Joe Porcaro

American jazz drummer (1930–2020)

Drums
percussion

Musical artist

Joseph Thomas Porcaro^[1] (April 29, 1930 – July 6, 2020) was an American jazz drummer.

Biography

Personal life

The Porcaro family is, on the paternal side, originally from San Luca, an Aspromonte village in the province of Reggio Calabria. Joe Porcaro, a well-known jazz drummer and percussionist, born in Hartford, Connecticut to Mike, an Italian immigrant from San Luca, Calabria, and a mother from Caserta, Campania. The couple had moved to the US in the early twentieth century. Grandfather Mike was himself a percussionist who played with numerous Italian bands based in the U.S., and it is with him that the family musical tradition began, passed on to his son Joe and then to his three famous grandchildren. Joe's three sons were in the rock band Toto: drummer Jeff (1954–1992); bassist Mike (1955–2015); and keyboardist Steve (b. 1957), who still is a session musician and programmer. Joe also has a daughter, Joleen Porcaro Duddy (actress and designer), whose children, Chase and Paige Duddy, formed the electronic duo XYLO.

Career

Porcaro recorded with Natalie Cole, Don Ellis, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, Gladys Knight, Madonna, The Monkees, Gerry Mulligan, Pink Floyd, Howard Roberts, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, and Sarah Vaughan. He performed film scores with James Newton Howard, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, John Frizzell and his son Steve Porcaro. With educator and drummer Ralph Humphrey, he was one of the founders of the Los Angeles Music Academy (LAMA) in Pasadena, California, which is now called the Los Angeles College of Music (LACM). Porcaro led a group with Emil Richards, a native of Hartford who played vibraphone and collected percussion instruments from around the world.^[2]

Death

Porcaro died at the age of 90 in Thousand Oaks, California on July 6, 2020.^[3] His death was ruled to be of natural causes.

Discography

As leader

2002 Better Off Back Then

As sideman

With Rosemary Clooney

1992 Girl Singer
1994 Still on the Road
1995 Demi-Centennial
1996 Dedicated to Nelson
1997 Mothers & Daughters
2002 Out of This World

With Lalo Schifrin

The Fox (MGM, 1968)
There's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On (Dot, 1968)
Kelly's Heroes (MGM, 1970)
Rock Requiem (Verve, 1971)
Enter the Dragon (Warner Bros., 1973)

With others

1962 Blues on the Other Side, Mike Mainieri (Argo)
1967 Sugar, Nancy Sinatra
1968 California Soul, Gerald Wilson
1969 Instant Replay, The Monkees
1970 The American Dream, Emitt Rhodes
1971 Electronic Progress, Harvey Mandel
1971 The Age of Steam, Gerry Mulligan
1974 150 MPH, Louie Bellson
1975 Home Plate, Bonnie Raitt
1975 Mirrors, Peggy Lee
1975 Touch, John Klemmer
1976 Barefoot Ballet, John Klemmer
1976 Silk Degrees, Boz Scaggs
1977 Southern Nights, Glen Campbell
1977 Making a Good Thing Better, Olivia Newton-John
1978 Change of Heart, Eric Carmen
1978 Cheryl Lynn, Cheryl Lynn
1979 Raw Silk, Randy Crawford
1979 Yvonne, Yvonne Elliman
1979 Headlines, Paul Anka
1979 Children of the World, Stan Getz
1981 Big Mouth, Milt Jackson
1981 Messina, Jim Messina
1981 Songs of The Beatles, Sarah Vaughan
1981 Rit, Lee Ritenour
1982 Donna Summer, Donna Summer
1982 Ride Like the Wind, Freddie Hubbard
1984 Emotion, Barbra Streisand
1987 Freedom at Midnight, David Benoit
1988 Reunion, Mel Tormé
1989 Like a Prayer, Madonna
1992 Brasileiro, Sergio Mendes
1993 Devotion, Warren Hill
1993 When My Heart Finds Christmas, Harry Connick Jr.
1993 Windows, Roger Kellaway
1994 Dreams in Motion, Felix Cavaliere
1994 Richard Marx, Richard Marx
1996 Luntana, Emil Richards
1996 Organic, Joe Cocker
1997 Conspiracy Theory, Carter Burwell
1997 Tribute to Jeff Porcaro, David Garfield^[4]
2005 Christmas Songs, Diana Krall

References

^ "Joseph Porcaro Obituary (2020)". Legacy.com. Los Angeles Times.
^ Mattingly, Rich. "Emil Richards". Percussive Arts Society. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
^ "Joseph Porcaro Obituary (2020) - Hartford, CT - Hartford Courant". Legacy.com. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
^ "Joe Porcaro | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 October 2017.