Andrea
Greg Errico was only a teenager at 17 years of age when Sylvester Stewart called him to join Sly and Family Stone.
Luckily, Greg Errico had already been playing his drums for several years, which is why it was easy to accommodate him into professional drumming. Later, he helped shape one of the most important rhythm sections of funk music.
He was part of the group from their first recordings to their biggest hit, “There’s a Riot Goin’ On.” At the dawn of 2015, the drummer opened up to Rolling Stone how his hair stood in 2015 at the pick of their performance.
It made him realize just how crucial their performance was and how much impact he had created in the industry.
Born on September 1, 1948, Errico is an American musician and record producer who is best known for his drumming skills. Over the years, he has been very influential in his popularity and inspiration to the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly Stewart and Family Stone.
He was born in San Francisco, California, in a family of musicians. His cousins, like Saxophonist Jerry Martini and Drummer Jan Errico, were very important in his early years as a musician.
It might have been them who encouraged him to take up his talent and embrace music. At the time, Jan was a prominent drummer for two bands in the Bay area, which were already established in the industry.
Greg became the original drummer for Sly and The Family Stone during their first years of operation. And in 1971, he quit the band, also becoming the first member to throw in the towel, saying the band was involved in constant turmoil.
But that did not stop him from pursuing his career as he spent most of his time in 1973 touring with jazz-fusion group Weather Report. He never recorded with the band, but he can be heard from a live recording at Wolfgang’s Vault website. Joe Zawinul once commented that no one had the ability to play ‘Boogie Woogie Waltz,” as Errico did. ‘
In 1974, Errico joined the David Bowie band as they took their “Diamond Dog” tour of September 1974. He also worked with other bands like Santana, and Grateful Dead, making different projects successful along the way. In the early 80s, he was playing for Jerry Garcia Band. Again, he joined forces with Larry Graham for the Sly and The Family stone to make even more music.
Errico is not just a drum player, but a musical genius who uses his innovativeness to create incredible music. While working with Sly and the Family Stone, he played at Woodstock and was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Today, Errico continues to make his contribution to the music society. He lives in the Bay area, where he still tours with The Family Stone, working with a fellow founding member of the Sly and the Family Stone, Jerry Martini. He was as energetic as ever when he played at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
