Gary Wallis

For the former VFL player, see Gary Wallis (footballer).

Gary Wallis
Born	June 10, 1964 (1964-06-10) Westminster, London, UK
Genres	Rock, pop
Occupations	Drummer, percussionist, drum programmer, musical director, producer
Instruments	Drums, percussion, keyboard
Years active	1984-present
Associated acts	Pink Floyd Il Divo Nik Kershaw Schiller Spinal Tap Jean Michel Jarre The Style Council 10cc Mike + The Mechanics Girls Aloud Atomic Kitten Westlife Power Station
Notable instruments
Drums, percussion

Gary Wallis (born June 10, 1964, in Westminster, London) is a renowned British drummer/percussionist, drum programmer, producer and musical director.

Early Career

As a young drummer/percussionist he worked with a number of prominent artists and bands, including the British Mod/R&B band, The Truth, Style Council, Chris Farlowe, as well as The Krew, the backing band for Nik Kershaw (Riddle and Radio Musicola tours).

Career Highlights

At age 19, Wallis was invited by David Bowie to perform as a percussionist at the Live Aid concert at JFK Stadium, with Robert Palmer and Power Station, as well as Duran Duran. Gary Wallis has since worked with some of the top names in the music industry, including Pink Floyd, 10cc, Il Divo, Westlife, Girls Aloud, Atomic Kitten, Paul Carrack, Paul McCartney, Dusty Springfield, Bonnie Tyler, Mike Rutherford, Mike and the Mechanics, Tom Jones, and Schiller, among others.

In December 1991, Wallis performed at the Amnesty International 30th Anniversary Concert, as part of a band directed by David Gilmour. At the performance, the band backed Tom Jones and Spinal Tap, the "fictional" heavy metal band. Spinal Tap is known for its succession of drummers who "they claim died under odd circumstances", and Wallis was shown "exploding" at the end of the performance. The following year, he performed alongside Gilmour and other Pink Floyd band members at the Chelsea Arts Ball.

In 1993, Gary Wallis toured as a drummer with 10cc, alongside band members Eric Stewart (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Graham Gouldman (vocals, bass, guitar), Rick Fenn (vocals, guitar, bass), Stuart Tosh (vocals, percussion) and Stephen Piggott (keyboards).

From 1995 to 1999, he was the drummer for Mike and the Mechanics, working with Paul Young (vocals), Mike Rutherford (guitar, bass), Paul Carrack (vocals, keyboard), Tim Renwick (guitar) and Jamie Moses (guitar). In 1997, Wallis performed with Paul Carrack's band as part of the Beautiful World album promotion.

He performed with Jean Michel Jarre at the Giza pyramids on New Year's Eve 1999/2000 and is featured in Jarre's Twelve Dreams of the Sun video. Between 2002 and 2004 he toured Germany with Schiller. Wallis also played on the Europe wide hit I Feel You. In 2005, he toured with Marianne Rosenberg.

Pink Floyd Years

Gary Wallis is perhaps best known as the secondary percussionist for Pink Floyd in the post-Waters era for live performances. He can be seen and heard on the Delicate Sound Of Thunder album and video as well as the P*U*L*S*E album and off-shoot video. Wallis has stated that performing live at Knebworth with Pink Floyd was one of the highlights of his career. The drum set used by Wallis on The Division Bell tour of 1994 and Pulse DVD included a DW kit in Exotic Birdseye Maple with a lacquer finish. The drum kits used by Nick Mason and Gary Wallis were similar, though Wallis used a full tom range and at least 4 bass drums. The Pink Floyd drum set up is believed to have been co-ordinated by Gary Wallis on behalf of both of himself and Mason.

Electronic Drums and Programming

Since becoming a professional drummer, Wallis has also worked extensively as a drum programmer. In an interview for Roland UK, Wallis declared his "complete thirst for electronic drums". He is known for performing on an elaborate, massive drum set-up featuring both acoustic and electronic drums. Wallis used this configuration of instruments during his work with Schiller, among others.

Producer

Together with long-term colleague, Toby Chapman, Wallis has co-produced tracks for artists such as Paul Carrack (1996), Belinda Carlisle (1997), Rod Stewart (2000), Cher (2001), Swedish band Addis Black Widow (2001), and Zididada, a Danish act signed to Universal Denmark (2003).

Musical Director

In the latter part of his career, Gary Wallis has toured extensively around the world as a musical director and drummer. From 2004 to 2008, Wallis worked in this role for various bands including Girls Aloud, Atomic Kitten, the classical crossover act Il Divo, and Westlife on their Back Home Tour.

Recent Performances

Since the 1990s, Wallis has collaborated with internationally renowned Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones, as his drummer and musical director, including residencies in Las Vegas. In 2011 he was also the drummer for Mike + The Mechanics on their Hit the Road Tour, performing across the UK, Germany, and other European cities. The band will be touring to Luxembourg and Germany in 2012.

Other

Gary Wallis is the cousin of Pink Fairies guitarist and former member of Motörhead Larry Wallis.

Drums

Gary Wallis is a Vater Artist (United Kingdom), using their Session Wood drumsticks. He also officially endorses DW (Drum Workshop) products, using their drums, pedals and hardware.

1987-1990 touring kit with Pink Floyd:

Tama Artstar piano black finish.

Zildjian Cymbals.

Simmons Electronic drums.

Latin Percussion.

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1994 Pink Floyd touring kit.

DW Drums (Drum Workshop) kit in Exotic Birdseye Maple with a lacquer finish.

Zildjian cymbals.

Latin percussion.

Vater drumsticks.

Dauz electronic drums.

Kurtzweil K2000r sampler

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Discography

• 1983, The Truth: Confusion (Hits Us Everytime) - WEA Records (drums)
• 1985, Style Council: Our Favourite Shop; Polydor (percussion)
• 1986, Bucks Fizz: Writing on the Wall; Polydor (percussion)
• 1986, John Wilson: The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine; Legacy Records (drums/percussion)
• 1989, Pink Floyd: Delicate Sound of Thunder (video); (percussion)
• 1989, Pink Floyd: Night Castle; Amity Records (percussion)
• 1989, Pink Floyd: Pink Floyd in Venice (video); (percussion)
• 1990, Pink Floyd: Knebworth - The Album; Polydor (percussion)
• 1990, Dusty Springfield: Reputation; Parlophone (percussion)
• 1991, Heeren Stevens: Trust; Bronze (drums)
• 1992, Westernhagen: Jaja; WEA Musik (percussion)
• 1993, Pink Floyd: On the Turning Away; Magic Mushrooms Records (percussion)
• 1995, Pink Floyd: Pulse; EMI (percussion)
• 1996, Mike and The Mechanics: Hits; Virgin (drums)
• 1997, Paul Carrack: Beautiful World; Ark 21 Records (producer, drums)
• 2005, Schiller: Tag Und Nacht; Island Records (drums/percussion)
• 2005, Girls Aloud: Long Hot Summer; Polydor (drums)
• 2006, Pink Floyd: Pulse; Columbia (percussion)
• 2011, Mike and The Mechanics: The Road; Arista (drums)

External links

• Il Divo official site
• Schiller official site
• Marianne Rosenberg
• Westlife
• Pink Floyd official site
• Tom Jones official site
• Gary Wallis at the Internet Movie Database