in-demand drummers,
but he had also become
one of the most imitated, 

and revered drummers in the
world. The 90's saw Steve
become Eric Clapton's first
call drummer, solidifying
Steve's reputation as
one of the most accomplished
and skilled drummers
of his generation.

Today Steve is just as busy 

as he ever was with one of the
most intense recording and touring
schedules in the business, spending
time in the studio and on the
road with Eric Clapton,
 James Taylor, and
his own group;
STEVE GADD BAND.

Steve's influence on the
drumming community can
be heard in players from
all walks of life, whether
they know it or not.
His feel, imagination,
and abilities are the
signatures of his
trademark sound. Few
others can manage
to get inside a tune
like Steve Gadd."

As Steve Gadd Band

• Gaddabout (1984)
• Gadditude (2013)
• 70 Strong (2015)
• Way Back Home (Live from Rochester, NY) (2016)
• Steve Gadd Band (2018)

As Steve Gadd & Friends

• Live at Voce – Deluxe Edition (2010) [BFM Jazz]

As Steve Gadd/ with the Gadd Gang

• Gadd About (1984)
• The Gadd Gang (1986)
• Pigs and Wizards (1987)
• Here & Now (1988)
• Live at Bottom Line (1988)
• Gadd Gang (1991)

With Stuff

• Stuff (1976)
• Stuff It (1978)
• Live Stuff (1978)
• Live in New York (1980)
• East (1981)
• Best Stuff (1981)

With Patti Austin

• End of a Rainbow (CTI, 1976)

With B.B. King

• Riding with the King

With Charles Mingus

• Me, Myself An Eye [1]

With Chick Corea

• My Spanish Heart
• Friends
• Three Quartets
• The Leprechaun
• The Mad Hatter
• Rendezvous in New York
• The Ultimate Adventure
• Super Trio (2006) - with Chick Corea and Christian McBride
• (the unreleased version of Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy)
• Chinese Butterfly (2018)

With Hank Crawford

• I Hear a Symphony (Kudu, 1975)
• Hank Crawford's Back (Kudu, 1976)

With Steely Dan

• Aja on (title track)
• Gaucho on ("Glamour Profession", "My Rival", "Third World Man", and percussion on "Hey Nineteen")

With Simon and Garfunkel

• The Concert in Central Park

With The Manhattan Transfer

• Mecca for Moderns
• Pastiche

With Warren Bernhardt

• Manhattan Update (1980)

With Paul Simon

• One-Trick Pony
• Still Crazy After All These Years (track "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover")
• Hearts and Bones
• You're the One
• Paul Simon's Concert in the Park, August 15, 1991
• Surprise
• Late in the Evening

With Steps

• Smokin' in the Pit
• Step by Step

With Tony Banks

• The Fugitive (1983) (tracks "Man of Spells", "And the Wheels Keep Turning", "By You", and "Sometime Never")

With George Benson

• Absolute Benson
• Bad Benson
• Pacific Fire
• GB
• In Your Eyes
• Livin' Inside Your Love
• Good King Bad (CTI, 1975)
• In Concert-Carnegie Hall (CTI, 1975)

With Grover Washington, Jr.

• Winelight (Elektra/Asylum, 1980)
• Come Morning (Elektra/Asylum, 1980)
• Grover Washington, Jr. in Concert (View Video DVD, 1981)
• Inside Moves (Elektra, 1984)
• A House Full of Love (Columbia, 1986)

With The Gaddabouts

• The Gaddabouts (2011)
• Look Out Now! (2012)

With Eric Clapton

• Live at Hyde Park (DVD)
• Pilgrim
• Reptile
• Riding with the King
• One More Car, One More Rider
• Me and Mr. Johnson
• Sessions for Robert J.
• Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004
• Back Home
• Clapton Chronicles
• Old Sock

With James Brown

• Black Caesar

With Art Farmer

• Crawl Space (CTI, 1977)
• Big Blues (CTI, 1978) with Jim Hall
• Yama with Joe Henderson (CTI, 1979)

With Johnny Hammond

• Higher Ground (Kudu, 1973)

With Milt Jackson

• Goodbye (CTI, 1973)

With Hubert Laws

• In the Beginning (CTI, 1974)
• The Chicago Theme (CTI, 1974)

With Yusef Lateef

• In a Temple Garden (CTI, 1979)

With Jackie and Roy

• A Wilder Alias (CTI, 1973)

With Al Jarreau

• This Time (1980)
• Breakin' Away (1981)
• Jarreau (1983)
• Tenderness (1994)

With Rickie Lee Jones

• Rickie Lee Jones
• Pirates
• Magazine

With 10cc

• Windows in the Jungle

With Paul McCartney

• Tug of War
• Pipes of Peace

With Chuck Mangione

• The Hat's Back, 1994
• The Boys from Rochester, 1989
• Disguise, 1984
• Tarantella, 1980
• Main Squeeze, 1976
• Land of Make Believe, 1973
• Alive, 1972
• Together, 1971
• Friends and Love, 1970

