George Peter Sluppick (born January 14, 1968 in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. to George Thomas Scott Sluppick and Rosa Lee Deckard) is an American touring and session drummer, best known for his association with bands such as The City Champs, Robert Walter's 20th Congress,

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After ga ...

JJ Grey & Mofro JJ Grey & Mofro (formerly Mofro) is an American Southern soul- rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. History Early career The early days of Mofro can be traced back to the mid-nineties when John Higginbotham aka "JJ Grey" and Daryl Hance signe ...

and the

Chris Robinson Brotherhood Chris Robinson Brotherhood was an American blues rock band formed in 2011 by Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson while the Crowes were on hiatus. The original lineup consisted of Robinson (vocals, guitar), Neal Casal (lead guitar, backing voc ...

Life and career

Under his father's

tutelage Tutoring is private academic support, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides ...

and his mother's large record collection, George learned very quickly how to play with a band and at 7 years old, made his first public performance at the Goodlett Elementary School carnival in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. During high school, George played in rock bands and cut his teeth playing blues on

Beale Street Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, t ...

and sitting in with luminaries like B. B. King. He graduated in 1986 from Overton High School in

, where he sang second tenor in the concert choir and played drums for their award winning gospel choir. After graduation, George put together a blues trio with his father, "Big George" and guitarist, Joe Hardin called, Triple Threat but the name was short lived and changed to TBC (Tennessee Blues Connection). In early 1987, he auditioned for

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

's band and joined the blues artist for one month, opening shows for B. B. King,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

and Carl Perkins. From 1988 until 1991, he toured the southeast college circuit with two rock-n-roll bands, Big Fish & the Crime. In July 1991, George moved to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

and while there played with Billy Bacon & The Forbidden Pigs, Robin Henkel, Eric Lieberman, Billy Watson, the cat Mary,

& Robert Walter's 20th Congress, touring all over North America and Japan. Spending three years drumming with the cat Mary, George recorded on several of the group's albums, the most critically acclaimed one was ''Her High, Lonesome Days'' (Orchard Music Group). With

he recorded on two of their albums, ''Live in Japan'' ( Sony Japan) and ''Rockin’ Christmas'' (The Gold Label). During this time, he also recorded with Robert Walter’s 20th Congress on ''Giving Up the Ghost'' (Magnatude Records),

Gary Jules Gary Jules Aguirre Jr. (born March 19, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, known primarily for his cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", which he recorded with his friend Michael Andrews for the film ''Donnie Darko''. It ...

’ multi-platinum album ''Trading Snake Oil for Wolftickets'' (

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

), and on a tune with singer

Judith Owen Judith Owen (born 2 January 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her first North American album, ''Emotions on a Postcard'', was released in 1996 and has been followed by several additional albums. She is co-founder of Twanky Records with her hu ...

for the soundtrack to the film, ''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark Andrus. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted, and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as ...

'' (

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

). George moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in May 2003 and for three months played with the late soul jazz guitarist

Melvin Sparks Melvin Sparks (March 22, 1946 – March 15, 2011) was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records. He appeared on several recordings with musici ...

. In September 2003, George joined

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

.-based JJ Grey &

Mofro JJ Grey & Mofro (formerly Mofro) is an American Southern soul-rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. History Early career The early days of Mofro can be traced back to the mid-nineties when John Higginbotham aka "JJ Grey" and Daryl Hance signed ...

, a relationship that lasted five years. During his time with

, George recorded on three of the band’s albums and toured North America,

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

& Australia. In early March 2005, he moved to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

but when Hurricane Katrina hit the city in September of that year, he moved to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. He stayed in Austin for 10 months and during that time met soul singer

Ruthie Foster Ruthie Cecelia Foster (born February 10, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter of blues and folk music. She mixes a wide palette of American song forms, from gospel and blues to jazz, folk and soul. She has often been compared to Bonnie Raitt ...

and recorded drums on her album, ''The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster'' (Blue Corn), produced by Malcolm "

Papa Mali Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welbourne (born May 6, 1957) is an American record producer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter who grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, and lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. His debut recording ' ...

" Welbourne, which debuted at No. 2 on the '' Billboard'' Blues chart. George came back to

in July 2006 and soon joined up with organist

Al Gamble John Allen "Al" Gamble (born March 11, 1969) is an American, Memphis, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama based, session musician, playing Hammond B-3 organ and keyboards. He is currently the keyboard player for St. Paul and The Broken Bones. E ...

, guitarist Joe Restivo and saxophonist Art Edmaiston to form the boogaloo instrumental band The Grip. The Grip recorded an EP for

Archer Records Archer Records is an independent record label with notoriety in the classical guitar and Americana genres. The label was founded in 2001 in downtown Memphis by Ward Archer, who founded Cotton Row Recording Studios in 1978 and is a former trustee of ...

titled ''Grab This Thing.'' Edmaiston joined JJ Grey &

and both he and George toured together in the band for one year, until George left the group in March 2008. When

's touring schedule picked up and Edmaiston left to go on the road, the three remaining members of The Grip changed the band’s name to The City Champs and played regular gigs in Memphis, including The Buccaneer Lounge. The Tuesday night sessions caught the ear of

producer Scott Bomar who decided to record the band and ultimately released their first album on his Electraphonic Records label. In 2008, working alongside Bomar, George and

played on the score for the film, '' Gospel Hill'', which stars Angela Bassett,

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series '' Breaking Bad'', from 2009 to 2011, and in its prequel series ''Better ...

