Granville William "Mickey" Roker (September 3, 1932 – May 22, 2017) was an American

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques a ...

Biography

Roker was born into extreme poverty in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

to Granville (Sr.) and Willie Mae Roker. After his mother died (his father never lived with them), when he was only ten, he was taken by his grandmother to live in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

with his uncle Walter, who gave him his first

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

and communicated his love of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

to his nephew. He also introduced the young Roker to the jazz scene in Philadelphia, where drummer

Philly Joe Jones Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Early career As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio station WIP. He wa ...

became Roker's idol. In the early 1950s, he began to gain recognition as a sensitive yet hard-driving

big-band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

drummer. He was especially favored by Dizzy Gillespie, who remarked of him that "once he sets a groove, whatever it is, you can go to Paris and come back and it's right there. You never have to worry about it." Roker was soon in demand for his supportive skills in both big-band and small-group settings. While in Philadelphia he played with Jimmy Oliver,

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath w ...

, Jimmy Divine, King James and

Sam Reed Sam S. Reed (born January 10, 1941) is an American accountant and politician who served as the 14th Secretary of State of Washington from 2001 to 2013 and is a member of the Republican Party. Reed was Washington's fourteenth Secretary of State. ...

before moving to New York in 1959, where his first gigs were with

Gigi Gryce Gigi Gryce (born George General Grice Jr.; November 28, 1925 – March 14, 1983), later Basheer Qusim, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator. While his performing career was relatively short, ...

Ray Bryant Raphael Homer "Ray" Bryant (December 24, 1931 – June 2, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1931. His mother was an ordained minister who had tau ...

, Joe Williams,

Junior Mance Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. (October 10, 1928 – January 17, 2021), known as Junior Mance, was an American jazz pianist and composer. Biography Early life (1928–1947) Mance was born in Evanston, Illinois. When he was five years old, Mance st ...

, Nancy Wilson and the Duke Pearson big band. In 1965 Mickey joined Art Farmer and Benny Golson's revamped group, the "New York Jazz Sextet". In 1992, he replaced Connie Kay in the Modern Jazz Quartet. He recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Duke Pearson,

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

, Sarah Vaughan, Milt Jackson, Herbie Hancock,

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards ...

, Ray Brown,

Bucky Pizzarelli John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli (January 9, 1926 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli. He worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett (1971) ...

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion ...

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in '' Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...

, Hank Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Locke, and many other jazz musicians. Roker was still active on the Philadelphia music scene during the 21st century. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of 84, of natural causes, though he had been suffering from diabetes, lung cancer, and other health issues.

Discography

As sideman

With

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition ...

*'' Little Big Horn'' (Riverside, 1963) With Gene Ammons *'' Got My Own'' (Prestige, 1972) *''

Big Bad Jug ''Big Bad Jug'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded in 1972 and released on the Prestige Records, Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1972) *'' Together Again for the Last Time'' (Prestige, 1973

976 Year 976 ( CMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 10 – Emperor John I Tzimiskes dies at Constantinople, after re ...

- with Sonny Stitt With

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Po ...

*''

Daddy Bug ''Daddy Bug'' is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers released on the Atlantic label in 1969.Joshua Breakstone *'' Let's Call This Monk!'' (Double-Time, 1997) With

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on No ...

*'' Score'' (Solid State, 1969) With Ray Brown *''Red Hot Ray Brown Trio'' (Concord, 1987) With

*''

Con Alma "Con Alma" is a jazz standard written by Dizzy Gillespie, appearing on his 1954 album '' Afro''. The tune incorporates aspects of bebop jazz and Latin rhythm, and is known for its frequent changes in key centers (occurring every two bars), while s ...

'' (Columbia, 1960) *'' Dancing the Big Twist'' (Columbia, 1961) With Jon Faddis *'' Youngblood'' (Pablo, 1976) With Art Farmer *'' The Time and the Place: The Lost Concert'' (Mosaic, 1966 007 *'' The Time and the Place'' (Columbia, 1967) *'' The Art Farmer Quintet Plays the Great Jazz Hits'' (Columbia, 1967) With Frank Foster *'' Manhattan Fever'' (Blue Note, 1968) With Dizzy Gillespie Mickey_Roker_&_Dizzy_Gillespie_2

*'' Dizzy Gillespie's Big 4'' (Pablo, 1974) *''

Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods ''Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods'' is an album by Dizzy Gillespie and Machito, featuring arrangements by Chico O'Farrill, recorded in 1975 and released on the Pablo label.

