If you ask any professional drummer to make drive you to the gig and help you set up the afraid to pray for the things you want. Pray
a list of the top drummers in the world that drums and you’re going to be playing with my for other people, ask and you shall receive
they admire and look up to as a mentor, Gregg band. You’re gonna get fifty bucks”. That was if it’s your will. God, if it’s your will I want to
Bissonette’s name will be on that list. He is the big pay back in 1972, four-piece band, fifty play drums in Maynard Ferguson’s band”. At
a humble man who has done extraordinary bucks a man, two hundred bucks for a four- eighteen I thought, why don’t I go to a music
things as a drummer. From the jazz world of hour gig. So, he said, “You’re professional”. I school that would really train me in big band
Maynard Ferguson, to the rock world of David said, “What do you mean I’m professional?” He drumming? So, I went to North Texas State
Lee Roth, to being the drummer for one of the said, “You’re getting paid to play the drums, so University in Denton, Texas and I got my degree
most famous drummers in history, the Beatle’s you’re professional.” (laughs). in music education so that if I didn’t make it
own Ringo Starr… the one thing consistent is
playing professionally, I could teach.
Gregg Bissonette has been on the drum kit [WM] What was the first gig you got playing
backing them all up. with a signed artist to a label?
I loved my band directors growing up, and I
thought it would be fun to be a middle school
Let’s get to know more of what makes this [Gregg] Maynard Ferguson. I always had the or high school band director. When I was just
drummer, mentor and thankfully ‘old friend of dream to be in Maynard Ferguson’s band, I about to graduate, I noticed Maynard Ferguson
ours’ motivated. used to go and see his big band all the time was playing in Denton, Texas. I saw his bus
when I was a kid and I just knew that he was outside of the Holiday Inn. So, I called up and
[WM] How did you first get started playing the man… he was the guy. I was kind of a minor talked to the guy that was running a lot of the
the drums? trumpet player and Maynard was my hero. He business for the band and I invited them to
had great drummers, Randy Jones, Danny come out to this gig I was doing at this club
[Gregg Bissonette] My Dad in Detroit D’Imperio, Peter Erskine. I remember being in Dallas at this club with a great original funk
Michigan was a drummer, his name was Bud about twelve years old and kneeling down at band I was in called “The Buster Brown Band”.
Bissonette, and my mom, Phyllis Bissonette, my bed every night and praying, “Dear Lord, I said to bring their horns. They said, “Oh, we
played jazz vibraphone in his band. My Dad you say to not be afraid to ask and don’t be don’t have a way to get there, our bus driver
used to work all over Detroit doing private
parties with his band and he would let me go
and sit in with my brother Matt (who is now the
bass player for Elton John for the last six years).
And we were together with Maynard Ferguson’s
band and David Lee Roth’s band, and even
Ringo’s band, Ringo and the Roundheads. But
my Dad would let my brother Matt sit in and my
sister Kathy, she played music too and now she
works for a big music company in Los Angeles.
My son and daughter both play drums, piano,
guitar, DJ, sing and dance. My nephews play
also, and my sister-in-law Chariya, she’s a
singer, so we’ve got a really musical family.
[WM]
What
were
your
first
steps
to
turning pro?
[Gregg] Well I guess that I was pro, I didn’t
know what the definition of professional was.
But we were at the kitchen table eating dinner
and I was about thirteen and my Dad said,
“Your mom and I are going to go away to Spain
for a week, but I’ve got a gig with my band in
two weeks and your uncle Chuck is going to
Gregg with his Dad, Bud Bissonette
June 2019
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