Mike Kowalski
Encyclopedia
Mike Kowalski is a percussionist
and musicologist
. He is best known as one of the former drummer
s from the rock
band The Beach Boys
. He and saxophonist Joel C. Peskin recorded as The Backsters in 1984.
. He started singing and playing piano at the age of three. His first professional engagement was playing the piano, with Mel Torme
on drums, for a television pilot at the age of five. At age ten, he was given a set of Slingerland Radio-King drums by Dragnet
actor Jack Webb
.
At the age of fifteen, he was playing drums professionally with various local rock and rhythm and blues
bands. He performed both on stage and on screen as his family was affiliated with the film
and television
industries. By age nineteen he was playing drums with, L.A.
based singers, Pat and Lolly Vegas, whom later formed the pop
group Redbone
. Also during this time Kowalski performed and recorded with Sonny & Cher
, Little Anthony & the Imperials
, and Etta James
.
In 1968 Kowalski was asked to join Ed Carter's band The New Nadir, with Gary Thain
on bass The New Nadir was a blues trio based in London, England, and played the London circuit . The band was signed to Witchseason Productions
.
It was also in 1968 that Kowalski met and first worked with saxophonist
Joel C. Peskin.
In between touring with the Beach Boys Kowalski performed and recorded with, among others; blues guitarist Albert Collins
, Johnny Otis
, jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd, Big Joe Turner
, John Mayall
and Charlie Musselwhite
.
In 1984 Kowalski collaborated with Joel Peskin to create The Backsters. They were signed to A & M Records with Herb Alpert
as executive producer
. Their album, entitled Get on Your Back, featured many seasoned jazz and blues players. Released in early 1985, their first single was "Handclappin".
. Acts Kowalski has played with include:
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and musicologist
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
. He is best known as one of the former drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
s from the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. He and saxophonist Joel C. Peskin recorded as The Backsters in 1984.
Early career
Mike Kowalski was born in Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He started singing and playing piano at the age of three. His first professional engagement was playing the piano, with Mel Torme
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
on drums, for a television pilot at the age of five. At age ten, he was given a set of Slingerland Radio-King drums by Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
actor Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
.
At the age of fifteen, he was playing drums professionally with various local rock and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
bands. He performed both on stage and on screen as his family was affiliated with the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
industries. By age nineteen he was playing drums with, L.A.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
based singers, Pat and Lolly Vegas, whom later formed the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group Redbone
Redbone (band)
Redbone is a Native American rock group that was most active in the 1970s. They reached the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 with the million-selling gold-certified single, "Come and Get Your Love".-History:...
. Also during this time Kowalski performed and recorded with Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
, Little Anthony & the Imperials
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott...
, and Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
.
In 1968 Kowalski was asked to join Ed Carter's band The New Nadir, with Gary Thain
Gary Thain
Gary Mervin Thain was a rock bassist, best known for his work with British band, Uriah Heep.-Biography:Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thain was part of the rock trio The New Nadir, and with the drummer Peter Dawkins, he travelled from New Zealand to London, and once jammed with Jimi Hendrix...
on bass The New Nadir was a blues trio based in London, England, and played the London circuit . The band was signed to Witchseason Productions
Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
.
The Beach Boys and The Backsters
Later in 1968 Kowalski joined the Beach Boys, playing percussion for the band. He was their main drummer, following the death of Dennis Wilson, from 1983–2007. Kowalski parted ways with the Beach Boys in September 2007.It was also in 1968 that Kowalski met and first worked with saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Joel C. Peskin.
In between touring with the Beach Boys Kowalski performed and recorded with, among others; blues guitarist Albert Collins
Albert Collins
Albert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
, Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
, jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd, Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
, John Mayall
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
and Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
.
In 1984 Kowalski collaborated with Joel Peskin to create The Backsters. They were signed to A & M Records with Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. Their album, entitled Get on Your Back, featured many seasoned jazz and blues players. Released in early 1985, their first single was "Handclappin".
