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Bill Lordan ~ Robin Trower and Sly & The Family Stone drummer Click here to order "The Best of BLX" CD
Bill's first kit came for Christmas at age 12, and by the next year Bill was already performing on stage with bands in and around his hometown of Minneapolis. Summer 1964 found Bill playing with his first big soul band called the Amazers, and a new friend on bass - Willie Weeks. A few years later, Bill was asked to join the Esquires, and did quite a bit of touring up and down the Atlantic coastline. He was sporting a black hairdo in 1968, the same year the band received a gold record for the LP "Get Up and Get Away". The next year, Bill met up with his pal Willie once again and decided to form the group The Mystics - a great band featuring a brass section. In fact, they won a Connie Award that year, an honor bestowed to the state's best talent. It was at this time that Bill and Willie had the chance to meet and jam with Jimi Hendrix. The two were invited to New York City, and the infamous Cafe Au-Go-Go for the sessions. Yearning to play more rock music, Bill joined Gypsy from 1970-1973. Releasing three albums during that period ("Antithesis", "In the Garden", and "Unlock the Gates"), Gypsy was often described as a band ahead of it's time - and now, years later, still has a cult following. Bill was flown out to the West coast for session work with Bobby Womack and Ike & Tina Turner, when he was discovered by Sly Stone, and immediately recruited as part of the Family Stone for their "Small Talk" LP in 1974. The subsequent touring carried him around the world, but Bill's fondest memory is Sly's wedding on-stage at Madison Square Garden in New York
Around this time, a guitarist named Robin Trower was looking for a new drummer, adn Bill jumped at the chance. "I knew it was perfect for me" he says, and beat out 25 other guys to get the job. Bill joined up prior to the release of the "for the Earth Below" album (1975), and stayed with the band for a good 10 years straight. The constant touring and hard work payed off... Many of these recordings are considered classics, and have turned into gold or platinum awards. After criss-crossing
the planet many times, Bill decided to take some needed time off. But
within a year he found himself back behid the kit for jams, auditions
and recording sessions. Bill played with the likes of Fortress,
Darrell Mansfield, Lost Angeles and Spellbinder to name just a few - and
even jammed with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen and his new band Alcatraz.
By the mid-90's, Bill was playing and recording steadily with the Dave
Steffen Band. Bill Lordan was an integral
part of the Charlie
Souza Band on 9
Ball in the Corner Pocket , providing drums as well as songwriting
contributions. Bill is currently
spearheading a brand new project called The Bill Lordan Experiment. Featuring
virtuoso guitarist Eric
Turner and bassist Mark Fry, the band has produced two CD's so
far. BLX is rooted in blues-rock, and is bound to please many ardent fans
of his drumming technique. Bill has come a long way by "accident",
and brings a ton of experience into the new millennium.
More Click Here The Stick Clip click here Bill Lordan's Discography HOME . . . . . . . Copyright © 1999- 2007 By CHARLIE SOUZA All Rights Reserved . . . . . . .
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