Gary Mallaber
Drummer – Song Writer – Arranger – Producer – Engineer
Raven and Van Morrison
Gary Mallaber started his career in Buffalo, NY, playing drums with his band, Raven, and in 1969 opened for Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, and others. Soon after, the band broke up and he was in search of Van Morrison. He found him in the Village in NYC, and soon recorded the album, Moondance. With the success of Moondance, his career took a major turn where he became an in-demand session drummer in Los Angeles.
Gary has recorded with many artists, but the folks that sent chills up his arm and knew there was something special were Steve Miller, Eddie Money, and Van Morrison.
Steve Miller, Eddie Money, and More
After the success of The Joker, Steve connected with Gary about recreating more of that magic with bassist, Lonnie Turner. Together with Lonnie , they recorded what became Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams. Gary stayed with Steve through the 1980’s. While he was recording with Steve Miller, he was asked to play for the up-and-coming Eddie Money. Once he met Eddie, he knew it was going to be great. The hits they recorded on the first release were, Two Tickets to Paradise and Baby Hold On.
For further reading on the artists he has played and recorded with, check out: Peter Frampton, Poco, Paul Williams, Jimmy White, and Kermit the Frog. Some of the other artists Gary has recorded with include: Joan Armatrading, The Beach Boys, John Lennon, Gene Clark, David Cassidy, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Rush, Bob Seger, Barbra Streisand, Warren Zevon, and Hughes/Thrall — the list goes on.