'' (Pablo, 1975) with Machito *'' The Dizzy Gillespie Big 7'' (Pablo, 1975) *''

Bahiana ''Bahiana'' is an album by Dizzy Gillespie recorded in 1975 and released on the Pablo Records, Pablo label.Carter, Gillespie Inc. ''Carter, Gillespie Inc.'' (re-released on CD as ''Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie Inc.'') is an album by saxophonist Benny Carter and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie recorded in 1976 and released on the Pablo label.Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

*'' Dizzy's Party'' (Pablo, 1976) With

*''

Saying Somethin'! ''Saying Somethin'!'' is an album by American saxophonist Gigi Gryce recorded in 1960 for the New Jazz label.The Hap'nin's'' (New Jazz, 1960) *'' The Rat Race Blues'' (New Jazz, 1960) *'' Doin' the Gigi'' (Uptown, 2011) With Herbie Hancock *'' Speak Like a Child'' (Blue Note, 1968) With

Gene Harris Gene Harris (born Eugene Haire, September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel infused style that is known as soul jazz. From 1956 to 1970, he played in The Three Sounds tri ...

*''The Gene Harris Trio Plus One'' (Concord, 1984) With Bobby Hutcherson *''

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

'' (Blue Note, 1970) With Milt Jackson *''

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her in ...

'' (Limelight, 1966) *'' Milt Jackson and the Hip String Quartet'' (Verve, 1968) *'' Olinga'' (CTI, 1974) *'' The Milt Jackson Big 4'' (Pablo, 1975) With Willis Jackson *'' Really Groovin''' (Prestige, 1961) *'' In My Solitude'' (Moodsville, 1961) With Hank Jones *''

Groovin' High "Groovin' High" is an influential 1945 song by jazz composer and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The song was a bebop mainstay that became a jazz standard, one of Gillespie's best known hits, and according to ''Bebop: The Music and Its Players'' author ...

'' (Muse, 1978) With Sam Jones *'' Something New'' (Interplay, 1979) With

Irene Kral Irene Kral (January 18, 1932 – August 15, 1978) was an American jazz singer who was born to Czechoslovakian parents in Chicago, Illinois and settled in Los Angeles in the early 1960s. She died from breast cancer in Encino, California. Kral's ...

*''

Better Than Anything ''Better Than Anything'' is an album by vocalist Irene Kral performing with Junior Mance's Trio that was recorded in 1963 and originally released on the Äva label.

'' ( Äva, 1963) With

Charles Kynard Charles Kynard (20 February 1933 – 8 July 1979) was an American soul jazz/ acid jazz organist born in St. Louis, Missouri. Kynard first played piano then switched to organ and led a trio in Kansas City including Tex Johnson (flute, sax) ...

*'' The Soul Brotherhood'' (Prestige, 1969) With Mike Longo *'' Funkia'' (Groove Merchant, 1973) *'' Talk with the Spirits'' (Pablo, 1976) With

*'' Junior's Blues'' (Riverside, 1962) *'' Happy Time'' (Jazzland, 1962) *''Monk (Live)'' (Chiaroscuro, 2003) With

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inclu ...

*'' Stone Flute'' (Embryo, 1969

970 Year 970 ( CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th yea ...

With

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

*'' Boss Horn'' (Blue Note, 1966) With the Modern Jazz Quartet *'' MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary Celebration'' (Atlantic, 1994) With

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

*'' Standards'' (Blue Note, 1967) *'' Live at the Lighthouse'' (Blue Note, 1970) *''

Sonic Boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to ...

'' (Blue Note, released 1979) With The N.Y. Hardbop Quintet *'' Rokermotion'' (TCB, 1996) With

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

* ''Quadrant'' (Pablo, 1977) With Duke Pearson *''

Wahoo! ''Wahoo!'' is an album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson, featuring performances recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label in 1964.

