Billy Cobham
American jazz drummer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Billy Cobham | |
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 Cobham performing at WOMAD in July 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Emanuel Cobham Jr. |
| Born | May 16, 1944 Colón, Panama |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Atlantic, Columbia, CTI, Elektra, GRP |
| Website | billycobham |
He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1987[1] and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.[2] AllMusic biographer Steve Huey said, "Generally acclaimed as fusion's greatest drummer, Billy Cobham's explosive technique powered some of the genre's most important early recordings – including groundbreaking efforts by Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra – before he became an accomplished bandleader in his own right. At his best, Cobham harnessed his amazing dexterity into thundering, high-octane hybrids of jazz complexity and rock & roll aggression."[3]
Cobham's influence stretched far beyond jazz, including on progressive rock contemporaries like Bill Bruford of King Crimson and Danny Carey of Tool. Prince and Jeff Beck both played a version of Cobham's Stratus in concert. Phil Collins, who named Mahavishnu Orchestra's The Inner Mounting Flame as a key influence on his early style said, "Billy Cobham played some of the finest drumming I've ever heard on that record."