Ricky Lawson (1954-2013)

Photo cred: www.drummerworld.com

There are a handful of drummers whose work resonates with me in a particular way that other drummers' simply doesn't. As I'm sure is the case with other fields of artistic endeavor, there are those cats who have gone before and are doing what you want to be doing that just make you go, "Yeeeeessssssss......" when you hear them: the kind of excitement that emerges due to a uncanny sense of recognition.

They resonate because you identify with them.

Now, I don't mean "identify" in the sense of shared history (growing up in the same hometown, for instance) or even because they're playing with artists you would love to perform with yourself, but because how they happen to feel the music and how they communicate through the instrument seems to be the exact same thing you would choose to do in that particular musical situation. When you hear what they do, you find yourself saying, "Yeah, that's what I would do." (Or would want to do, at least.)

Ricky Lawson was one of those guys for me.

Ricky passed away this past December after suffering a brain hemorrhage during a gig in a club in LA. He survived in a hospital for ten days but did not recover. Unlike so many people, in the most literal sense, he died doing something that he loved to do.

Lawson's artistic passion extended beyond his instrument and imbued a enthusiasm for music. He was a true artist's drummer, performing with a who's-who of pop music legends, including Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Toto, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, Kenny Loggins, George Duke, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, Lionel Richie, & Al Jarreau, and he even won a Grammy Award with The Yellowjackts, a jazz group he co-founded. 

Lawson was a purveyor of masterful grooves and musical feeling. He clearly prized supporting the music as a whole over-and-above throwing down hot licks and technical drummer stuff. He followed this philosophy to its ultimate conclusion in one of the greatest recordings of all time, proving once and for all that you indeed can play a one-note solo and blow people away with it (jump to 3:08 if you don't believe me):

I first discovered Ricky Lawson when I saw my first Phil Collins concert on DVD, which included this awesome drum sectional:



And Ricky even sat in with my all-time favorite band when Simon Phillips was out of commission after undergoing back surgery, even going so far as to perform on Simon's own kit:

These are just a few of my memories of this great drummer & artist who left us last month. Questlove called him "a master" when he heard that he had passed, and I consider him a great inspiration. I can only hope to be as valued & trusted by the artists with whom I get to perform as Ricky clearly was with everyone who hired him. The stories and tributes out there are voluminous, and it just goes to show how much a good guy with a good groove can mean to the world of music.

Rest in peace, Ricky. We'll try to keep groovin'.