Born in St. Louis, Missouri on January 8, 1960, Dave Weckl is a Grammy-winning jazz fusion drummer best known for his work with Chick Corea, the GRP All-Star Big Band, Mike Stern, and his own Dave Weckl band. In 2000, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. Dave Weckl began drumming at an early age, influenced by classic rock bands and jazz legends. After a 1979 move to the East Coast – and the University of Bridgeport – he began playing the New York club scene. Jazz drummer Peter Erskine took notice and recommended him to jazz outfit French Toast, which featured bassist Anthony Jackson. This led to Weckl playing the Simon & Garfunkel reunion tour in 1983. Dave Weckl then became an in-demand studio musician playing with artist such as George Benson, Diana Ross, Robert Plant, and others. In 1985, Weckl joined Chick Corea’s Elektric Band. He also played with Corea’s Akoustic Band, whose self-titled album won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Dave Weckl’s debut solo release was Master Plan (1990) on the GRP label. After three more solo releases, he put together the Dave Weckl Band and recorded further albums under that name. In the ‘90s, he also became a pioneer in instructional videos with the release of Contemporary Drummer + 1. Over the years, Weckl has also recorded and toured with Jay Oliver, Mike Stern, Chris Minh Doky, Chuck Loeb, the GRP All-Star Big Band, and his very own Dave Weckl Acoustic Band.
