ABBA

Drummer from Chicago, Illinois, whose twin Steve shared his passion for percussion, which drove their dad to reinforce his cellar rec room with cork. They made lots of noise during their years at Steinmetz High School and then John set out for The Big Apple in search of work.

One of his first gigs was drumming for Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels. Doug Rodriguez was the guitarist and he was friends with Mark “Moogy” Klingman, so the three of them had a few jam sessions. Doug and John decided to leave the band and collaborate with Buzzy Linhart, another friend of Mark’s. John drummed on Buzzy’s Music and Carly Simon’s self-titled album in 1971. In 1972, his credits included a pair of self-titled efforts, Mike Corbett & Jay Hirsh with Hugh McCracken and Moogy, and Todd Rundgren’s Something/Anything?. (He was the drummer on “Hello it’s Me”.)

He continued performing with Moogy & the Rhythm Kings until the band bifurcated and some members joined Utopia but John decided to join Peter Frampton’s band. In the 1970s, he appeared on four Frampton albums, Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive!, Frampton’s Camel, and I’m in You. (He also co-penned one of Frampton’s hits, “Do You Feel Like We Do”.)

His busy recording and touring schedule did not preclude him from working with other artists, such as Duster Bennett on Fingertips, Rick Derringer on Spring Fever, and Tufano & Giammarese (nee The Buckinghams) on The Other Side. Eventually he quit the band, apparently over financial differences, then dropped out altogether.

In later years, he worked as an Emergency Medical Technician for Emergency Medical Services in New York, New York. On 16^th January 2004, he died of unknown causes in his apartment in Brooklyn. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery and Mausoleum in River Grove, Illinois.

His musical legacy lives on in CD form on anthologies such as Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo: The Best of Rick Derringer, Buzzy Linhart Loves You: Classic Recordings, and The Very Best of Todd Rundgren.

Todd Rundgren recordings

Hello it’s Me (Todd Rundgren)

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