Todd Sucherman (born May 2, 1969) is an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

, who is best known for having been a member of

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

since March 1995.

Early life

Sucherman grew up in a musical family and followed in his father's footsteps by playing the drums. His father, Arnold J. Sucherman, was a doctor by day and a drummer by night, playing in the house band at the famed

Chez Paree The Chez Paree was a Chicago nightclub known for its glamorous atmosphere, elaborate dance numbers, and top entertainers. It operated from 1932 until 1960 in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago at 610 N. Fairbanks Court. The club was the ep ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. His mother, Jo (Seiwert) Sucherman, was an actress in the 1950s and 1960s. Sucherman started playing drums when he was two years old. When he was six, he had his first paying gig with his brothers under the name "The Sucherman Brothers". The band consisted of Paul on keyboards, Joel on bass, and Todd on drums. Sucherman attended

Niles West High School Niles West High School, officially Niles Township High School West or NWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago in the United States. It is part of Niles Township Community High School Distric ...

, and then the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

from September 1987 to May 1988.

Career

In 1988, Sucherman returned to Chicago and quickly established himself as a noted session musician. As an in-demand player for live and session work, Sucherman recorded with

in March 1995 when they decided to re-record "

Lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

", now titled "Lady '95", for their 1995 ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' album, though he was uncredited. In February 1996 when it came time for the Return to Paradise tour and drummer

John Panozzo John Anthony Panozzo (September 20, 1948 – July 16, 1996) was an American drummer best known for his work with rock band Styx. Early life and career Panozzo grew up in the Roseland neighborhood, the south side of Chicago, Illinois, with hi ...

was unable to perform, Styx asked Sucherman to join them for the tour. After John Panozzo's death on July 16, 1996, Sucherman became a full-time member, appearing on the 1997 live album, '' Return to Paradise''. In 1998, he helped

Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups includi ...

of Styx make his solo album '' 7 Deadly Zens''. In addition to Styx, he has played with such artists as

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His c ...

Brian Culbertson Brian Culbertson (born January 12, 1973) is an American smooth jazz/ R&B/ funk musician and producer. His instruments include the synthesizer, piano and trombone. Early life and career Culbertson was born in Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he ...

, The Falling Wallendas,

Steve Cole Steve Cole (born August 17, 1970) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist. He is also a professor/adviser of music business at the University of St. Thomas. Early career and education Cole was born in Chicago, Illinois and began to play musi ...

, and Spinal Tap, among others. Sucherman also plays with the band of fellow Styx member

Lawrence Gowan Lawrence Henry Gowan (born 22 November 1956) is a Scottish born Canadian singer and keyboardist. He was born in Glasgow and raised in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. Gowan has been both a solo artist and lead vocalist and keyboard ...

. In September 2008, Sucherman was a featured artist in the prestigious

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

Festival. He also appeared on the cover of the October 2008 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, and in 2009 Modern Drummer Magazine voted him number one Rock Drummer in the World. In 2020, ''Modern Drummer'' readers voted him number one Live drummer. In 2021, ''

Music Radar MusicRadar is a music website that offers information pertaining to artists and their music. The site features music gear news and reviews, artist interviews and online music and production tutorials. It is owned by British media company Future ...

'' nominated Sucherman for Best Rock drummer. On September 12, 2020, he contributed a solo drum composition and performance entitled "13 for NP” to the twentieth annual edition of the Modern Drummer festival, which paid tribute to Rush drummer and lyricist

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

, who had died earlier in the year. On May 2, 2020, Sucherman released his 1st solo album '' Last Flight Home''. The album includes a cover of the song "Kindling" by

Elbow The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...

. There are official music videos for the songs "Last Flight Home", "Ad Lib Everything", "The Damage", and "Kindling". All videos are available on Sucherman's YouTube channel, as well as the video of "Sacred Book Of Favorite Days" from the Last Flight Home Drumless Play Along Package.

Gear

The gear he currently endorses are

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

drums, percussion and hardware,

Remo Drumheads Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware. History Drummer and founder Re ...

Sabian Sabian may refer to: *Sabians, name of a religious group mentioned in the Quran, historically adopted by: **Mandaeans, Gnostic sect from the marshlands of southern Iraq claiming John the Baptist as their most important prophet **Sabians of Harran, ...

cymbals,

Pro-Mark Promark is a Houston, Texas-based American drum stick company. Since 2011, it is part of strings company D'Addario. Promark is a widely known stick company generally played in drum set, drum and bugle corps and concert bands. History Promark was ...

drumsticks, and Audix microphones.

Personal life

On November 30, 2013, he announced via Instagram that he and his wife, singer Taylor Mills, were expecting a baby. Sucherman currently resides in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

Discography

Styx

Studio albums

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarch ...

(1999) *

Cyclorama A cyclorama is a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view, and also a building designed to show a panoramic image. The intended effect is to make vie ...

(2003) *

Big Bang Theory The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

(2005) (Cover Album) * The Mission (2017) *

Crash Of The Crown ''Crash of the Crown'' is the seventeenth studio album by American rock band Styx. The album was released on June 18, 2021, by Universal Music Enterprises. The album charted for one week on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, peaking at #1 ...

(2021)

Extended plays

* Regeneration: Volume I (2010) * Regeneration: Volume II (2011) * The Same Stardust (2021)

Live albums

* Return To Paradise (1997) * Arch Allies: Live at Riverport (2000) *StyxWorld: Live 2001 (2001) * At The River's Edge: Live In St. Louis (2002) * 21st Century Live (2003) * One With Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra (2006) * The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight Live (2013) *Live At The Orleans Arena, Las Vegas (2015)

Singles and Other Songs

* "Lady '95" (1995) (from

) * "Little Suzie" (1996) (from Greatest Hits Part 2) * "It Takes Love" (1996) (from Greatest Hits Part 2) * "Can't Stop Rockin'" (2009)

Spinal Tap

* Back From The Dead (2009)

Tommy Shaw

* 7 Deadly Zens (1998)

Finally George

* Live Is A Killer (2018) * Icy Skies (2021)

Solo

* Last Flight Home (2020)

References

External links

Official website
* Todd Sucherman discography at Allmusic.com
Todd Sucherman Drummerworld page

Todd Sucherman interview in English and German
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sucherman, Todd 1969 births Living people American male drummers American rock drummers Styx (band) members American rock percussionists 20th-century American drummers