Born May 16, 1944 in Panama City, Billy Cobham is one of the most important drummers in the world. He is best known for his jazz-fusion style in the 1970s with John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra. There he created a unique style of drumming that combines jazz, rock, and funk. In the Down Beat music polls, he is the first drummer not to be defeated by Buddy Rich. Cobham has recorded and played with many top musicians including Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. He is also known for his fast and spectacular playing. Massive Attack has heard him in “Safe from Harm”, their song that features the beat and bassline of Cobham’s “Stratus” from Spectrum. Souls of Mischief also featured Cobham’s version of “93 Til Infinity” from “Heather”, his album “Crosswinds”. The “Spectrum” album features Tommy Bolin, of Deep Purple, James Gang, and Zephyr fame as lead guitarist. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
