CARMINE APPICE

Carmine Appice will be forever known for his drumming power, showmanship and personality. Like his first influence, Gene Krupa, his playing is aggressive and his style is hard-hitting. His role as a player--and as an educator, author and clinician--in the development of rock drumming is a significant one.

Carmine first hooked up with bassist Tim Bogert when both helped form Vanilla Fudge in 1967. Carmine and Tim created a unique harmony as the backdrop for the group’s high-volume, pre-metal sound. They recorded five albums with Fudge, one of the most influential bands in the history of rock, before departing to create Cactus, a blues rock quartet with Rusty Day on vocals and Jim McCarty on guitar. Appice and Bogert later left Cactus to form a powerful trio with Jeff Beck, called "Beck, Bogert, and Appice." After a successful period as a session player, Rod Stewart invited Carmine to join him on tour. after auditioning 40 drummers. He spent seven years with Stewart, during the peak of Stewart’s fame and fortune.

After touring with Rod Stewart, Carmine took a break to pursue independent interests. He released a solo album, "Rockers," and he promoted it touring the U.S. and Japan. He next joined King Kobra and recorded two albums and toured internationally.

While working with Vanilla Fudge, Carmine Appice wrote "Realistic Rock," the first instructional drum book written by an actual rock drummer. It remains a best-selling title today and was voted one of the top 25 drum books of all time by Modern Drummer magazine. Carmine was the first rock drummer to conduct international clinics and symposiums on college campuses, theaters, and in music stores. Currently, he's conducting clinics and teaching master classes in front of record-breaking crowds around the world. He also plans to release "The Children’s Book of Rhythm," an instructional book for kids, while continuing to produce and release DVDs through his company, Power Rock.

Carmine Appice received numerous awards. including "best contemporary drummer" and "best rock drummer." Immortalized in 1991 with induction into the Hollywood Rock Walk, Carmine’s handprints and signature now lay next to his idols Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, and legends John Bonham, Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, and Alex Van Halen.

In 2000, Carmine and Tim Bogert reunited and joined Vince Martell for two performances as Vanilla Fudge. Then they toured Japan with Japanese guitar legend Char. Later that year, Carmine and Tim joined forces with Rick Derringer and worked on a classic hard rock album called "Doing Business As."

It's been 41 years since Carmine Appice first took the stage with Vanilla Fudge, and he's still rocking. And still contributing.