Bill Coffee's Page

Favorite website

http://Drummerworld.com

Favorite blog

http://None

Pittsburgh Connection

Born and Raised

Favorite Pittsburgh musicians/performers

Roger Humphries, George Benson, Poogie Bell

Favorite Jazz Radio or media station

WDUQ

Favorite Pittsburgh Jazz Venue

Wherever Jazz can be found!!!

About Me:

I took Interest in drumming at six years of age, about two years after Doctors told my parents that I would never use my right arm again. My parents bought my first three piece Kit when I was seven years old and drumming has been a part of my life ever since.

Ironically, when I enrolled in music lessons to further my understanding of drumming, somehow I was placed in the trumpet class. Back then the teachers decided what you were going to play in music class. I made steady progress, however my heart was in progressing as a drummer and this is where I focused my real attention.

In the winter of 1975, at the age of sixteen, I was invited to play in my first established and working band. This was a well known, respected adult group known in the Pittsburgh area as the “Kings Court Band.” The band leader was tough on me, because my time would fluctuate. He also wanted me to play with fire. Looking back, he reminded me of Mr. Joe Jackson, the father of the then famous “Jackson 5”. As I still had one year left of high school, I left the band at the end of summer to finish my senior year.

After my graduation, in the fall of 1977, another older gentleman came knocking at my parent’s door to invite me to play for his band. They were known as the “We Mighty Soul Band”. We worked like crazy. This band leader was equally hard on me. He wanted power and creativity. Being tired was not an acceptable excuse. I’m talking practice Monday through Thursday, 7:30 pm thru 11:30 pm, and playing shows every weekend. Sometimes we worked three days a week, four hours a night. I kept this pace for well over a year and a half. And the musical experience I gained at this young age has really had a positive effect on my playing even today.

A highlight of my musical experience was in the summer of 1986, I was invited to play with a talented group of guys from the East Pittsburgh area who called them selves; “The Elements of Jazz” . We were booked to play three concerts at the Pittsburgh Arts Festival and the crowd was amazing.

A year later we auditioned to open for Stanley Turrentine, and got the call. However egos got in the way and the band broke up before the concert.
Some of my musical influences are;My older brother Robert Coffee, Art Blakey, Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Dennis Chambers, Poogie Bell and Will Kennedy. (order insignificant)

Website:

http://None

Artist or Fan

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