Vinnie Colaiuta, a well-respected drummer based in Los Angeles, is one of his many fans. He is originally from Brownsville, Pennsylvania. At the age of 14, he started playing drums and was given his first drum set by his parents. Colaiuta moved to Los Angeles after a year at the Berklee College of Music. He made a decent living by playing in lounge bands. At 22 years old, he got his break when he auditioned to Frank Zappa’s show. This audition required him to perform “The Black Page”, a notoriously difficult piece. Colaiuta was accepted and he went on to become Zappa’s principal drummer in studio performances and live performances. Many drummers consider Colaiuta’s performances in Zappa’s albums Tinsel Town Rebellion and Joe’s Garage to be some of the best ever recorded. In a 1993 Modern Drummer article, Joe’s Garage was ranked among the top 25 drumming performances. Colaiuta left Zappa to continue his work with a number of rock and pop musicians, including Joni Mitchell, Gino Vannelli, Sandy, and Barbra Streisand.
