Pat Torpey
Pat Torpey (born December 13, 1953 in Cleveland - † February 7, 2018 ) was an American musician . He was a founding member and drummer of the rock band Mr. Big .
Career
Torpey started playing drums when he was seven. In 1983 he moved to Los Angeles, two years later he became the drummer in the band around John Parr , who at the time was supporting Tina Turner on her private dancer tour. He then belonged to Belinda Carlisle's band during their first tour, which they played in support of Robert Palmer . In 1987 he became a member of the band The Knack . There he was poached by Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert to found Mr. Big with them . The group managed to get a record deal with Atlantic Records , but before the band could start recording their debut album, Torpey accompanied Robert Plant on his tour to make his album Now and Zen.
Mr. Big developed into a successful company before the group initially disbanded in 2002.
In 2009 the group found its way back together with its original line-up and released a successful comeback album in 2011. At that time, Torpey noticed the first symptoms of Parkinson's disease , which he initially withheld, but which made his work difficult. Nevertheless, after the tour of the album What If ... released in 2011, he also completed the recordings for the follow-up album ... The Stories We Could Tell , which was started in 2013, and only announced his illness in July 2014. During the tour for this album, Torpey played on selected pieces and the acoustic part of each show himself.
He continued to work in the band and worked as a coach on the recordings of the 2017 album Defying Gravity , for which Matt Starr recorded the drum tracks. With Starr on the drums, the band went on tour with Torpey for this album. Torpey supported his band as a singer of backing vocals and a percussionist . At a concert in Japan, Torpey did the vocals in the encores , while singer Eric Martin played the drums. With him as a singer, the group played the song We're an American Band by Grand Funk Railroad , and Torpey "ran across the stage and rocked everything to the ground". In the further course of the tour, which led via Southeast Asia to Europe , Torpey's strength waned noticeably, and at the end of the tour he declared that he had “given everything” and that the band “would have to do without him in the future”. He played his last concert with Mr. Big on November 23, 2017 in Wolverhampton .
Torpey died on February 7, 2018, at the age of 64, of "complications related to his Parkinson's disease."
Discography (selection)
With Mr. Big
- Mr. Big (1989)
- Lean Into It (1991)
- Bump Ahead (1993)
- Hey Man (1996)
- Get Over It (1999)
- Actual Size (2001)
- What If ... (2011)
- ... The Stories We Could Tell (2014)
- Defying Gravity (2017)
solo
- Odd Man Out (1998)
- Odd Man Out: Y2K (1999)
With Richie Kotzen
- What Is ... (1998)
- Change (2003)
- I'm comin 'out
With velocity
- Impact (1999)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mr. Big Drummer Diagnosed With Parkinson's Disease - sleazeroxx.com , accessed July 24, 2014
- ↑ Drumming against Parkinson's in: Rocks - Das Magazin für Classic Rock, issue 05.2014, page 6
- ↑ Six-day race against gravity in: Rocks - Das Magazin für Classic Rock, issue 04.2017, pages 60–64
- ↑ a b c d e A big one has gone in: Rocks - The magazine for Classic Rock, issue 04.2018, pages 46–49
- ↑ Official statement on the band's website : With breaking hearts we tell you that our brother, friend, drummer and founding member, Pat, passed away Wednesday, February 7 from complications of Parkinson's disease, accessed on February 9, 2018
- ↑ Report at sleazeroxx.com , accessed on February 9, 2018
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Torpey, Pat |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 13, 1953 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cleveland , Ohio , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 7, 2018 |