Pierre van der Linden was born in the Netherlands on 19 February 1946. His jazz drumming style is heavily influenced by Buddy Rich, his childhood hero. He was a drummer with Jan Akkerman, a well-known guitarist in the 1960s. They played in groups like the Friendship Quartet and Johnny and the Cellar Rockers, the Hunters and Brainbox. He joined Akkerman in Focus, a progressive rock band that brought them international fame in late 1970. His drum fills on “Hocus Pocus”, a proto-metal, serio-comic single, became in the seventies what “Wipe Out” was in the sixties. They were a radio station staple in the United States. He was dissatisfied by the band’s shift to a more mainstream, commercial sound that included simpler, less syncopated time signatures. In October 1973, he quit Focus. However, Trace, a Dutch supergroup, was quickly enlisted by Rick van der Linden, his second cousin, and Jaap van Eik, bassist. Pierre briefly returned to the group after Colin Allen, the Focus replacement, left in 1975. He also performed live dates and recorded a track called “Glider”, which was later released on the “Ship of Memories” LP. Jan Akkerman recorded him on Jan’s 1976 solo album, “Eli”, and “Floatin” on Akkerman’s 1977 eponymous release. He recorded also with Jasper van’t Hof, a jazz keyboardist, and Sweet’d Buster’s 1980 album “Out of the Blue”. He recorded and performed live with Advance Warning in the 1990s. In 2004, he reunited with Thijs van leer in Focus, the keyboardist/flautist with whom he records and performs live in venues around the globe. Wikipedia
