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Jimmy DeGrasso (born March 16, 1963) is an American heavy metal drummer. DeGrasso played with
Mama's Boys Mama's Boys were a 1980s hard rock/ heavy metal group from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The band includes the three McManus brothers Pat, a.k.a. "The Professor", (guitar, fiddle), John (bass, vocals), and Tommy (drums). Later in the ...
and
Lita Ford Lita Rossana Ford (born 19 September 1958) is an English-born American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal sol ...
before eventually working with Y&T and
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
and as a session or touring musician for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
(1986),
White Lion The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest ...
(1991), Fiona (1992),
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stor ...
(1992–1995),
MD.45 MD.45 was an American heavy metal/ punk rock band formed as a side project by Megadeth guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine and Fear vocalist Lee Ving. Bassist Kelly LeMieux (of Fear) and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (of Y&T and on a break from Alice ...
(1996), and
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
(1995–1997). After his dismissal from Megadeth around 2002, DeGrasso worked with Dave Ellefson's F5 (2007–2010) and toured with The David Lee Roth Band (2006),
Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
(2008),
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
(2008), Hail (2009),
Dokken Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
(2012), and
Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
(2014). He also was the drummer of
Black Star Riders Black Star Riders is a hard rock band formed in December 2012. The band began when members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy decided to record new material, but chose not to release it under the Thin Lizzy name. While Thin Lizzy continues ...
from December 2012 until March 2017.


Early life and education

DeGrasso was born March 16, 1963 in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...
in the
Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
region of eastern
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. He graduated from Liberty High School in Bethlehem in 1981, where he was a member of Liberty High School's Grenadier Band.


Career


1986 to 1995: Ozzy Osbourne, Y&T, White Lion, and MD.45

DeGrasso originally auditioned for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
and played on the demos of ''
The Ultimate Sin ''The Ultimate Sin'' is the fourth solo studio album by British heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. It was released on 10 February 1986, and was remastered and re-issued on compact disc on 22 August 1995. It is the second and last of Osbourne ...
'' before Ozzy and Bob Daisley had a fallout and Ozzy chose to replace the entire band except for
Jake E. Lee Jake E. Lee (born Jakey Lou Williams, February 15, 1957) is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Car ...
. DeGrasso then joined the veteran metal band Y&T in 1986, replacing their original drummer
Leonard Haze Y&T (originally known as Yesterday & Today) is an American hard rock/ heavy metal band formed in 1972Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine in Oakland, California, with the line up that would record the first album cementing in 1974. The ...
. He remained with the group into the 1990s. In 1991, he briefly filled in as
White Lion The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest ...
's touring drummer when
Greg D'Angelo Greg D'Angelo, (born December 18, 1963) is an American drummer most famous for his work in the band White Lion. Career Early career (1981–1984) Between 1981 and 1983, D'Angelo was a member of Anthrax. After leaving Anthrax, D’Angelo join ...
left the band. He went on to play on
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
's
Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has relea ...
's side project band,
MD.45 MD.45 was an American heavy metal/ punk rock band formed as a side project by Megadeth guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine and Fear vocalist Lee Ving. Bassist Kelly LeMieux (of Fear) and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (of Y&T and on a break from Alice ...
, in 1995.


1998 to 2002: Megadeth

In 1998, Mustaine asked him to join Megadeth as drummer and continue the band's ''
Cryptic Writings ''Cryptic Writings'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. Released on June 17, 1997 through Capitol Records, it was the band's last studio album to feature drummer Nick Menza. His departure would mark the end of t ...
'' tour. He was asked to play with Megadeth five days before the next show. He walked around with a
walkman Walkman, stylised as , is a brand of portable audio players manufactured and marketed by Japanese technology company Sony since 1979. The original Walkman was a portable cassette player and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for p ...
all day to memorize the songs. DeGrasso recorded and toured behind Megadeth's ''
Risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...
'' album in 1999–2000, ''
The World Needs a Hero ''The World Needs a Hero'' is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on May 15, 2001 by Sanctuary Records. After the critical and commercial failure of the previous album ''Risk'' (1999), ''The World Needs a Hero ...
'' in 2000–2001, and was featured on Megadeth's first ever live CD and DVD release, '' Rude Awakening'', which was released in 2002.


