Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste (born December 28, 1948), also known as Zigaboo, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

style drumming. The Meters' music had a defining role and set the stylistic tone of New Orleans funk. Due to his work with the band, Modeliste is credited as an integral part of bringing New Orleans second-line grooves into popular music. As a songwriter and session musician Modeliste's work is featured in numerous albums by various artists. His drum grooves appear in hundreds of hip hop samples, television and film. He has released four solo albums. He resides in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

and continues to perform and tour.

Early life

Modeliste grew up in the 13th Ward of New Orleans. The eldest of six siblings, he was raised in part by his grandmother, Lula Blouin. His first drum set was a three-piece paid for by Blouin. He was nicknamed Zigaboo at age ten by a neighborhood kid, and by junior high school the name had stuck. His drumming style was influenced by

Smokey Johnson Joseph "Smokey" Johnson Jr. (November 14, 1936 – October 6, 2015) was an American drummer. He was one of the musicians, session players, and songwriters who served as the backbone for New Orleans' output of jazz, funk, blues, soul, and R ...

, Bob French and other New Orleans drum greats as he learned by watching them perform at gigs. He said ''listening'' to other musicians was the most important part of his learning process. He particularly tried to emulate Smokey Johnson's style. He started playing gigs at an early age including a stint with

the Hawketts The Hawketts were an American R&B combo from New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by ar ...

, a band led by

Art Neville Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans. Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...

at the time. Over time the band evolved into the Neville Sounds and by late 1960s into the Meters. In a 2013 interview with ''

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 ...

'', Modeliste said: "Your biggest teachers were those two things you got on the side of your head. (...) It's got nothing to do with rudiments, nothing to do with time signatures, but it's got a lot to do with what you hear."

Early career

Modeliste was a founding member and drummer of the funk group the Meters. The Meters were formed in 1965 and became well known in the vibrant New Orleans music scene. The band was eventually signed to

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

's record label Sansu Enterprises and served as the label's studio band. Over the years the Meters became staple artists and the purveyors of the traditional New Orleans funk sound. Modeliste's work with The Meters solidified his status as an innovative and skilled drummer. This was further displayed when Modeliste, along with the Meters, were invited to tour with

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

in 1975 and 1976 serving as their opening act. The Meters also served as the backing band for acts such as

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

, Robert Palmer,

Lee Dorsey Irving Lee Dorsey (December 24, 1924 – December 1, 1986) was an American pop and R&B singer during the 1960s. His biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and "Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with in ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

Betty Harris Betty Harris (born September 9, 1939 in Orlando, Florida, United States) is an American soul singer. Her recording career in the 1960s produced three hit singles that made the U.S. ''Billboard'' R&B and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts: "Cry to ...

and others – all with Modeliste on drums. When The Meters disbanded in late 1970s, Modeliste continued to tour and serve as the drummer for various musicians – touring with

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

and

Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

the New Barbarians ''The New Barbarians'' ( it, I nuovi barbari; also known as ''Warriors of the Wasteland'') is a 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic action film directed by Enzo G. Castellari, written by Castellari and Tito Carpi, and starring Giancarlo Prete and Geor ...

shortly after the split.

Legacy and influence

Since the late 1970s, Modeliste has partnered with numerous artists in both a touring and recording capacity. Some of these artists include: *

The Wild Tchoupitoulas The Wild Tchoupitoulas were originally a group of Mardi Gras Indians formed in the early 1970s by George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry. Landry, with his Autochthon American (Choctaw) heritage, had been an active performer in the Mardi Gras Indian sty ...

* Robert Palmer *

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

* Professor Longhair * John Fogerty * Harry Connick Jr. *

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Robbi ...

Yael Naim Yael Naim ( he, יעל נעים, born 6 February 1978) is a French-born Israeli singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single " New Soul" was used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song pe ...

* Kids on Bridges * Robert Stewart The respect of industry peers remains strong in 2018, as the Recording Academy has honored Modeliste and the Meters with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. Modeliste's work has been influential. His signature drumming style has amassed a large following in the drumming community, in which Modeliste occasionally gives master classes. Some of his best known grooves include " Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py-Py". In reviewing a compilation album of the Meters' early works, music critic Robert Christgau called Modeliste's drumming "the secret" adding "it's almost as if he's the lead". In 2016 he was listed as the 18th best drummer of all time by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine. In describing his drumming style, in 2008 Modeliste said, "It's just a collage of all the drummers that I heard play in my lifetime from ew Orleans" Modeliste's work is credited on hundreds of recordings by a variety of artists. His drum patterns have been sampled extensively by hip hop artists such as

Run DMC Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history ...

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

and Salt-N-Pepa. His performances have been featured in film, television and game soundtracks, including ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'', ''

Jackie Brown ''Jackie Brown'' is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on Elmore Leonard's 1992 novel '' Rum Punch.'' It stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who is caught smuggling money. Samuel L. Jac ...

'', ''

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

'' and '' 8 Mile''. Modeliste is a

Vic Firth Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion mallet, percussion sticks and mallets. Biography Vic Firt ...

, DW, and Sabian signature artist.

Current work and projects

Modeliste has released three studio albums and a live album as a leader. His first album titled ''Zigaboo.com'' was released in 2000. His second album ''I'm on the Right Track'' was released in 2004 and features contributors

and

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll ...

