Drumming News
King Of The Groove / By JR Robinson / Foreword by Quincy Jones
Review by Phil Hood
“Whenever I play, my right foot is word. It’s the money. When I play that right foot, that is it. It is God’s word.” –JR Robinson
There are but a handful of studio drummers who have played hundreds or even thousands of recordings. JR Robinson stands tall on that list and he is one of the last studio stars to work while the music industry still centered around big studios and big productions. Working from the late ‘70s into the 2000s, his right foot, not to mention his left foot and his hands, worked their steady, funky magic as he delivered the goods for Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Bob Seger, George Benson, Whitney Houston, and many more. Along with the Q Posse of Greg Phillingaines (keys) and Louis Johnson (bass), he also was the anchor for hundreds of Quincy Jones-produced tunes. Quincy showed his respect by penning the foreword to this bio.
JR takes us on a tour of his life and provides his unique perspective on six decades of change in the music business. Though his greatest hits might have come in the ‘70s and early ‘80s he continued to record for three decades, delivering the killer rhythms for tunes like “Back In The High Life” (Steve Winwood) and putting the funk in modern albums like Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. The book conveniently includes a QR code that connects to a Spotify list of many JR recordings.
Born in Creston, Iowa in 1954 John started piano lessons early and by seven his parents and stepfather bought him a ‘40s Ludwig Duco set. At ten John played his first gig, backing a nine-year old guitar player on a flatbed truck. That was followed by high school jazz bands and summer music camps where, from famed teacher Ed Soph, he learned how to use the beater and control his rebound, the secrets of his magic foot to this day. He was insanely dedicated to studying the greats of his trade and practicing hard, even earning a gig with the Tommy Dorsey big band in his final year of high school. College at Berklee followed, where his classmates included drumming stars Kenwood Dinard, Vinnie Coliuata, and Steve Smith (Journey). By 1978 he was recording with Rufus and Chaka Khan and his future beckoned him to the city of Angels. Gold records awaited.
I had just finished reading session guitarist and Toto star Steve Lukather’s The Gospel According To Luke when I picked up King of the Groove, so I was already in an ‘80s session player mindset. King Of The Groove captures what it was like to play with the best musicians on the greatest records. I particularly liked the chapters where he discusses the connection he had with so many great bassists, and when he analyzes the legendary studios in which he recorded, many of which sadly no longer exist.
“When you see JR’s drum cases in the hall, it is going to be a good session.”—Dean Parks (session guitarist)
I won’t give away all the interesting tidbits in the book, like Madonna practicing some unusual studio calisthenics while recording “Express Yourself”, or some of the highs and lows of his personal life, but I’ll share one story. While recording “Rock With Me” (Michael Jackson) the band all were tired after many takes. It was a well-written song, but it needed something. Quincy Jones, who was a master at getting artists to give more than they thought they could, walked over to JR’s kit and whispered in his ear “JR, if you could come up with an intro fill that the whole world will forever identify with this song…yeah…do that on this next take.” He thought for a second and in a crazy blaze of insight or desperation he decided to play the fill he disliked the most, but with great syncopation. So that’s what he did, and the record stayed at number one on the charts for four weeks.
The comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said that a comedian is not a person who is funny at a party; it’s a person who is funny on command, even when they’re exhausted. Same with great studio musicians. JR always found the right groove when it was needed, regardless of the situation.
Phil Hood has been a music journalist since 1984 and was the co-founder (with Andy Doerschuk) and publisher of DRUM! Magazine from 1992 to 2017, and Traps Magazine from 2004-2007. He began his career in music journalism in 1984 as the editor of Frets Magazine and later was publisher of the recording magazine EQ and Drums & Drumming magazine (1989-91). His favorite drummer might be the one he saw last night.
philhoodmusic@gmail.com
