“One thing is very clear to me – just because we are called ‘drummers’ it doesn’t mean that groove is solely our responsibility. It also comes from the arrangement, the other instruments and the singer – in fact, the singer in many cases really can make, or break, the groove and feel of a song. As drummers, we are there to hold everything together, to add colour within the framework of the arrangement, and it was only later in my career that I came to realise that we are truly the last link in the chain when it comes to groove and feel.
“Knowing what a song needs comes from hours and hours of listening to the masters – Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Al Jackson Jr., Benny Benjamin, Roger Hawkins, John ‘Jabo’ Starks, to name but a few... All those guys that influenced hearing when I play, and I’ll never forget how they made me feel every time I heard them.
“But, I can’t talk about groove without also mentioning two of my dearest friends, Ringo [Starr] and Charlie [Watts]. Geez – when you think of the feel on all of those songs! And, of course, Jeff Porcaro, who was truly like my little brother and taken from us way too soon.
“You can imagine the amount of records I have played on over the years, but the ones that I enjoy listening to the most are the ones where the other in good around them. I love being knocked out by songs and performances – that’s the key for me. So if you really listen to what everyone around you is playing, you’ll know what to play or what not to play. And, hopefully, make it feel good.”
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