Profile of Zak Starkey on Famous Like Me

Zak Starkey (born September 13, 1965) is the current rock & roll drummer of the famous Britpop band Oasis. Before that he had also worked with prominent acts like The Who (who he still sometimes works with) and Johnny Marr. Zak is the first-born son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) and Maureen Cox. He was born in London, England.

He received his first small starter drum kit from his father, although legend mistakenly reports that it came from his idol, Keith Moon of The Who (ironically enough, he would replace Moon after he died as the drummer of The Who. Keith had given Zak his first massive professional kit - one previously used by Moon with The Who. By 12, Starkey was already performing in pubs with a band. In his teens, Starkey was a member of the garage act the Next. He eventually landed work at with a re-formed Spencer Davis Group. In 1985, shortly after getting married, Starkey released a musical version of Wind in the Willows with Eddie Hardin. On September 7, 1985, his daughter was born. This made his father, Ringo Starr, the youngest grandfather of all Beatles' members. Unfortunately he suffered a blow when his mother died of leukemia in 1994, despite a bone marrow transplant in which Zak was donor.

At the age of eight, he became interested in music. At ten, he started teaching himself how to play drums after receiving only one lesson from his famous father, who reportedly did not want him following in his footsteps. Although that Ringo appraises his son's undeniable skills and talents, he said about latters's musical dedication and endeavour that he "always regarded Zak as a lawyer or as a doctor", not a drummer like himself.

Despite Zak's popular father, his middle name isn't "[comma] son of Ringo [comma]" and he actually has a long and varied list of credits to his name. Zak had established himself a sought-after session musician and as gifted and proven drummer, playing drums for artists like Icicle Works, the Waterboys, ASAP, and the Lightning Seeds. In 1996, Starkey left his band Face, to fulfill his childhood dream of joining The Who. He has received very good notices in this role for being a strong drumming presence but without explicitly imitating Moon.

In addition, he continued to work with other acts, including touring with the Lightning Seeds. In 2000 Starkey was a founding member of Johnny Marr & the Healers, debuting with Boomslang three years later.

Joining Oasis (2004-)

In 2004, Starkey joined the famous Britpop band Oasis, filling a void left by longtime drummer Alan "Whitey" White. Starkey participated in the recording process of the group's upcoming album in Los Angeles during sessions of September-December 2004, providing drums on all of the tracks of the album and the b-sides (only one mere track - "Mucky Fingers" hasn't Starkey's performance). Zak described the sessions: "It was amazing. I was with four guys that were all songwriters, all guitar-players, all producers and all fucking drummers!"

Zak also appeares as a member of the band in their videos and is playing on the supporting tour of the record this year. However, his involvement with The Who and Johnny Marr suffered, because of this tour and Zak was obliged to resolve his contractual obligations with these acts.

The Who (2006-)

When the Pete Townshend and Company reconvene for recording (possibly early 2006), expect Zak to be there.

External link

• Kathy's Zak Site - frequently updated fansite of Zak with lot of info about his session and touring work
• Oasis Fanatic - An online community of Oasis fans
• The Who Discussion Forum

			Oasis
Current line-up: Liam Gallagher – Noel Gallagher – Gem Archer – Andy Bell – Zak Starkey Ex-members: (Alan White) – (Paul McGuigan) – (Paul Arthurs) – (Tony McCaroll) Studio Albums: Definitely Maybe, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Be Here Now, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, Heathen Chemistry, Don't Believe the Truth Other Albums: The Masterplan, Familiar to Millions DVD Releases: Live By The Sea, ...There And Then, Familiar to Millions, Definitely Maybe - The DVD Related: Britpop – Owen Morris – Alan McGee – Big Brother

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Zak Starkey