'' (1964) *'' Honeybuns'' (1965) *'' Prairie Dog'' (1966) *''

Sweet Honey Bee ''Sweet Honey Bee'' is an album by American jazz pianist and composer Duke Pearson, released on the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label in 1967. The woman on the cover was Pearson's fiancee Betty. Reception Allmusic awarded the album with 4 star ...

'' (Blue Note, 1966) *'' Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band'' (Blue Note, 1967) *''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'' (Blue Note, 1968) *'' Now Hear This'' (Blue Note, 1968) *'' How Insensitive'' (Blue Note, 1969) *''

It Could Only Happen with You ''It Could Only Happen with You'' is the final album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson featuring performances recorded in 1970 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1974.

'' (1970) With

and

Stephane Grappelli Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (Ancient Greece), a vestment in ancient Greece * Stephane (Paphlagonia) Stephane ( grc, Στεφάνη) was a small port town on the coast of ancient Paphlagonia, according to Arr ...

*''

Skol Skol Lager was developed originally by Ind Coope breweries in Alloa, Central Scotland. In 1958, Graham's Continental was launched (based upon a local brew called Graham's Golden) and quickly changed to Graham's Skol to give a Scandinavian impre ...

'' (Pablo, 1979) With Billie Poole *'' Confessin' the Blues'' (Riverside, 1963) With Sonny Rollins *'' There Will Never Be Another You (album)'' (Impulse!, 1965) *'' Sonny Rollins on Impulse!'' (Impulse!, 1965) With

Shirley Scott Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) was an American jazz organist. Her music was noted for its mixture of bebop, blues and gospel elements. She was known by the nickname "Queen of the Organ". Life and career Scott was born in Phi ...

* ''

Soul Duo ''Soul Duo'' is an album by American jazz organist Shirley Scott and flugelhornist Clark Terry recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! Records, Impulse! label.

'' (Impulse!, 1966) with Clark Terry * '' Oasis'' (Muse, 1989) *'' Great Scott!'' (Muse, 1991) *'' Blues Everywhere'' (Candid, 1991) *''

Skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...

'' (Candid, 1991) With

*'' All'' (Blue Note, 1972) *'' In Pursuit of the 27th Man'' (Blue Note, 1973) With

Buddy Terry Edlin "Buddy" Terry (January 30, 1941 - November 29, 2019) was an American jazz musician and alto/tenor sax player. He was born in Newark, New Jersey. In the 1960s and 1970s Terry made albums for Prestige Records and Mainstream Records. He played w ...

*''

Awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some infor ...

'' (Mainstream, 1971) With

*'' Rough 'n' Tumble'' (Blue Note, 1966) *'' The Spoiler'' (Blue Note, 1966) With

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

*'' Live at Newport'' (Impulse!, 1963) With

Harold Vick Harold Vick (April 3, 1936 – November 13, 1987) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Biography Harold Vick was born on April 3, 1936 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At the age of 13 he was given a clarinet by his uncle, Prince Robin ...

*'' The Caribbean Suite'' (RCA Victor, 1966) *'' Commitment'' (Muse, 1967

974 Year 974 ( CMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Battle of Danevirke: Emperor Otto II defeats the rebel forces of King Harald I, who ha ...

With

Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, an ...

*''

Zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

'' (Mary Records, 1974 - later reissued by Smithsonian Folkways, with expansion) *'' Free Spirits'' (SteepleChase, 1975) With Cedar Walton *''

The Electric Boogaloo Song ''The Electric Boogaloo Song'' is an album by pianist Cedar Walton, which was recorded in 1969 and released on the Prestige label.Joe Williams *'' At Newport '63'' (RCA Victor, 1963) With Reuben Wilson *''

The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in '' Everybody's Magaz ...

'' (Groove Merchant, 1973) With

*'' Rights of Swing'' (Candid, 1961)

References

External links

* * *
Mickey Roker
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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roker, Mickey 1932 births 2017 deaths American jazz drummers Musicians from Miami Deaths from lung cancer in Pennsylvania Modern Jazz Quartet members