Zak Starkey

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Zak Starkey <tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:Gallery pic2942.jpg Zak Starkey </td></tr>
Background information <tr><td>Birth name</td><td colspan="2">Zak Starkey</td></tr><tr><td>Also known as</td><td colspan="2">Zak Starr</td></tr><tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">September 13, 1965 Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg London, England</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Rock</td></tr><tr><td>Occupation(s)</td><td colspan="2">Drummer</td></tr><tr><td>Instrument(s)</td><td colspan="2">Drums and Percussion</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1980-present</td></tr><tr><td textalign="top" style="padding-right: 1em;">Associated acts</td><td colspan="2">Icicle Works, the Waterboys, ASAP, the Lightning Seeds, Face, Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, The Who, Oasis</td></tr>

Zak Starkey (a.k.a. Zak Starr) (born September 13, 1965 in London, England) is the drummer for two English rock 'n' roll bands, The Who and Oasis. Before that he had also worked with prominent acts such as Johnny Marr, Icicle Works, the Waterboys, ASAP, and the Lightning Seeds. Zak is the first-born son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (real name: Richard Starkey) and his first wife, Maureen Cox.

1 Early life
2 Career
3 External links

[edit] Early life

Starkey received his first small starter drum kit from his father, although legend mistakenly reports that it came from his idol, Keith Moon of the Who. Moon did, however, give Zak his first professional kit – one he previously used in Who recordings, and also gave him some drumming lessons.

At the age of eight, he became interested in music. At ten, he started teaching himself how to play drums after receiving only one lesson from his famous father, who reportedly did not want him following in his footsteps. Although Ringo praises his son's undeniable skills and talents, he said about his son's musical dedication and endeavour that he "always regarded Zak as a lawyer or as a doctor", not a drummer like himself.

By the age of 12, Starkey was already performing in pubs with a band. In his teens, Starkey was a member of the garage act the Next. He eventually landed work with a re-formed Spencer Davis Group. In 1985, shortly after getting married, Starkey released a musical version of Wind in the Willows with Eddie Hardin. On September 7, 1985 a week before his 20th birthday, his daughter was born making his father, Ringo Starr, the first grandfather of all Beatles' members. He suffered the tragic loss of his mother in 1994 when she died of leukemia, despite a bone marrow transplant in which Zak was the donor.

[edit] Career

[edit] (1996-present) The Who

In 1996, Starkey left his band Face, to fulfill a childhood dream of joining The Who. He has received very good reviews in this role – especially from Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey – for being a strong drumming presence but without explicitly imitating Moon. Zak has been the full-time drummer for The Who since their 1996 Quadrophenia Tour. Both Townshend and Daltrey have stated that he is the best drummer The Who have had since the death of original drummer Keith Moon. He has provided the drum work for one track on The Who's new album Endless Wire, which was released on October 31, 2006, and the two tracks released in 2004 on The Who: Then and Now. Starkey however was unavailable to lay down the drumline for the recent Who single "Wire & Glass" because he was on tour with Oasis. Starkey is currently on tour with The Who. According to Pete Townshend's official web site, Zak has been invited to become a full member of The Who.[1]

[edit] (2004-present) Oasis

In 2004, Starkey joined the famous Britpop band Oasis, filling a void left by longtime drummer Alan White's departure. In May 2005, Noel Gallagher revealed to the BBC that Starkey had recorded in recent recording sessions for their new album, Don't Believe The Truth. Starkey performed on all but one of the tracks on "Don't Believe The Truth" and subsequent b-sides. In an official promotional video for the album, Zak commented on the band and the sessions, saying, "It was amazing. They're all singers, They're all guitar players, they're all songwriters, they're all producers... and they're all fucking drummers."

Starkey participated in every show on Oasis 2005/2006 world tour and also appeared in the promo videos for the singles. However, as he isn't an official member of the band yet, Starkey very rarely appeared with the rest of the band in promotional activities such as interviews and photo-shoots.

After the end of tours in April, Noel Gallagher confirmed that the official drummer place is offered to Starkey, but the latter isn't expected to join Oasis before his current working engagements with the Who are completed in middle 2007. Noel also said that he felt Starkey had strong emotional ties with The Who and that he didn't think Zak would ever leave them completely, and also adding that he was contented to have Starkey alternate his career between the two bands.

[edit] Other work

Zak had established himself as a sought-after session musician and as a gifted and proven drummer, playing drums for artists such as Icicle Works, the Waterboys, ASAP, and the Lightning Seeds. In addition, he continued to work with other acts, including touring with the Lightning Seeds. In 2000 Starkey was a founding member of Johnny Marr & the Healers, debuting with Boomslang three years later.

[edit] External links

The Who
Roger Daltrey \| Pete Townshend \| John Entwistle \| Keith Moon
Kenney Jones - John "Rabbit" Bundrick - Pino Palladino - Zak Starkey Simon Townshend - Jon Carin - Simon Phillips - Doug Sandom - Colin Dawson
Listings
Personnel - Discography - Filmography - The Who in popular culture
Other related people
Peter Meaden - Kit Lambert - Chris Stamp

Discography
Oasis
Liam Gallagher \| Noel Gallagher \| Gem Archer \| Andy Bell \| Zak Starkey
Tony McCarroll \| Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs \| Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan \| Alan White
Studio albums: Definitely Maybe \| (What's the Story) Morning Glory? \| Be Here Now \| Standing on the Shoulder of Giants \| Heathen Chemistry \| Don't Believe the Truth
Compilations: The Masterplan \| Stop the Clocks
DVDs: Live by the Sea \| …There and Then \| Familiar to Millions \| Definitely Maybe – The DVD
Films: Lord Don't Slow Me Down
Related articles
The Rain \| Britpop \| Owen Morris \| Creation Records \| Big Brother \| Awards and nominations