(May 2, 2018) John “Jabo” Starks, the legendary drummer who played on many of James Brown’s biggest hits, has died at age 79 at his home in Mobile, Alabama, after long bout with leukemia. Starks, with fellow drummer Clyde Stubblefield, helped define the sound of funk during the late 1960s and early 1970s on such Brown hits as “Sex Machine” and “Super Bad.”
Starks’ career began in the blues field, working with many greats such as B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland.
The classic JB songs that Starks played such a large role in shaping have since become iconic, setting the stage for a generation of hip-hop artists, who both revered and sampled the beats for their work. And Starks himself continued to work with many artists, including teaming with Stubblefield in a duo that they named “The Funkmasters.”
Starks is survived by his wife Naomi, and his two children.
(May 2, 2018) John “Jabo” Starks, the legendary drummer who played on many of James Brown’s biggest hits, has died at age 79 at his home in Mobile, Alabama, after long bout with leukemia. Starks, with fellow drummer Clyde Stubblefield, helped define the sound of funk during the late 1960s and early 1970s on such Brown hits as “Sex Machine” and “Super Bad.”
Starks’ career began in the blues field, working with many greats such as B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland.
The classic JB songs that Starks played such a large role in shaping have since become iconic, setting the stage for a generation of hip-hop artists, who both revered and sampled the beats for their work. And Starks himself continued to work with many artists, including teaming with Stubblefield in a duo that they named “The Funkmasters.”
Starks is survived by his wife Naomi, and his two children.