Steve Ferrone
Steve Ferrone (born 25 April 1950)[1][2] is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Average White Band in the 1970s. Ferrone has recorded and performed with Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Duran Duran, Stevie Nicks, Laura Pausini, Christine McVie, Rick James, Slash, Chaka Khan, Bee Gees, Scritti Politti, Aerosmith, Al Jarreau, Mick Jagger, Johnny Cash, Todd Rundgren and Pat Metheny. Ferrone also hosts The New Guy weekly radio show on Sirius Xm's Tom Petty Radio.
Musical career[edit]
Ferrone played with the band Bloodstone, appearing on their 1975 album Riddle of the Sphinx. He then began playing with Brian Auger's band Oblivion Express, which had previously featured drummer Robbie McIntosh.
McIntosh later joined the Average White Band, but just after releasing their first number-one album, he died of a heroin overdose. Ferrone was asked to join AWB in his place and stayed with them for the next eight years, recording and playing concert tours to support several hit albums, until AWB broke up in 1982.
Since appearing on Chaka Khan's 1978 debut album, Ferrone went on to play on most of her subsequent albums in the 80s, including "Naughty" with former AWB band member Hamish Stuart. In 1985, Ferrone joined the Saturday Night Live house band and was there for the 1985–86 season.[3] He contributed as session drummer for Duran Duran on the Notorious, Big Thing, Duran Duran, and Thank You albums. He also toured with Duran Duran on the Strange Behaviour Tour in support of Notorious. He also toured and recorded with Eric Clapton from 1986 to 1992. During rehearsals in London for the George Harrison tour, he played drums for Duran Duran at Abbey Road Studios and recorded "Ordinary World."[3] In 1991, Ferrone played drums on the George Harrison tour in Japan including three nights at the Tokyo Dome.[3]
Ferrone met guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when the two played a show with George Harrison as part of his Hara and the Hijack band at Royal Albert Hall. He became the band's full-time drummer after the departure of original drummer Stan Lynch in 1994. Ferrone's first album with the band was Tom Petty's second solo outing Wildflowers, released that same year. His first live performance as a member of the Heartbreakers was in Louisville, Kentucky on 28 February 1995.
In November 2002, Ferrone set up Drumroll Studios in Burbank, California with financial advisor Alan Arora and the technical expertise of producer John Jones, with whom he had worked since Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" in 1992. Later, they were joined by guitarist and producer Steve Postell. Together they recorded and produced albums and tracks for a variety of musical acts, as well as film and TV scores.
Ferrone released a live solo album titled It Up: Steve Ferrone and Friends Live at La Ve Lee in 2003.
In 2007, he played drums on the self-titled debut album by The Black and White Years, produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads.
In 2010, Ferrone played on the eponymous first solo album by Slash, and joined the Italian band Pooh. He also worked on a collaborative project with composer and musician Eric Alexandrakis, guitarist and composer Warren Cuccurullo, and producer and songwriter Anthony J. Resta. Explaining the purpose of that project in a Modern Drummer news release, Alexandrakis said, "The four of us decided to create a scoring collective to pursue scoring projects in TV themes, film and advertising."[4][5] In August 2018, he was announced as drummer for Dire Straits Legacy prior to their first US tour, consisting of 10 dates.[6]
In 2019, Ferrone recorded session drums for Stroke 9's studio album, Calafrio.[7]
On 10 July 2019, Ferrone was inducted into the Brighton Music Walk of Fame in his hometown of Brighton, England.[8]
1974: Live Oblivion Vol. 1 – Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
1974: Straight Ahead – Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
1974: Burglar –
Freddie King
1975: Riddle of the Sphinx –
Bloodstone
1976: Soul Searching – AWB
1976: Larger Than Life – Freddie King
1976: Person To Person (live) – AWB
1976: Real Thing – Real Thing
1977: Benny & Us – AWB
1977: Burnin' At The Stake –
Domenic Troiano Band
1977: Up –
Morrissey–Mullen
1977:
The Atlantic Family Live at Montreux
1978: Warmer Communications – AWB
1979: Feel No Fret – AWB
1979: Castles in the Air –
Felix Cavaliere
1980: Invisible Man's Band – Invisible Man's Band
1980: Shine – AWB
1980: Volume VIII – AWB
1981: – Chaka Khan
What Cha' Gonna Do for Me
1982: Cupid's in Fashion – AWB
1982: – Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
1983: – Jeffrey Osborne
Stay With Me Tonight
1983: Emergency –
Melissa Manchester
1984: – Chaka Khan
I Feel For You
1984: – Jeffrey Osborne
Don't Stop
1985: – Scritti Politti ("Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)", "Don't Work That Hard" and "Absolute")
Cupid & Psyche 85
1985: Gettin' Away with Murder –
Patti Austin
1985: – George Benson
20/20
1986: – Chaka Khan
Destiny
1987: Two Stories –
The Williams Brothers
1987: Humansystem –
TM Network
1988: – Duran Duran
Big Thing
1988: – Roberta Flack
Oasis
1988: – Peabo Bryson
Positive
1988: – Chaka Khan
C.K.
1991: – Eric Clapton
24 Nights
1991: Inside Out –
Clive Griffin
1991: Love Life –
Akiko Yano
1992: – Eric Clapton
Unplugged
1992: Road to Freedom –
Grayson Hugh
1992: – Chaka Khan
The Woman I Am
1993: Spin 1ne 2wo –
Spin 1ne 2wo
1993: – Duran Duran
The Wedding Album
1993: Head to Head – Jonathan Butler
1993: – George Benson
Love Remembers
1993: Independence –
Lulu
1993: Clive Griffin – Clive Griffin
1994: Hold On –
Alan Frew
1994: – Bryan Ferry
Mamouna
1994: – Anita Baker
Rhythm of Love
1994: – Patti Austin
That Secret Place
1995: Shadow Man – Sasha Gracanin featuring
Mick Taylor
1996: Las Cosas Que Vives – Laura Pausini
1996: I'm Doing Fine –
Dan Hill
1996: – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Songs and Music from She's the One
1998: One Moment in Time – John Jones
1999: – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Echo
2002: – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Last DJ
2003: It Up: Steve Ferrone and Friends Live at La Ve Lee
2004: Live at Shibuya Public Hall – Tokyo, Japan 1983 — George Duke Band
2004: Freak Out – Chris Catena
2004: Come As You Are —
Mindi Abair
2004: — Keb' Mo'
Keep It Simple
2006: More Head – Steve Ferrone's Farm Fur
2006: — Keb' Mo'
Suitcase
2007: "Zen Blues Quartet" – with Tim Scott, Jeff Young and John March
2008: The Black and White Years –
The Black and White Years
2009: black n white album – John Jones
2009: – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Live Anthology
2009 "Zen Blues Quartet, Again and Yet again" with Mike Finnigan, Tim Scott and John March
2010: – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Mojo
2010: Dove Comincia il Sole –
Pooh
2011: – Stevie Nicks
In Your Dreams
2011: Dedicated – A Salute to the 5 Royales –
Steve Cropper
2014: – Steve Ferrone & Friends
Live
2014: – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Hypnotic Eye
2014: – Ziggy Marley
Fly Rasta
2015: – LeAnn Rimes
Today Is Christmas
2016: – Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
2017: Three Sixty –
The 360 Band
2017: Bidin' My Time –
Chris Hillman
2021: – Steve Ferrone & Friends II