Allan Schwartzberg

Last updated

Allan Schwartzberg
Born (1942-12-28) December 28, 1942 (age 80)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • record producer
Instrument(s)
  • Drums
  • percussion
Years active1969-present

Allan Schwartzberg (born December 28, 1942) is an American musician and record producer. He has been a member of the rock band Mountain, Peter Gabriel's first solo band, toured with Brecker Brothers' Dreams, B. J. Thomas, Linda Ronstadt, Stan Getz band, and the Pat Travers band. He has experienced success as a prolific session musician, through recordings made from the 1970s through today. [1] He has also played on multi genre hits such as Gloria Gaynor "Never Can Say Goodbye", [2] considered the first disco record, James Brown's "Funky President", Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle", Tony Orlando & Dawn's Tie A Yellow Ribbon , Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill", the Spinners' "Workin' My Way Back to You", the Star Wars theme, and Rod Stewart's Great American Songbook series including the hit "What A Wonderful World". He has played with musicians and singers including John Lennon, Diana Ross, Jimi Hendrix, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Frank Sinatra, Roxy Music, Robert Palmer, Grace Slick, Roberta Flack, Barry Manilow, Harry Chapin, Barbra Streisand, Deodato, Frankie Valli, and Roger Daltrey. [3] [4] He was also a frequent musician guest with Paul Shaffer's David Letterman Show band.

Contents

Early life and education

Allan Schwartzberg was born on December 28, 1942, in New York City, New York. He is Jewish and attended yeshiva as a child. [5] He began playing the drums at the age of ten and attended the Manhattan School of Music for three years, studying classical percussion. He claims that his real education was listening to and memorizing the work of musicians like Max Roach, Elvin Jones and Philly Joe Jones.

At the age of 20. he was the house drummer at the famed Half Note Club in downtown New York, performing with a variety of jazz musicians, including Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Roy Eldridge, Bob Brookmeyer, Richie Kamuca, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Anita O'Day, Chris Conner, and Jimmy Rushing. [6]

He was also the leader of the band on the nationally syndicated Geraldo Rivera Show, Goodnight America, which was considered the first rock / R&B "hip" band for a talk show.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

On November 12, 1972, Schwartzberg married Susan Schlossberg. They have two daughters, Samona and Nicole; and three grandchildren, Deven, Talia, and Quinton Cole.

Equipment

Schwartzberg endorses Yamaha drums, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, and Vic Firth drumsticks.[ citation needed ]

Discography

1970s

YearTitleArtist
1971Lay It All Out Barry Mann
1973 Tie a Yellow Ribbon Dawn
1973 True Stories and Other Dreams Judy Collins
1973Home to Myself Melissa Manchester
1973 Dawn's New Ragtime Follies Tony Orlando & Dawn
1974 Reality James Brown
1974 Twin Peaks Mountain
1974 Verities & Balderdash Harry Chapin
1974 Barry Manilow II Barry Manilow
1974 Veedon Fleece Van Morrison
1974 Ladies Love Outlaws Tom Rush
1975 Crash Landing Jimi Hendrix
1975 Waterbed Herbie Mann
1975 Never Can Say Goodbye Gloria Gaynor
1975Our Day Will Come Frankie Valli
1975Portrait Gallery Harry Chapin
1976Moon Over Brooklyn The Group with No Name
1976 Alice Cooper Goes to Hell Alice Cooper
1976 Smile Laura Nyro
1976 I've Got You Gloria Gaynor
1976Circus Town Tatsuro Yamashita
1976Conquistador (Theme to Rocky) Maynard Ferguson
1977 Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel
1977 Portfolio Grace Jones
1977 Glorious Gloria Gaynor
1977 Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk Meco
1977 Lace and Whiskey Alice Cooper
1977Herbie Mann and Fire IslandHerbie Mann
1977 Conquistador Maynard Ferguson
1977 A Song Neil Sedaka
1977 Lady Put the Light Out Frankie Valli
1977 Blue Lights in the Basement Roberta Flack
1977 Portfolio Grace Jones
1978 Songbird Barbra Streisand
1978 Gene Simmons Gene Simmons
1978 Heavy Metal Be-Bop The Brecker Brothers
1978 Think It Over Cissy Houston
1978 Peter Criss Peter Criss
1978 Double Fun Robert Palmer
1979 Platinum Mike Oldfield
1979Two Sides to Every Woman Carlene Carter
1979 Nils Nils Lofgren
1979Take a Bite Marlena Shaw
1979 Live and Sleazy Village People

1980s

YearTitleArtist
1980 Flesh + Blood Roxy Music
1980 Step Aside for a Lady Cissy Houston
1980 Dreams Grace Slick
1980Connections Richie Havens
1981 Music from "The Elder" Kiss
1981 Scissors Cut Art Garfunkel
1982 NunSexMonkRock Nina Hagen
1982 It's Alright (I See Rainbows) Yoko Ono
1983 School for Spies Kit Hain
1983In My Life Patti Austin
1984 Parting Should Be Painless Roger Daltrey
1984 Milk and Honey John Lennon and Yoko Ono
1984 Cover Tom Verlaine
1985"Tears Are Falling" Kiss
1987 Flash Light Tom Verlaine

1990s

YearTitleArtist
1990What a Way to Go Mark Murphy
1991 Help Yourself Julian Lennon
1994 Roberta Roberta Flack

2000s

YearTitleArtist
2003 As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II Rod Stewart
2004 Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III Rod Stewart

See also

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References

  1. "Allan Schwartzberg: Discography". Stereosociety.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  2. "Allan Schwartzberg's home at the Stereo Society". Stereosociety.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  3. "Vic Firth Artist: ALLAN SCHWARTZBERG". Vicfirth.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  4. "Allan Schwartzberg - Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  5. The Allan Schwartzberg Interview (Podcast). Jake Feinberg Show. October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2023 via YouTube.
  6. Allan Schwartzberg, archived from the original on July 26, 2014, retrieved August 20, 2014

Sources