John French
In the collection
2 records
Played with
Captain Beefheart
2 records together
The Magic Band
2 records together
Frank Zappa
2 records together
Gary “Magic” Marker
2 records together
Doug Moon
2 records together
Art Tripp
1 record together
Elliot Ingber
1 record together
Don Van Vliet
1 record together
Chester Burnett
1 record together
John Lee Hooker
1 record together
Willie Dixon
1 record together
About
American drummer, singer, songwriter & arranger.
Born in the San Bernadino area of Southern California, French’s family moved west to where he grew up, in the desert town of Lancaster - hometown of two young artists who would have a profound effect upon his subsequent career as a drummer. Frank Zappa and Don Vliet.
French played with & circuit band Blues In A Bottle before eventually teaming up with Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band in 1966 to record. He went on to cut seven further albums with Vliet and the Magic Band, finally departing in 1980 with his familiar nickname ‘Drumbo’ - a tag from Vliet, made during his work on the iconic, on which he was not credited.
With friend Henry Kaiser he was in the bands Crazy Backwards Alphabet and French Frith Kaiser Thompson. French also helped in the realization of Captain Beefheart’s and reformed The Magic Band in 2003, also taking on Vliet’s role as vocalist, and playing harmonica. After an album, video & BBC documentary with the band, John French released in 2008.