Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Ronald Vannucci Jr. (born February 15, 1976) is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for the rock band the Killers. He is also involved in a side project called Big Talk and became the drummer of the Rentals in 2018.
Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Early life[edit]
Vannucci was born in Las Vegas to an American couple with Italian, French, and German ancestry. He began drumming at the age of six.[1] He was a part of his junior high school's jazz ensemble and later attended both Clark and Western High Schools. Vannucci played in various local bands. His first band was Purple Dirt.[2]
Vannucci drummed for several local bands, including ska-punk group Attaboy Skip, who enjoyed regional success in the mid-1990s and featured Branden Campbell (of Neon Trees);[3] Free Food, a cover band who played at prisons and homeless shelters in the Las Vegas area; and Expert On October, a band that also included Ted Sablay and Taylor Milne (of Big Talk).[2]
Vannucci currently uses Craviotto drums, DW pedals and hardware, Remo heads and Istanbul Agop cymbals. Vannuci previously endorsed and used Zildjian cymbals. While with Zildjian, he also had signature model drumsticks that have since been discontinued. After leaving Zildjian, he switched to Innovative Percussion drumsticks, debuting a brand new signature model along with a signature model bass drum beater.[14] His current set-up is as follows:
Personal life[edit]
Vannucci married Lisa Ann Yoakum on May 2, 2003. They had one pet dog, a boxer named Archie. Archie gained notoriety during the recording of Big Talk due to Vannucci's frequently tweeted pictures of him in the studio. He also enjoys ranching in his free time.[15] Vannucci and Yoakum divorced in 2016.[16]
Vannucci married Olivia Peloubet on October 7, 2017. They live in Pebble Beach, California.