With Gap Mangione

• Family Holidays, 2004
• Stolen Moments, 2003
• Planet Gap, 1998
• Gap Mangione!, 1976
• She and I, 1974
• Sing Along Junk, 1972
• Diana in the Autumn Wind, 1968

With Herbie Mann

• First Light (Atlantic, 1974) as The Family of Mann
• Discothèque (Atlantic, 1975)
• Waterbed (Atlantic, 1975)
• Surprises (Atlantic, 1976)
• Gagaku & Beyond (Finnadar/Atlantic, 1974 [1976])

With Michel Petrucciani

• Trio in Tokyo
• Both Worlds

With Al Di Meola

• Land of the Midnight Sun, 1976 (track "The Wizard")
• Elegant Gypsy, 1977 (tracks "Flight Over Rio" & "Elegant Gypsy Suite")
• Casino, 1978
• Splendido Hotel, 1980 (tracks "Roller Jubilee" & "Spanish Eyes")
• Electric Rendezvous, 1982
• Tour De Force – Live, 1982
• Orange and Blue, 1994 (tracks "Theme of the Mothership" & "Casmir")
• Consequence of Chaos, 2006

With Lee Ritenour

• Feel the Night, 1979
• The Captain's Journey,1978
• Friendship, 1979

With Dave Grusin

• Out of the Shadows, 1982

With Bob James

• BJ4 (1977)
• Heads (1978)
• Touchdown (1978)
• Lucky Seven (1979) (Tracks "Rush Hour" and "Blue Lick")

With Michel Jonasz

• Michel Jonasz au Zénith (1993)
• Où vont les rêves (2002)

With Sunlightsquare

• Urban Sessions (2006)

With Weather Report

• Mr Gone (1978) (Tracks "Young and Fine" and "And Then")

With Funk Factory

• Funk Factory (1975) (Tracks "Watusi Dance", "Rien Ne Va Plus", "Funk It" and "Lilliput")

With Lalo Schifrin

• Towering Toccata (CTI, 1976)

With Jeremy Steig

• Firefly (CTI, 1977)
• Rain Forest (CMP, 1980) with Eddie Gómez

With James Taylor

• New Moon Shine, 1991
• October Road, 2002[2]
• James Taylor: A Christmas Album, 2006[2]
• Covers, 2008
• Other Covers, 2009
• Before This World, 2015

With Art Garfunkel

• Some Enchanted Evening, 2007[2]
• Songs from a Parent to a Child, 1997[2]
• Fate for Breakfast

With L'Image

• L'Image 2.0, 2009

With Lesley Meguid

• The Truth About Love Songs, 2010

With Chet Baker

• She Was Too Good to Me, 1974
• Autumn Leaves
• Studio Trieste, (CTI 9007, 1982)

With Don Sebesky

• The Rape of El Morro (CTI, 1975)

With Masahiko Satoh

• Amorphism, 1985

With Kate Bush

• Director's Cut, 2011
• 50 Words for Snow, 2011

With Cedar Walton

• Mobius (RCA, 1975)

With Richard Tee

• Inside You (Columbia, 1989)

With Mike Porcaro

• Brotherly Love (2011) (Tracks "Rosanna", "Manic Depression", "Georgy Porgy", "Lowdown", "E Minor Shuffle", "Human Nature", "Africa", "Let's Stay Together", "Stuffy", "Jeff's Strut" and "Corbitt Van Brauer")

With Gato Barbieri

• "Ruby, Ruby", (A&M, 1977) (Track "Sunrise")

With Dr. John

• "City Lights" (A&M, 1978)

DR. STEVE GADD

 

LP PERCUSSION
1 x LP SG Cowbell
or LP Mambo Bell
(Model #LP229SG)
1 X Cowbell Holder
To BD

 

REMO HEADS

BASS DRUM;
Ambassador on
the beater side.
Bass drum must
have a ported
front head.
All other drums
are fitted with white
coated Ambassador
drum heads on top
and clear
Ambassador heads
on the bottom.


VIC  FIRTH STICKS
SG - Signature Sticks
SG - Signature Brushes

​
 

YAMAHA
RECORDING CUSTOM
BLACK FINISH:

1 - Bass Drum
20" x 16" RBB2016 
*w/Lifter & Internal 

Muffle Pillow

1 - 10" x 7.5"-
RBT1007
1 - 12" X 8"-
RBT1208
1 - Floor Tom-
14" x 13" RBF1413
1 - Floor Tom-
16" x 15" RBF1615

 

YAMAHA HARDWARE:
5 X Cymbal Stands-
CS755 or CS-745
2 XSnare Drum Stand-
 SS-950
1 X HH Stand w/Clutch-
HS1200D
or HS-1000 (2 leg)
1 X Double Foot Pedals-
DFP9500C or DFP-9310
1 X Drum School-
DS-840
(3 leg-round top)
2 X Double Tom Holder
To BD- WS-904

​
 

ZILDJIAN CYMBALS:
1 X 16" K Custom
Session Crash
1 x 18" K Custom 

Session Crash
1 x 18" K Dark
Crash Thin
1 x 18" K Custom
Session Ride
1 x 14" K Custom
Session Hi Hats

​

https://www.drstevegadd.com