Zoro (born Daniel Donnelly, June 13, 1962) 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 ...

, mainly in the styles of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, R&B, and hip hop. Known as 'The Minister of Groove', his feel, drive,

syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

and drumming philosophy make him one of the most well-known and respected drummers in the world today. He is notable for his foot technique, playing mostly heel-down and quickly striking and releasing the beaters from the bass drum head which contrasts with the 'planting' of other contemporary drummers. Zoro has toured and recorded with

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

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New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 198 ...

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, and Throttle Body Motorcycle Club, among others. He has often been voted number one R&B drummer and number one clinician in

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 ...

magazine, in addition to receiving awards from other magazines such as 'Drum!'

Author

Zoro is the author of four books. "The Commandments of R&B Drumming" earned him a ''Modern Drummer'' Reader's Poll #1 Educational text vote. The book was expanded and re-released by Alfred Publishing in a 10th anniversary edition. The follow up, "The Commandments of Early R&B Drumming" was written with

Daniel Glass Daniel Glass is an American music industry executive whose output has included work with artists Billy Idol, Wilson Phillips, Sinéad O'Connor, Jon Secada, Warren Zevon, Blur, Huey Lewis and the News, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, Erykah Badu ...

. In 2011, he published "The Big Gig", a book centered on achievement in the music industry. In September 2016 he released "SOAR!: 9 Proven Keys For Unlocking Your Limitless Potential"

Christian Faith

In addition to his work in music, Zoro is a Christian Motivational speaker appearing at festivals and churches around the world. He has featured on Christian television, including ''the 700 Club, Daystar Celebration, Jc-TV, The Joni Show, MorningStar Ministries,'' among other broadcasts.

Ministry and Motivational Speaking and Teaching

Now working out of Nashville, TN, Zoro is increasingly focused on his Ministry and motivational speaking work for groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters and Compassion International. Zoro is currently a percussion instructor at Belmont University in Nashville. He is also a pastor at Bayside Church Adventure Campus in Roseville, CA.

Gear and Equipment

Zoro is endorsed by

DW Drums Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is an American drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Current products by DW include drum sets, snare drums, and hardware. History Drum Workshop was founde ...

, Evans, Latin Percussion among other manufacturers. His most recent set of note was played during his 2004 engagement with

, drumming on the "Baptism" tour.

References

External links

* http://www.zorothedrummer.com/ * http://www.zoroministries.org/
Zoro Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2012) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoro Living people 1962 births 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians