“What ever gift God gave me, for what ever reasons, I’ve used it to its full potential.”
Donald Fagen: “He was such a great drummer, and his personality really came out in his playing. He really changed the way people played the drums.”
Boz Scaggs: “I met Jeff through producer Joe Wissert. I had assembled a body of material and was getting ready to start the Silk Degrees album. Jeff approached his role more like a songwriter, a singer, or an arranger would approach the song. He did a lot more than just keep time. He actually moved me as a singer through the song. Everybody in the band would know what was coming up in the next few bars, because we could feel it in the way he anticipated, the way he moved us toward it, like a rider moves a horse.”
Brenda Russell: “Jeff was fierce. His talent was ridiculous in his sense of soul. He was passionate. He had the look of a smiling wild man, sometimes. Just laying it down with a big grin on his face.”
Bruce Springsteen: “He had a tremendous beauty to his playing that went beyond craft and precision into the realm of the spirit. It was with that spirit that he graced and blessed my music. He was a soul man.”
David Hungate: “Those of us who had the great privilege of knowing Jeff and working with him can know that, for a while, we walked with a giant”.
Steve Lukather: “He spent so much quality time with his kids, too. He would spend hours making models with the kids. He’d get up early and stay up late with little Nico and let Susan sleep. He’d write lyrics and hang out with Nico. He spent so much more time with those kids than a normal parent would in a whole lifetime.”
Eddie Van Halen: “He was one of the best drummers in the world. Definitely the groove master. He was just so heavy.”
Lenny Castro: “When you find a soul mate, you know it. It hits you over the head like a bolt of lightning. It’s just mental telepathy. It was scary. We not only did that when we played, but just in hanging out. We always thought along the same line. That’s probably why the Porcaros took me into the family. I left my mother and father in New York, struggled out here for a while, met Jeff, and then all of a sudden, I had a family.”
Jay Graydon: “There is no doubt Jeff Porcaro was one of the best drummers in any era.”
Don Henley: “When he came to a session he would light up the room with his enthusiasm. And he didn’t care if the clock was going late. He wasn’t worried about what he was getting paid, or any of that. He was there for the music, and was there with everything he had. He really made you feel comfortable, and he really made you feel like he cared about the music. Jeff was one of the best drummers in the world.”
Mark Knopfler: “He’s amazing, as good as it gets.”
Jim Keltner: “Jeff’s playing will be studied and enjoyed for many years to come, alongside of all the greats. His overall musicality and incredible timekeeping will be emulated. But for those of us fortunate to have known him well, he ‘II be very much alive in our hearts and our memories.”
Mike Baird: “I remember one day he called me up and said, ‘Why don’t you come over, I want to show you something.’ I went over and he put this record on and he was going, ‘Dig this, dig this,’ at some fill that was playing. I’m going. ‘Yeah, okay.’ He said, ‘That’s you, man.’ For the next three hours, I was putting on records he played on, going, ‘Yeah, but dig this.’ It was this major bond thing. And for every one I played of his, he played one of mine. It was incredible. That just tells you about the person he was. To have someone call you over to their house to say, ‘This is how much I groove on you,’ is unbelievable. It just blew me away.”
Richard Marx: “To me, there was no better drummer than Jeff Porcaro. His musicianship and kindness to me will never be forgotten. Our loss is heaven’s gain.”
Vinnie Colaiuta: “His presence alone spawned excitement and hope for us, because he was the cat; he was in it deep, and he had it all. People listened to him, and he set the standard and kept it. His stuff didn’t get old. He is timeless. Sometimes you get people who, well, they document things and that’s it. Like you don’t update or modernize or modify the Mona Lisa. You just don’t.”
Michael McDonald: “He was the one person who changed my life. I thought the world of the guy. A great personal loss to so many and a giant loss to American music.”
David Gilmour: “I wanted to make a really good record (About Face). I wanted to get the best musicians in the world that I could get hold of to play with me, so I thought I’d just make a little list of all my favorite musicians. You know, best drummer, best bass player, best keyboard player, and I’ll work through the list to see who I can get. Jeff Porcaro was top of my drummers list.”
Larry Carlton: “His contribution to my records (and countless others) will never be forgotten…”
David Foster: “Jeff was a one of a kind musician. There never was, nor there will ever be another one like him. He had the best feel, the best personality and the best musicality of any musician I have ever met. I miss him a lot and still think about him all the time. All of us who were in his circle still talk about him all the time. He was the best of the best!”
Peter Frampton: “Playing in the studio with him was always a great adventure. He would invent stuff no one else would come up with, making the song feel amazing. Yes, he was one of the best drummers ever, but it was his humility and caring for those around him that made him one of the best people ever, too.”
July 18, 2015 @ 12:44
THE cat.
December 25, 2020 @ 20:23
Wow! I really cannot describe in words. When it comes to the brilliance and drumming technique as demonstrated by the late and great Jeff Porcaro.What he did was nothing short of spectacular.Steely Dan. Boz Scaggs. Seals &Crofts.And many others were in awe.His drums are still heard on the radio today. Africa
by Toto. I keep forgetting by Michael McDonald. And Like A Prayer by Madonna.And on my I-pad screen Music videos and his drum instruction.Still the best and there will never be anyone like him again.The brightest and shining star and Leader of Heavens Rhythm Section.aStill number one and the greatest of all time.