Anthony Liberto, professional drummer.
Led Zeppelin is what got me interested in playing. Bonham’s big drum sound & great parts that fit every song, along with John Paul Jones laying down awesome bass lines is what it’s all about.

I took piano lessons in grade school. My father decided to get me a piano. One day he came home and saw me beating the shit out of the keys. He ran and told my mom: This son of a bitch don’t want to play the piano, he wants to play the drums. So out went the piano and in came the drum kit.

I like to listen to the classic bands like Yes, Aerosmith, Jethro Tull, Rush, Bad Company, the Ramones, and the Sex Pistols, 80’s hair bands, 60’s garage stuff and fusion music.

Some of the modern bands I listen to are: Puddle of Mudd, Hoobastank, Fuel, Disturbed, No Doubt & Incubus, Velvet Revolver, and Linkin Park .

I listen to Howard Stern in the morning. He is just out of his mind. If you listen to him and don’t laugh, you have no sense of humor and take yourself too serious. I do watch some TV shows, but not many. The shows I do watch are: Columbo, Seinfeld, The 3 Stooges, and The Munsters. I also like to watch the Spanish stations which are Telemundo & Univision. I don’t understand a word of what they are saying, but they have the hottest looking babes on their TV shows. You can also see good fist fights on their version of the Jerry Springer & Judge Judy type shows ...

Roxy Music Drummer Paul Thompson official Home Page - including - Biography, discography ,equipment and influences, plus guestbook.
Paul was born in Newcastle on 13th May 1951 and went to live in Jarrow at the age of six months .He attended West Simonside infants and junior school, "I remember the music lessons in the infants,there were drums ,triangles,bells ,tambourines etc, I always wanted to try the drum, but never got picked , so one day I waited until everyone left the classroom ,I slung the drum over my shoulder and rattled out a tune, thats when I knew I could play !".

"A meccano set,cardboard boxes,and biscuit tins,along with an aptitude for making things, developed into my first drum kit. I used to play along to records,The Beatles,The Stones and the Tornado's,I hadn't yet developed enough mechanical skill to make a bass drum pedal , so I used to stamp on the floor!".

"At the tender age of eleven I persuaded my parents to let me buy a drum, I'd spotted it in a neighbours catalogue, it was called a Kat-Kit, a 14"x3" snare with calf heads and a 10" cymbal on an arm attached to the stand, still no bass drum , still stamping on the floor,but I did manage to join a band " Johnny Blue & The Blue Boys" they were called".

School days :- "sometimes ended up going round to a friends house( Bryan Luke) to play on his old antiquated kit, he did have a bass drum though, and I did learn a lot, playing along to Bobby Elliot and the Hollies ...

Gio Rossi, drummer: swinging drummer. jazz, blues, boogie, funky, alternative music. free demo cd rom. gio rossi play with blend, egidio ingala, laura fedele, alberto marsico and many other musicians !

Charles Connor's (Little Richard's original Drummer) Official
Web page.
CHARLES “Keep-A-Knockin” CONNOR, original drummer for Little Richard, created the unique “Choo Choo Train” style of successive eighth notes with a loud backbeat used by nearly all subsequent Rock 'n' Roll drummers and, in fact, his drumsticks are on display at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.


The son of a chief chef Merchant Marine seaman and father from Santo-Domingo and a Louisiana-born mother, CONNOR reveals, "I was born in New Orleans, in the heart of the French Quarter, the very hub of Cajun, Blues and down-island rhythms. My mother told me that whenever music was played, I kicked really hard in her womb.” He grins and exclaims, “I was born to be a drummer!” He winks and continues, “Probably 'cuz of that exotic Creole and Dominican blood coursing through my veins,” then laughs mischievously.


As a toddler, CONNOR was drawn to marching parades and the “second-line funeral bands” playing Dixieland jazz through the streets of New Orleans and loved to hear his father, home on a three-month leave, sing Calypso songs around the house. Imitating the drums, CONNOR banged on pots and pans all-day and cried hard when his mother had to take them away to cook family meals.


Although his parents had two other sons and a daughter and could not afford expensive gifts, they saved enough money to buy CONNOR his first drum set when he was five. When his drumming became “a loud nuisance” to the neighbors, he practiced with his drumsticks four to five hours a day on a practice pad.


