John Guerin
     This legendary studio drummer has played in just about every genre of music, having worked with Frank Sinatra, Thelonious Monk, Frank Zappa, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Barbara Streisand, Art Garfunkel, Seals and Crofts, The Byrds, Bonnie Raitt, Patti LaBelle, Quincy Jones, Patrick Williams-- and that just scratches the surface of his vast and diverse discography. Starting out as a bebop jazz drummer in the 60's, Guerin became one of the pioneer drummers of the jazz-rock (later known as fusion) genre in the 70's. He helped define the early fusion drum sound by seamlessly integrating elements of jazz in a rock context with his single-headed concert toms, tasty fills, displaced accents, frequent playing of 3/4 over 4/4 time, and an uncanny sense of groove and feel. It is Guerin's sound that inspired me to start drumming. Guerin co-founded "The LA Express", a popular fusion group of the 70's with saxophonist Tom Scott, bassist Max Bennett, Larry Carlton on guitar, and Joe Sample on piano. You've probably heard his drumming on old TV show themes such as the 70's "Bob Newhart Show", "Hawaii 5-0", and "Laverne & Shirley", in addition to literally hundreds of uncredited TV and movie gigs. A truly down-to-earth guy, after I sucessfully persuaded "Modern Drummer" magazine to do an article on him (which they published in January, 1999) I sent him an email, and received a friendly response with an offer to meet up for a drum lesson if I was ever in the area! Guerin was active on the West-Coast jazz scene, playing with the trios of Roger Kellaway and Mike Melvoin, until his sudden passing in January of 2004, when the world lost one of its most talented musicians. (John's Official Website and AMG AllMusic Guide Discography)