He was a drummer born in Memphis, Tennessee, who graduated from Kingsbury High School and began playing drums with The Gentrys and Randy and The Radiants. He was a drummer who played in many sessions in Memphis over nearly a 30 year period
He was a member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band in the 1970s and was heard performing on their 1976 A Pink Crustacean tour and the chart single “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes “. He had initially been the drummer on “Margaritaville” but was replaced by Kenny Buttrey at the producer Norbert Putnam’s request, when he wanted a session drummer rather than a road drummer on the track.
He then moved onto The Dirt Band between 1980 and 1981 when their single “Make a Little Magic”, which feature Nicolette Larson , appeared in the Top 20 of the pop charts. He also toured Europe with John Mayall, performed with Ronnie Milsap and toured with B.B. King. His last two years saw him regularly performing at Sun Studios.
He appeared on several albums that include Make a Little Magic and Jealousy by The Dirt Band, Cross Country Blues by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes by Jimmy Buffett .
Suffering from a massive infection caused by an abscess in a tooth he died in 1991 at Eastwood Hospital, Memphis.
Jimmy Buffett recordings
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (Jimmy Buffett )
Here’s Jimmy Buffett’s “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes”…
Sources:
- https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=46764325
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/606515-Michael-Gardner
- http://www.nittygritty.com/history.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitty_Gritty_Dirt_Band
- http://www.buffettnews.com/bandmember283.html
- http://www.answers.com/topic/changes-in-latitudes-changes-in-attitudes?cat=entertainment
- http://mixonline.com/recording/interviews/audio_jimmy_buffetts_margaritaville/