. In 2007 he contributed to a tribute album honoring

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

with the song "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" with collaborators

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

and Renard Poche. His live album titled ''Funk Me Hard Live'' was released in 2009. The drum heavy performance was recorded in 1980 with Modeliste performing with his first post-Meters band, the Gaboon's Gang, at the Saenger Theatre. His third studio album ''New Life'' was released in 2011. The album features works by several artists including

Wardell Quezergue Wardell Joseph Quezergue ( ; March 12, 1930 – September 6, 2011) was an American composer, arranger, record producer and bandleader, known among New Orleans musicians as the "Creole Beethoven". Steeped in jazz, he was an influential musician who ...

and

George Porter George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham (6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002) was a British chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967. Education and early life Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, in the then West ...

. In 2005 he recorded with

Young Gunz Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, composed of rappers Young Chris (born Chris Ries in 1983) and Neef Buck (born Hanif Muhammad in 1983). The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and wa ...

on the BMI award-winning song "Can't Stop Won't Stop", and his drum patterns were sampled on the percussion heavy Grammy nominated song " 1 Thing". In 2011 producer-musician

collaborated with Modeliste,

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the ...

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

and

Trombone Shorty Troy Andrews (born January 2, 1986), also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is an American musician, producer, actor and philanthropist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known as a trombone and trumpet player but also plays drums, ...

for the song "A La Modeliste", which was named for Modeliste's influence on funk drumming and the New Orleans sound. He was the featured artist in the August 2013 issue of ''Modern Drummer'' magazine. In the 1980s Modeliste moved to Los Angeles and later to the San Francisco Bay Area, settling in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, California. Having been involved in disputes over publishing rights of the Meters recordings, he got involved in the business side of the music industry. He started a record label, JZM Records, and a music publishing company, Jomod Music. He performs regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New Orleans.

Solo discography

* '' Zigaboo.com'' (JZM, 2000) * '' I'm On the Right Track'' (JZM, 2004) * ''Funk Me Hard Live'' (JZM, 2009) * ''New Life'' (JZM, 2011)

Instructional videos

* ''Zigaboo Modeliste: The Originator of New Orleans Funky Drumming'' (2012) DVD

Discography with The Meters

*'' The Meters'' ( Josie, 1969) *''

Look-Ka Py Py ''Look-Ka Py Py'' is the second studio album by the American funk group The Meters. The instrumental album was ranked number 218 on the ''Rolling Stone'' list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003, 220 on the 2012 revised list and 415 on th ...

'' (Josie, 1970) *''

Struttin' ''Struttin is the third studio album by the funk group The Meters. It is the band's first album featuring vocal performances. Background The album was recorded in Cosimo Matassa's studio and released in 1970 by Josie Records. It is the band's ...

'' (Josie, 1970) *'' Cabbage Alley'' (

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

, 1972) *''

Rejuvenation Rejuvenation is a medical discipline focused on the practical reversal of the aging process. Rejuvenation is distinct from life extension. Life extension strategies often study the causes of aging and try to oppose those causes in order to slow ...

'' (Reprise, 1974) *'' Cissy Strut'' (

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

, 1974) *'' Fire on the Bayou'' (Reprise, 1975) *''

The Best of The Meters ''The Best of the Meters'' is a compilation album by the funk group The Meters released in 1975. All tracks had been previously released as singles. Track listing Personnel Credits adapted in part from AllMusic. * Art Neville – composer, k ...

'' (Mardi Gras, Virgo, 1975) *'' Trick Bag'' (Reprise, 1976) *'' New Directions'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, 1977) * ''Good Old Funky Music'' (

Rounder Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy * ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...

, 1990) *''

Funky Miracle ''Funky Miracle'' is a compilation album from the funk group The Meters on the Charly Records label, containing re-issued material mainly from their first three albums with Josie Records: '' The Meters'' (1969), ''Look-Ka Py Py'' (1969) and '' ...

(

Charly ''Charly'' (marketed and stylized as ''CHAЯLY'') is a 1968 American drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson and written by Stirling Silliphant. It is based on ''Flowers for Algernon'', a science-fiction short story (1958) and subseque ...

, 1991) *'' Uptown Rulers: The Meters live on the Queen Mary'' (

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, 1992) *''Live at the Moonwalker'' ( Lakeside, 1993) *''Fundamentally Funky'' (Charly, 1994) *'' Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology'' (Rhino, 1995)

As sideman

Credits partly adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. *''

Troublemaker Troublemaker, The Troublemaker, Trouble Maker, or Trouble Makers may refer to: Film * Troublemaker Studios, a Texan film production company founded by Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellan * ''Trouble Makers'' (1917 film), a lost silent film dr ...

'' (Mercury, 1979) with

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

*''Kristen Vigard'' (Private Music, 1988) with

Kristen Vigard Kristen Vigard (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress and singer. She is known for being the first actress to play the title role in '' Annie'' in its pre-Broadway run and for her two-year run as Morgan Richards on ''Guiding Light'' (1980–8 ...

*'' Storyville'' (Geffen, 1991) with Robbie Robertson *''

She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

'' (Sony music entertainment, 1994) with Harry Connick Jr. *'' Ekstasis'' (Axiom, 1993) with

Nicky Skopelitis Nicky Skopelitis (born January 19, 1960) is an American guitarist and composer of Greek descent. He also has performed on banjo, oud, lute, keyboards and other instruments. Although Skopelitis has recorded few albums as a bandleader, he has ap ...

and

*'' South Delta Space Age'' (Antilles, 1995) with Third Rail (

James Blood Ulmer James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 8, 1940) is an American jazz, free funk and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". His singing has been called "ragg ...

and Bill Laswell) *''(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus'' (Columbia, 1993) with Harry Connick, Jr.

References

External links

*
Zigaboo Modeliste in the Spotlight – video
at Drum Channel {{DEFAULTSORT:Modeliste, Zigaboo American funk drummers American session musicians American soul musicians African-American drummers Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans Musicians from Oakland, California 1948 births Living people The Meters members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people