Inspired by such notables as Bob Alden, Art Blakey, Charles Otis, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and Max Roach, CONNOR dreamed big and diligently spent all his spare time working towards his goal of becoming “a professional drummer.” His hard work paid off at age 12 when he began playing drums for local parties and wedding receptions, but his “professional” career began at 15 when Roy “Professor Longhair” Byrd hired him as a last-minute replacement for the 1950 Mardi Gras in New Orleans.


With family blessings and his mother's sage advice, “never use your skin color as an excuse; never doubt yourself; if you believe in yourself, everybody else will, too,” CONNOR went on to drum for Smiley Lewis, Guitar Slim, Jack Dupree then Shirley and Lee.


At 18, CONNOR joined flamboyant Little Richard's original road band, The Upsetters, his joy marred only by the deep racial intolerance the band had to endure. CONNOR says, “[Black] musicians back then didn't have Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr to motivate them. We had to find inspiration from our faith and within our hearts.”


CONNOR cocks his head and says, “Little Richard was an ingenious promoter. To draw attention to his band and ensure they could perform on stage, he had to show bigots that the band wouldn't threaten their way of life. Little Richard promoted the band and avoided racial prejudice by insisting the musicians wear thick pancake makeup and act effeminate!”


CONNOR pulls at his chin, and then smiles as he admits, “ I really had fun. I worked with artists like Lloyd Price during vacations from Little Richard and, since Little Richard and James Brown shared the same booking agent, on "off-nights" I appeared with “The Godfather of Soul,” who coined the phrase, “CONNOR was the first to put the funk in the rhythm!”


CONNOR continues: “I was 20 when Little Richard's band toured the United States in 1955. We played all the major theaters, including such prestigious venues as the Turner Arena and Howard Theater in Washington, D.C.; the Royal Theater in Baltimore, Maryland; the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the Paramount Theater with Alan Freed in Brooklyn.” He says in awe, “In New York, the white teenagers saw blacks having so much fun that they would dance in the aisles with them! Man, those were heady times,” and chuckles aloud.


While on a 1955 tour of Japan and the Philippines, a young girl approached CONNOR, and asked for an autograph, but he had no idea then that she would later influence his life. The years disappear as he grins and, in wonderment, says “[For some reason] I wrote: I hope you come to America someday. Keep Rock 'n' Roll in your life.”


Gaining momentum in 1956, Little Richard's band appeared in such popular feature films as “The Girl Can't Help It” with actress Jayne Mansfield; “Don't Knock the Rock” and “Mr. Rock 'n' Roll.” Then, as Rock 'n' Roll exploded on the music scene, the band recorded several hit songs like “Keep-A-Knockin',” featuring CONNOR'S first four-bar drum intro on a Rock 'n' Roll record; “ Ooh! My Soul,” also featuring CONNOR'S distinctive "Choo Choo Train" beat; and “She's Got It,” with a regular backbeat. CONNOR reminisces, “The Civil Rights Act may have been passed in 1964, but Rock 'n' Roll music brought young people and the world together a decade earlier.” He concludes proudly, “We got respect and power; our popularity cut across racial lines” ...

Toni Cannelli first entered the world of professional drumming 21 years ago at the age of 17. He has performed with many artists including Mac and Katie Kissoon, and top U.K. guitarists Jim Mullen and Gary Boyle.

In 1987 Toni set up The Drummers' Alliance, an organisation to promote drums and percussion. The Drummers' Alliance has set up, and run four of the U.K's biggest drumming events in the form of National U.K. drumming competitions.

In 1990 Toni Cannelli joined forces with Sabian cymbals, Remo drums and Vic Firth sticks.

As an educator and clinician, he has performed over 200 drum workshops including the first Scottish drum festival, alongside U.S. drummer Gregg Bissonette. He has also performed joint drum clinics with Ricky Lawson (Michael Jackson's drummer), Jim Chapin (Top Drum Educator), Mike Mangini (drummer for Steve Vai and Extreme), Akira Jimbo (Japan's number 1 drummer!) and world famous drummer, Dennis Chambers.

Toni Cannelli does private teaching in Sheffield (U.K.) His ex-students have gone on to play with artists such as Chaka Khan, S Club 7, Coolio, Spice Girls, and Moloko. Tony is also a regular contributor to U.K. drumming magazine, Rhythm.