Other bands and performers
Kowalski has played with numerous bands and performers; both as a member of the group and as a session musicianSession musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. Acts Kowalski has played with include:
| Joe Houston Joe Houston Joe Houston is an American tenor saxophonist who played jazz and rhythm and blues.-Biography:... |
Shuggie Otis Shuggie Otis Shuggie Otis is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist.... |
Jim O'Keefe | ||||
| Nino Tempo Nino Tempo Nino Tempo is an American musician, singer, and actor.A musical prodigy, Nino Tempo learned to play the clarinet and the tenor saxophone as a child. He was a talent show winner at four years of age and appeared on television with Benny Goodman at seven... |
Nick Drake Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone... |
Billy Hinsche Billy Hinsche William "Billy" Hinsche is an American musician who was part of the singing group Dino, Desi, & Billy. He has also provided backing vocals for Warren Zevon and toured with The Beach Boys. His sister, Annie Hinsche-Wilson-Karges, was married to the group's guitarist, Carl Wilson.- External links... |
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| Roger McGuinn Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records... |
Barry Mann Barry Mann Barry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:... |
Jon Laughton | ||||
| Brian Wilson Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group... |
Bumps Blackwell | Adrian Baker Adrian Baker Adrian Baker is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer.-Career:Baker made his debut as a singer on Magnet Records/Epic Records in the United Kingdom. In 1975, he released his first solo album, Into a Dream... |
||||
| Mark Andes Mark Andes Mark Andes is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal.-Early life:... |
John Martyn John Martyn John Martyn, OBE , born Iain David McGeachy, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a forty-year career he released twenty studio albums, working with artists such as Eric Clapton and David Gilmour... and Beverley Martyn Beverley Martyn Beverley Martyn is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.While still a student, she was picked to front The Levee Breakers, a jug band who played the folk circuit in South East England... |
Don Peake | ||||
| Gene Vincent Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly... |
Crazy Horse Crazy Horse (band) Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for its association with Neil Young. It has been co-credited on a number of albums throughout Young's career and has released five albums of its own.-Early years:... |
Hank Marr Hank Marr Hank Marr was a soul jazz and hard bop Hammond B3 organist and pianist born in Columbus, Ohio, probably best known for his many albums recorded under his own name for the Double-time record label.... |
||||
| Eddie Cleanhead Vinson | Captain and Tennille | Ernie Knapp | ||||
| Marie Adams | Joe Boyd Joe Boyd Joe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:... |
Bobby Figueroa | ||||
| Bruce Johnston Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a songwriter, remembered especially for composing "I Write the Songs". Johnston was not one of the original members of the band... |
Leon Russell Leon Russell Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music.... |
Mike Meros Mike Meros Mike Meros played keyboards for the Beach Boys touring band from 1979 until July 4, 2001.Meros hailed from the Brooklyn Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland... |
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| Chris Farmer | Lance Carson | Steve Douglas Steve Douglas Steve Douglas may refer to:*Steve Douglas , American saxophonist, flautist and clarinetist*Steve Douglas , late-night radio personality from Denver, Colorado... |
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| Mike Ley | George Whitsell | Gary Griffin Gary Griffin Gary Griffin, is an American theater director. Griffin grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where he graduated from East High School in 1978. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he performed in several musicals and directed "Hello Dolly" for their Summer Theatre program... |
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| The Incredible String Band | The Dragons | Elliot Ingber | ||||
| Tay Uhler AKA Eddie Sapien | John Marx | Domenic Genova | ||||
| Chris Mancini | Gary Chang | Clark Garman | ||||
| Darrol Schexnader | Carl Radle | Rod Armstrong | ||||
| Scott Engel with The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds... |
Stu Hoffman | Dean Torrance | ||||
Discography
- Pat and Lolly Vegas at the Haunted House (1965) - Pat and Lolly Vegas
- Louisiana Fog (1968) - Charlie Musselwhite
- Live in LondonLive in London (The Beach Boys)Live in London is a live album by The Beach Boys, initially released by EMI in the UK in May 1970, and in the US via Capitol Records on November 15, 1976.-Background:...
(1969) - The Beach Boys - Bryter LayterBryter LayterBryter Layter, recorded in 1970, was the second of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake. Like Five Leaves Left, the album contains no unaccompanied songs: Drake was accompanied by part of the British folk rock group Fairport Convention and John Cale from The Velvet Underground, as well...
(1970) - Nick Drake - Freedom Flight (1971) - Shuggie Otis
- Surf's Up (1971) - The Beach Boys
- The Beach Boys in ConcertThe Beach Boys in ConcertThe Beach Boys in Concert is the second live album officially released in the U.S. by The Beach Boys, nine years after Beach Boys Concert . Released in late 1973, the set proved to be a healthy seller in the U...
(1973) - The Beach Boys - M.I.U. AlbumM.I.U. AlbumM.I.U. Album is the 22nd studio album by The Beach Boys, released in 1978. Recorded at a fraught time for the band, only Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Brian Wilson appear throughout the album. Carl and Dennis Wilson are audible on only a few of the songs....
(1978) - The Beach Boys - Weavings (1978) - Charles LloydCharles LloydCharles Lloyd is an American jazz musician. Though he primarily plays tenor saxophone and flute, he has also occasionally recorded on alto saxophone and more exotic reed instruments which include the Hungarian tárogató. Lloyd's saxophone playing is often characterized as an individualized,...
- Get On Your Back (1984) - The Backsters
- Still Cruisin'Still Cruisin'-Singles:* "Kokomo" b/w "Tutti Frutti" , July 18, 1988 US #1; UK #25* "Still Cruisin' " b/w "Kokomo" , August 7, 1989 US #93* "Somewhere Near Japan" b/w "Kokomo" , January 1990...
(1989) - The Beach Boys - Live & Jumpin (1997) - The Backsters
- Symphonic Sounds: Music of the Beach Boys (1998) - Royal Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
- Garden StateGarden State (film)Garden State is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff, with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sir Ian Holm. The film centers on Andrew Largeman , a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey after his mother dies...
(2004) - Movie, Various Artists
External links
- Mike Kowalski "Beat Beat Man" official website
- The Backsters official website
- Kowalski interviewed by Classic Drummer Magazine