John French (musician)
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010) |
| John "Drumbo" French | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Stephen French |
| Also known as | Drumbo |
| Origin | San Bernardino, California |
| Genres | Rock, alternative, progressive jazz, experimental music |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, music director |
| Instruments | Vocalist, drums, harmonica, guitar |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Proper |
| Associated acts | Captain Beefheart, Magic Band, Frank Zappa, French Frith Kaiser Thompson |
John "Drumbo" French (born 1948) is an American drummer and musician. He played on Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica and on various other Beefheart recordings: Beefheart dubbed him "Drumbo". During the Trout Mask Replica sessions, French transcribed the musical ideas Beefheart played for him on piano for the rest of the band.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
French lived in Lancaster, California, in the same area of Southern California as Frank Zappa, Don Van Vliet and other members of The Magic Band and The Mothers of Invention. He was interested in the local music scene as a teenager, hanging out with Doug Moon and watching The Omens on stage.
[edit] Playing career
Around 1964, he played and recorded with Merrell and The Exiles, a band led by Merrell Fankhauser and featuring Jeff Cotton on guitar. French and Cotton joined Mark Boston in another band in 1966, never recorded, called Blues in a Bottle. Bill Harkleroad aka Zoot Horn Rollo joined later; thus the nucleus of the Trout Mask Replica band was formed.
[edit] Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
French was invited to join Beefheart and the Magic Band in late 1966, as a replacement for Paul Blakeley.[1] Having played on Safe as Milk (1967), his distinctive drumming style moulded the driving heavy psychedelic blues of Strictly Personal (1968) and Mirror Man (1968, but not released till 1971). Shortly after the completion of Trout Mask Replica, French was booted out of the group rather violently (thrown down some stairs),[citation needed] and Beefheart replaced him with the inexperienced Jeff Bruschell. French was contentiously omitted from the credits of Trout Mask Replica and was largely absent from the band photos taken for the artwork. French was soon invited back, however, and played on the critically acclaimed albums Lick My Decals Off, Baby and The Spotlight Kid, sharing percussion duties with Art Tripp aka Ed Marimba. Then in late 1972, just before an American tour, he left again.
Beefheart's contractual problems in 1975 forced him into joining Frank Zappa's Bongo Fury tour,[citation needed] but when he was able he set to reforming The Magic Band. French was recruited as both drummer and music director. 1976 saw the recording of the original version of Bat Chain Puller, which due to legal ownership problems remains unreleased as a regular album. French also played guitar on some of these songs. He walked out on Beefheart when his friend John Thomas (keyboards) was sacked from the band. He was back to help out again in 1977, but had become disillusioned working with Van Vliet.[citation needed]
French visited Van Vliet in 1980 looking for work; he went on to record Doc at the Radar Station with the band, playing guitar (and drumming on two tracks). He left before the band toured though, when Van Vliet handed him a list of 40 songs to learn over a 3-month period. French sealed the walkout the next day by returning the guitar Van Vliet had loaned him.
[edit] Other projects
French has subsequently made solo records, and played with the experimental group French Frith Kaiser Thompson[2] and again with Kaiser in Crazy Backwards Alphabet.
In 2000, he was involved in compiling and writing the sleeve notes for the anthology of Beefheart rarities Grow Fins. He also gave an insight into the problems of working with Beefheart in the BBC documentary The Artist Formerly Known as Captain Beefheart.
[edit] The Magic Band reformation
2003 saw him reform The Magic Band as a live act with Rockette Morton, Denny Walley, and Gary Lucas. They divided the show into an instrumental and a vocal section. French handled the vocals and harmonica, handing over the drum kit to Robert Williams. They released an album, Back to the Front, in 2004 and a live CD, 21st Century Mirror Men, in 2005.
[edit] City of Refuge
In 2008, French released a new solo album (under his "Drumbo" moniker) entitled City of Refuge. The album features other musicians from The Magic Band including John Thomas, Mark Boston (aka Rockette Morton), Bill Harkleroad (aka Zoot Horn Rollo) and Greg Davidson (aka Ella Guru). The album was released on UK label Proper records.
[edit] Beefheart: Through the Eyes of Magic
In 2010 French released this memoir of his time in the Magic Band (Proper Music Publishing, London).
[edit] Discography
- 1967 Safe as Milk
- 1968 Strictly Personal
- 1969 Trout Mask Replica
- 1970 Lick My Decals Off, Baby
- 1971 Mirror Man
- 1972 The Spotlight Kid
- 1976 Bat Chain Puller
- 1980 Doc at the Radar Station
- 1982 Crazy Backwards Alphabet
- 1987 French Frith Kaiser Thompson
- 1990 Invisible Means
- 1994 Waiting On The Flame
- 1998 O Solo Drumbo
- 2000 Grow Fins
- 2004 Back To The Front
- 2005 21st Century Mirror Men
- 2008 City Of Refuge
[edit] References
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography: Captain Beefheart". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p55418/biography. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ Layne, Joslyn. "Biography: French Frith Kaiser Thompson". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4313/biography. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