2002 to 2008: Stone Sour, Ronnie Montrose, David Lee Roth Band, and Ministry

DeGrasso has performed at the Modern Drummer Festival in 2002, Ultimate Drummers Weekend in Australia, Drummer Live in the United Kingdom, and toured with Stone Sour ( Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor's side project), and with guitar legend
Ronnie Montrose Ronald Douglas Montrose (November 29, 1947 – March 3, 2012) was an American guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison, Herbie H ...
. DeGrasso played with The David Lee Roth Band in 2006 and joined
Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
on their 2008 tour.


2008 to 2012: Alice Cooper Band, F5, and Dokken

In late 2008, DeGrasso came back to
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
's band to fill in for
Eric Singer Eric Singer (born Eric Doyle Mensinger; May 12, 1958) is an American drummer. Associated with the hard rock band Kiss since 1991, he has also performed with artists such as Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Badlands, Brian May and Gary ...
while Singer played a few
KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
shows in the U.S. DeGrasso has also been the full-time drummer for heavy metal band F5 and Hail (along with ex-Megadeth bassist
David Ellefson David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth. Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
). In summer 2012, DeGrasso toured with
Dokken Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
, filling in for Mick Brown, who left Dokken to tour with
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock ...
.


2012 to 2017: Black Star Riders

In December 2012, DeGrasso joined
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...
's spin-off band,
Black Star Riders Black Star Riders is a hard rock band formed in December 2012. The band began when members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy decided to record new material, but chose not to release it under the Thin Lizzy name. While Thin Lizzy continues ...
, and appeared on Black Star Riders' first album '' All Hell Breaks Loose'', which was released in May 2013.


2014 to 2017: Ratt

In early 2014, DeGrasso filled in for Bobby Blotzer in
Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
and played with them on the
Monsters of Rock Monsters of Rock was an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival held in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, ...
cruise. DeGrasso is the first drummer to have filled in for Blotzer, since he joined the band in 1982. He filled in for Blotzer again on the Monsters of Rock Cruise in October 2016 before becoming the band's official touring drummer in 2017. He left Ratt in June 2017


Personal life

DeGrasso currently resides in
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, where he used to own and manage his own drum shop, San Jose Pro Drum, which has now closed.


Bands as drummer

*
Mama's Boys Mama's Boys were a 1980s hard rock/ heavy metal group from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The band includes the three McManus brothers Pat, a.k.a. "The Professor", (guitar, fiddle), John (bass, vocals), and Tommy (drums). Later in the ...
(1985–1986) * Y&T (1987–1991, 1995–1997) *
White Lion The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest ...
(1991) * Fiona (1992) *
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stor ...
(1992–1995) *
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
(1994–1998, 2008–2010) *
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
(1998–2002) * O'2L (2006) *
David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...
(2006) *
Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
(2008) *
Dokken Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
(2012–2013) *
Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
(2014, 2016–2018) *
Black Star Riders Black Star Riders is a hard rock band formed in December 2012. The band began when members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy decided to record new material, but chose not to release it under the Thin Lizzy name. While Thin Lizzy continues ...
(2012–2017)


