Chad Wackerman (born March 25, 1960) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and rock drummer, who played with performers including Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth. He has worked a band member, session musician, sideman, and leader of his own ensembles. He is the older brother of Brooks Wackerman, the current drummer of Avenged Sevenfold and formerly of Bad Religion.\n', '

Chad Wackerman was raised in Seal Beach, California, in a family immersed in music. His father, a drummer, is an award-winning music teacher who has taught at both high school and middle school levels with a specialization in jazz. Chad and his brothers, John, and Brooks Wackerman are all proficient drummers and multi-instrumentalists. John recorded an album titled Drum Duets Vol.1.\n', '

Wackerman joined the Bill Watrous band in 1978 and worked with Frank Zappa for seven years, from 1981 to 1988. Gaining and keeping a place in Zappa\'s band was not easy; Zappa demanded high musical standards and imposed exacting discipline in rehearsal and on tour. The auditions for his band were gruelling, according to Steve Vai and Wackerman himself.\n', 'Two pieces of music, "Mo and Herb\'s Vacation", and "The Black Page" were considered exceptionally difficult. Only three drummers throughout Zappa\'s career were able to play them successfully: Wackerman, Terry Bozzio, and Vinnie Colaiuta.\n', '

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