Zigaboo Modeliste

As a songwriter and session musician Modeliste\'s work is featured in numerous albums by various artists. His drum grooves appear in hundreds of hip hop samples, television and film. He has released four solo albums. He resides in the San Francisco bay area and continues to perform and tour.\n', ' Modeliste grew up in the 13th Ward of New Orleans. The eldest of six siblings, he was raised in part by his grandmother, Lula Blouin. His first drum set was a three-piece paid for by Blouin. He was nicknamed Zigaboo at age ten by a neighborhood kid, and by junior high school the name had stuck. His drumming style was influenced by Smokey Johnson, Bob French and other New Orleans drum greats as he learned by watching them perform at gigs. He said listening to other musicians was the most important part of his learning process. He particularly tried to emulate Smokey Johnson\'s style. He started playing gigs at an early age including a stint with The Hawketts, a band led by Art Neville at the time. Over time the band evolved into The Neville Sounds and by late 1960s into The Meters. In a 2013 interview with Modern Drummer, Modeliste said: "Your biggest teachers were those two things you got on the side of your head. (...) It\'s got nothing to do with rudiments, nothing to do with time signatures, but it\'s got a lot to do with what you hear."\n', ' Modeliste was a founding member and drummer of the funk group The Meters. The Meters were formed in 1965 and became well known in the vibrant New Orleans music scene. The band was eventually signed to Allen Toussaint\'s record label Sansu Enterprises and served as the label\'s studio band. Over the years The Meters became staple artists and the purveyors of the traditional New Orleans funk sound.\n', '