Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons, U.K., and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and five albums with Missing Persons. Bozzio has been a prolific sideman, playing on numerous releases by other artists since the mid-1970s. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1997.

Biography

Terry Bozzio was born on December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California. He started at age 6 playing makeshift drum sets. At the age of 13 he saw the Beatles' premiere performance on The Ed Sullivan Show He cited Carmine Appice, Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker as early influences, and Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, and Eric Gravatt as later influences.

In 1968, Bozzio graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California, where he received a music scholarship award and later went on to the College of Marin. During this time he studied concurrently with Chuck Brown on the drum set and Lloyd Davis and Roland Kohloff on a percussion and timpani scholarship. He also played Bartok-Dahl-Cowell & Baroque chamber ensembles with the Marin and Napa County Symphonies.

1970s

In 1972, Bozzio played in the rock musicals Godspell and Walking in my Time. He began playing in local jazz groups with Mike Nock, Art Lande, Azteca, Eddie Henderson, Woody Shaw, Julian Priester, Eric Gravatt, Billy Higgins, Andy Narell and Mel Martin. He became a regular in the Monday Night Jim Dukey Big Band at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall.

Bozzio toured with Frank Zappa between April 1975 and February 1978 and appeared as a drummer and vocalist on a number of Zappa's albums, including Bongo Fury (1975), Zoot Allures (1976), Zappa in New York (1976), Sheik Yerbouti (1979) and Thing-Fish (1984), and in the concert movie Baby Snakes (1979). Bozzio's vocals were prominently featured on a number of Zappa songs, including "Punky's Whips", "Tryin' to Grow a Chin" and "Dong Work for Yuda", making him a key element of the distinctive sound of Zappa's late-1970s work. During live performances of the song "Titties & Beer" between 1976 and 1978, Bozzio would play the character of The Devil, donning a mask and arguing with Zappa's character on stage. Bozzio was also the drummer for whom Zappa wrote The Black Page, originally a solo piece for drums, which became one of the signature compositions of Zappa's career. He worked with the nu metal band Korn on their eighth studio album after the departure of their drummer David Silveria. He was scheduled to play on the road with the band during the Family Values Tour, but he left and was replaced by Joey Jordison of Slipknot and later Ray Luzier.

Personal life

His son and stepdaughter are also drummers: the latter, Marina, is a former member of the band Aldious.

Selected discography

Solo

  • Solo Drum Music I (1992)
  • Solo Drum Music II (1992)
  • Drawing the Circle (1998)
  • Chamber Works (1998)
  • Solos & Duets (with Chad Wackerman) (2001)
  • Nine Short Films (with Billy Sheehan) (2002)
  • Chamber Works (2005, with Metropole Orchestra)
  • Prime Cuts (2005)
  • Four from Ten Twenty Nine (2008)
  • Seven Nights in Japan (2008)
  • Melodic Drumming & the Ostinato v.1. 2. 3. DVD (2011)
  • Terry Bozzio Live Performance & Seminar 2 Disc DVD (rec. 2003) (2011)
  • Terry Bozzio Live in Japan 2007 菩慈音 (2012)
  • Musical Solo Drumming DVD English w/ Japanese subtitles (2012)
  • Terry Bozzio – Composer Series / 4CD + Blu-ray + Blu-ray (Audio-only) + Bonus DVD (2015)
  • Terry Bozzio – Reality & Simple Moments Compilation CD (2017)

Frank Zappa

  • Bongo Fury (October 1975), US No. 66
  • Zoot Allures (October 1976), US No. 71
  • Zappa in New York (March 1977), US No. 57
  • Studio Tan (1978)
  • Sleep Dirt (January 1979), US No. 175
  • Sheik Yerbouti (March 1979), US No. 21
  • Joe's Garage (September 1979), US No. 27 (vocals only)
  • Orchestral Favorites (1979)
  • Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (May 1981)
  • Baby Snakes (March 1983)
  • Thing-Fish (November 1984)
  • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 (May 1988)
  • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 (November 1989)
  • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 (July 1991)
  • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 (July 1992)
  • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 (July 1992)
  • Läther (September 1996)
  • Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute (October 1996)
  • The Lost Episodes (1996)
  • FZ:OZ (August 2002)
  • QuAUDIOPHILIAc (September 2004)
  • Trance-Fusion (October 2006)
  • One Shot Deal (June 2008)
  • Joe's Menage (October 2008)
  • Philly '76 (December 2009)
  • Hammersmith Odeon (November 2010)
  • Baby Snakes: The Compleat Soundtrack (December 2012)
  • Joe's Camouflage (2013)
  • Halloween 77 (October 2017)
  • Zappa in New York 40th Anniversary (March 2019)
  • Zappa ’75: Zagreb / Ljubljana (October 2022)

Missing Persons

  • Missing Persons EP (1980) No. 46 US
  • Spring Session M (1982) No. 17 US
  • Rhyme & Reason (1984) No. 43 US
  • Color in Your Life (1986) No. 88 US
  • Late Nights Early Days (1999)
  • Lost Tracks (2002)

U.K.

