Drummer Bruce Gary Passes on August 22, 2006

Bruce Gary, a close friend of Robbys, passed away on August 22 after a courageous battle with cancer. Although Bruce was best known for being the drummer for “The Knack”, he also teamed up with Robby on many of his solo projects. Bruce was also featured on The Doors Collection DVD on Robby’s jazz instrumental adaptation of "The End".

Here is a message from Robby concerning Bruce’s passing:

"I first met Bruce Gary at a session at Dennis Dragon's place in Malibu. I liked his drumming that day and invited him to play on some of my new stuff. Little did I know that I now had a friend for life even if i didnt want one. Bruce was a great drummer, but he was a bit hyper, which is probably neccessary in a great drummer. He would call me eight times in one day, and he was just getting warmed up! But he meant well and I ended up using him for my solo stuff more than any other drummer. The albums he played on were: Robby Krieger and Friends, No Habla, Versions, Robby Krieger, and Cinematix. Bruce played with lots of people including Jack Bruce [another guy with two first names, one of
which is Bruce], the Ventures, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, of course I was the only one who would put up with him for more than one tour. And then there was the Knack. Bruce was on top of the world when Sharona hit #1. What a beat! That was a classic drumbeat if I ever heard one. The way Bruce felt, it was largely the reason the song felt so great. The fact that he didn't share in any publishing for the song really ate away at Bruce, and I dont blame him. In the late '80s, Bruce and I would get together with our mutual friend Arthur Barrow, who was Zappa's bandleader for a few years. Arthur had a studio [still does] called Lotech. We had some great jams there, some of which can be heard on this website. Bruce's passion for music really affected me in a good way and I'll never forget the man with two first names: BRUCE GARY."

Rest in Peace Bruce. You will be missed.

You can visit Bruce's website by clicking here or going to www.BruceGary.com.