Discography

*1987 Y&T – ''
Contagious Contagious may refer to: * Contagious disease Literature * Contagious (magazine), a marketing publication * ''Contagious'' (novel), a science fiction thriller novel by Scott Sigler Music Albums *''Contagious'' (Peggy Scott-Adams album), 1997 * ...
'' *1990 Y&T – '' Ten'' *1991 Y&T – '' Yesterday & Today Live'' *1992 Fiona – '' Squeeze'' *1994
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stor ...
– '' Suicidal for Life'' *1995 Y&T – '' Musically Incorrect'' *1996
MD.45 MD.45 was an American heavy metal/ punk rock band formed as a side project by Megadeth guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine and Fear vocalist Lee Ving. Bassist Kelly LeMieux (of Fear) and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (of Y&T and on a break from Alice ...
– '' The Craving'' *1997 Alice Cooper Band – ''
A Fistful of Alice ''A Fistful of Alice'' is a live album by American hard rock singer Alice Cooper. It was released on July 29, 1997, and was recorded the previous year at Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo club in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Slash plays guitar for part of the ...
'' *1997 Y&T – ''
Endangered Species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
'' *1998
Dave Meniketti David Alan Meniketti (born December 12, 1953) is the singer, songwriter and lead guitarist for hard rock/ heavy metal band Y&T. He has also released three solo efforts (including "Live in Japan"), one of which is more blues-oriented. He curren ...
– '' On The Blue Side'' *1998
A.N.I.M.A.L. A.N.I.M.A.L. (''Acosados Nuestros Indios Murieron Al Luchar''; meaning "Harassed, Our Indians Died While Fighting") is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The band's sound is a combination of thrash metal, groov ...
– ''Poder Latino'' (session drummer) *1999
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
– ''
Risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...
'' *2000 Megadeth – '' Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years'' *2001 Megadeth – ''
The World Needs a Hero ''The World Needs a Hero'' is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on May 15, 2001 by Sanctuary Records. After the critical and commercial failure of the previous album ''Risk'' (1999), ''The World Needs a Hero ...
'' *2002 Megadeth – '' Rude Awakening'' *2002 Megadeth – '' Still, Alive... and Well?'' *2006 Megadeth – ''
Arsenal of Megadeth ''Arsenal of Megadeth'' is a DVD by American heavy metal band Megadeth, released on March 21, 2006 via Capitol. Presented as an anthology of the band's first 20 years, the two-disc DVD set contains music videos, live performances, interviews, h ...
'' *2006
Sex Machineguns Sex Machineguns (stylized as SEX MACHINEGUNS) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1989. Their music is characterized by a heavy focus on bass as well as extremely fast guitar and bass solos. The band uses the image of " shoc ...
– ''Made In USA'' (session drummer) *2007 Megadeth – ''
Warchest ''Warchest'' is a box set from the American heavy metal band Megadeth. ''Warchest'' features five discs (4 CD + DVD) and features studio tracks, demos and live recordings of a number of the band's songs from its first ten studio albums and rar ...
'' *2008 F5 – ''The Reckoning'' *2008 Megadeth – '' Anthology: Set the World Afire'' *2010 Alice Cooper – ''Theatre of Death, Live at Hammersmith 2009'' *2011 The Worshyp – ''Evil Abounds'' (session drummer) *2011 Alice Cooper – ''
Welcome 2 My Nightmare ''Welcome 2 My Nightmare'' (also known as ''Welcome to My Nightmare 2'') is the nineteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in September 2011. Peaking at No. 22 in the ''Billboard'' 200 it is Cooper's highest-charting al ...
'' *2012 Dokken – ''
Broken Bones A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...
'' *2013
Black Star Riders Black Star Riders is a hard rock band formed in December 2012. The band began when members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy decided to record new material, but chose not to release it under the Thin Lizzy name. While Thin Lizzy continues ...
– '' All Hell Breaks Loose'' *2015 Black Star Riders – ''
The Killer Instinct ''The Killer Instinct'' is the second studio album by hard rock band Black Star Riders, released on February 20, 2015. Black Star Riders evolved from the touring version of Thin Lizzy, assembled by guitarist Scott Gorham after the death of Thin ...
'' *2017 Black Star Riders – '' Heavy Fire''


References


External links


Jimmy DeGrasso
at ''
Drummerworld Drummerworld is a Swiss drum website created by Bernhard Castiglioni in 1997. The site focuses on the biographies of prominent rock and jazz drummers and drum lessons, along with a discussion forum. Popularity and awards Half of ''Drumme ...
''
Jimmy DeGrasso interview
at Backstage Pass {{DEFAULTSORT:Degrasso, Jimmy 1963 births Living people 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American male musicians Alice Cooper (band) members American heavy metal drummers American people of Italian descent Black Star Riders members Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) alumni MD.45 members Megadeth members Ministry (band) members Musicians from Pennsylvania People from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Suicidal Tendencies members White Lion members