  • Danger Money (1979) (Replaced Bill Bruford)
  • Night After Night (1979, Live)

Dweezil Zappa

  • Back to the Beach Soundtrack (on "Wipe Out") with Herbie Hancock (1987)
  • My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama (1988)
  • Shampoohorn (1994)
  • Automatic (2000)

Other

  • 1974: Born to Love You Luis Gasca
  • 1977: Deceptive Bends 10CC
  • 1978: Heavy Metal Be-Bop Brecker Brothers
  • 1980: Only Love Can Sustain Luis Alberto Spinetta
  • 1980: Group 87 Group 87
  • 1986: Andy Taylor Andy Taylor
  • 1987: Robbie Robertson Robbie Robertson
  • 1988: Castalia Mark Isham
  • 1988: Rivers Gonna Rise Patrick O'Hearn
  • 1988: Who I Am Gary Wright
  • 1989: Def, Dumb and Blonde Deborah Harry
  • 1989: El Dorado Patrick O'Hearn
  • 1989: How Long Michael Thompson
  • 1989: Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop Jeff Beck & Tony Hymas
  • 1989: Twins Soundtrack Jeff Beck
  • 1990: Girlfriend from Hell Jorgenson
  • 1990: Mark Isham Mark Isham
  • 1991: Beckology Jeff Beck
  • 1991: In Your Face Earl Slick
  • 1991: Rush Street Richard Marx
  • 1992: Retrograde Planet Zazen
  • 1992: Vol. Pour Sydney Lonely Bears
  • 1992: White Sands Soundtrack Patrick O'Hearn
  • 1993: Sex and Religion Steve Vai
  • 1994: Big Bang: In the Beginning Was a Drum Compilation
  • 1994: Hide Your Face hide
  • 1994: Polytown Polytown
  • 1995: First Signs of Life Gary Wright
  • 1995: Thank You Duran Duran
  • 1995: Trust Patrick O'Hearn
  • 1997: Black Light Syndrome Bozzio Levin Stevens
  • 1997: Dream Castles Sly
  • 1997: Something with a Pulse Mark Craney & Friends
  • 1998: Age of Impact Explorer's Club
  • 1998: Best of the Lonely Bears Lonely Bears
  • 1998: Proof: The Very Best of the Knack The Knack
  • 1998: Zoom The Knack
  • 1999: Lonely Bears Lonely Bears
  • 2000: Injustice Lonely Bears
  • 2000: Situation Dangerous Bozzio Levin Stevens
  • 2000: The Bears Are Running Lonely Bears
  • 2001: Compression Billy Sheehan
  • 2001: Feeding the Wheel Jordan Rudess
  • 2002: Big Delta Omar & The Howlers
  • 2002: Delete and Roll Bozzio Preinfalk & Machacek (BPM)
  • 2002: Queen of the Damned Soundtrack Jonathan Davis, Richard Gibbs
  • 2002: Raising the Mammoth Explorers Club
  • 2003: Bozzio – Mastelotto with Pat Mastelotto
  • 2004: Alamo Soundtrack Carter Burwell
  • 2004: Boogie Man Omar & The Howlers
  • 2004: Drum Nation, Vol. 1 Various Artists
  • 2005: Two Sides of If Vivian Campbell
  • 2006: Sic Alex Machacek
  • 2007: Untitled Korn
  • 2008: Live with the Tosca Strings (DVD)
  • 2012: Efrainization Terry Bozzio/Alex Acuna/Efrain Toro (DVD)
  • 2016: Heavy Metal Be-Bop Band Tour in Japan '14 Brecker Brothers (Reunion CD)

References

  • Terry Bozzio – Official site
  • Terry Bozzio – Official Facebook
  • Terry Bozzio – Official YouTube
  • Terry Bozzio – Official Twitter
  • Terry Bozzio on Drum Channel
  • Terry Bozzio : Sabian Cymbals – Artist Set-up
  • Drum Workshop site, artists section : Contains an illustration of Terry Bozzio and other drummers' drum kits
  • Terry Bozzio's Discography and Equipment List at BehindTheDrums