, Danny Glover,

Julia Stiles Julia O'Hara Stiles (born March 28, 1981) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Stiles began acting at the age of 11 as part of New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Her film debut was a small role in ''I'' ''Love Yo ...

and

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

. The City Champs' first album, ''The Safecracker'', received rave reviews from critics worldwide. In February 2010, The City Champs were asked to join The North Mississippi Allstars on a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

tour, during which they opened the shows, as well as sat-in with the band during their sets. Also in 2010, The City Champs took part in the filming of a music documentary titled ''Take Me To The River'', March 2014. This Cody Dickinson and Martin Shore-produced film showcases

music legends recording with younger Memphis artists. The City Champs teamed up with

harmonica legend

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the white bluesmen who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal f ...

and renowned

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is a group of American session musicians based in the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. One of the most prominent American studio house bands from the 1960s to the 1980s, these musicians, individually or a ...

bassist, David Hood to film a segment for this project. In November 2010, The City Champs once again teamed with Scott Bomar and released their second album ''The Set-Up'' (Electraphonic). ''The Set-Up'' includes instrumental original music by the band, plus a cover of

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as Soul Position, MHz Lega ...

’s ''A Beautiful Mine'' (the theme to

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

TV’s ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...

''). Some tracks on The Set-Up also include horn players Marc Franklin, Jim Spake, Kirk Smothers and

percussionist, Felix Hernandez. Motown legend

Jack Ashford Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934), known to his friends as Jashford, is an American musician widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing th ...

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

, contributed

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

to the recording, as well. The Champs' music has been featured in the MTV series ''$5 Cover'' and in the Emmy Award-winning documentary film ''I Am a Man: From Memphis, A Lesson in Life.'' In December 2010, George received a phone call from

Black Crowes Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

front man, Chris Robinson, who asked him to come to Los Angeles and play drums with his new group,

. Robinson had been given a copy of ''The Set-Up'' from Sluppick's longtime friend and Crowes' guitarist,

Luther Dickinson Luther Andrews Dickinson (born January 18, 1973) is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the North Mississippi Allstars and the son of record producer Jim Dickinson. He is also known for being the lead guitarist for The Black Crowes. He hosts ''G ...

. In February 2011, George produced and played drums on soul singer Billy Seward's debut record, ''Better Place'', released in August 2011. George toured with the Brotherhood from March 2011 to January 2015 and recorded three studio albums with them, '' Big Moon Ritual'', ''

The Magic Door ''The Magic Door'' (also known as ''The Magic Door Television Theatre'') was a Jewish educational television series, aimed at providing kiruv (outreach) to Jewish children in the Chicago metropolitan area but intended to appeal to all children ...

'' & '' Phosphorescent Harvest'' and two live albums, '' Betty's Blends, Volume's 1 & 2'' (Silver Arrow Records). He lives in

Selected discography

*The Cat Mary, ''Her High, Lonesome Days'' (Orchard Music Group)
*Kait Lawson, ''Until We Drown'' (Madjack Records)
*Jesse Aycock, ''Flowers And Wounds'' (Horton Records)
*Soundtrack, ''As Good As It Gets'' (Sony)
*Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, ''Giving Up The Ghost'' (Magnatude Records)
*Mofro, ''Blackwater'' (Alligator Records)
*Mofro, ''Lochloosa'' (Alligator Records)
*JJ Grey & Mofro, ''Country Ghetto'' (Alligator Records)
*Gary Jules, ''Trading Snake Oil For Wolftickets'' (Universal Records)
*Ruthie Foster, ''The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster'' (Blue Corn)
*The City Champs, ''The Safecracker'' (Electraphonic Recordings)
*The City Champs, ''The Set-Up'' (Electraphonic Recordings)
*Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ''Big Moon Ritual'' (Silver Arrow Records)
*Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ''The Magic Door'' (Silver Arrow Records)
*Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ''Phosphorescent Harvest'' (Silver Arrow Records)

References

* "MUSIC: PLAYLIST; Soft Balladry, Raw Angularity And Beats With Heavy Feet," ''The New York Times'', Feb. 18, 2007. * "The Grip Not Backing Off on the Boogaloo," ''The Commercial Appeal'', Sept. 14, 2007. * "George On My Mind," ''Honest Tune'', Dec. 16, 2008. * "Instrumental group The City Champs takes center stage," ''Go Memphis'', April 6, 2009. * "The City Champs: Championing the "Comeback" of the Jazz Age," ''Memphis Magazine'', May 2009. * "Harking Back to Southern Soul, and Then Reveling in Those Sounds," ''The New York Times'', July 16, 2009. * "Follow Through: The City Champs expand their sound on sophomore album The Set-Up," ''Memphis Flyer'', Oct. 28, 2010. * "Triumphant Trio," ''Memphis Magazine'', December 2010.

External links

* http://www.sluppick.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Sluppick, George Living people 1968 births People from Memphis, Tennessee American rock drummers Chris Robinson Brotherhood members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians