In the clip above (an old interview on BET with Donnie Simpson), The Time drummer Jellybean talks among other things about his influences as a drummer and mentions Sandy McKee from the classic R&B/rock outfit Cold Blood. Donnie - like most - hadn't heard of them.

Well here's your chance! Really, this is just an excuse to talk about Cold Blood. They've come up once or twice on here, but not nearly enough to suit my tastes. Below is Lydia Pense and company giving it their all on the cover tune Your Good Thing:


Sisyphus (1970)

...

Man, it's amazing how many drummers were checking out Sandy McKee! During a Narada Michael Walden interview, he named Sandy as an influence, saying, "Man, if you want to hear some inside funk, listen to this guy!"







...

Ripster thanks for mentioning this group.
If you were in a cover band in the 70s that had a horn section, you had to have some Cold Blood on your playlist.
They're from the Bay Area and contemporaries of Tower of Power.
At times the band included members of TOP and Santana's bands.
Not as well known but they have their moments. Musicians and music-heads know who they are.




...Shop Talk




...Down To The Bone




...Down To The Bone - Live

Especially Shop Talk & Down To The Bone which have some great examples of the drumming skills of Sandy McKee.
(The live clip of Down To The Bone is a later edition of the band that uses a different drummer)





...Valdez in the Country


Then there's vocalist Lydia Pense...



...who they titled their 5th album after.



Great band.
Drummer Sandy McKee joined on their second album Sisyphus and passed away a few years ago.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I knew he came aboard after the first album but wasn't aware he died. Thanks!

RipHer2Shreds said:

You're welcome. Looks like it was 1995 from cancer.


A couple of other Sandy McKee shout-outs.

Drummer Jon "Sugarfoot" Moffett
(Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, George Michael, Elton John, Madonna, Lionel Richie, Cameo and others)

MD: Who were some of your influences?

Jonathan: John Bonham, Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks. Melvin Parker, also from James Brown's band, was bad. One of my favorites was Bernard Purdie. He's one of the most musical drummers that you could ever want to hear. Another is Danny Seraphine from Chicago, and then Bobby Colomby from Blood Sweat & Tears. Buddy Miles was a big influence too, as was Billy Cobham. Then there was a guy named Sandy McKee, who had a different technique, very interesting. He had an album in the '70s called Sissyfuss that was just extraordinary.
...From a July 2005 interview in Modern Drummer (http://www.moderndrummer....%20Moffett)


An "interesting" Sandy McKee testimonial...



...from drummer John "BAM BAM" Morgan


Maybe your thread will get some traction now that its gotten this Michael Jackson/Janet Jackson/Madonna reference.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I know the band from a Canadian rap song from 18+ years ago "Jamaican Funk" (the original mix) by Michee Mee. It had a very generic credit like "Music by Cold Blood"

@ the traction comment.

Cinnie - that generic credit is...cold-blooded.

In the interview clip below, Lydia says that she's the only original member left. It's a bit depressing, because nearly everybody they talk about is now dead. Around the 7:00 mark she talks about how they came to work with Donny Hathaway. I love hearing these old stories.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...Pvu1cOUSMs (embedding disabled)

theAudience said:

I'ma hafta watch this when I get home...the first 30 seconds scurred me.

RipHer2Shreds said:

I'm just saying that's where I first heard of them. It's a bad-ass bassline too.

isnt he dancing in this janet video?

ViintageJunkiie said:

Sandy McKee? No.

theAudience said:

Cinnie said:

Like I said, music-heads know.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

RipHer2Shreds said:

... i guess ViintageJunkiie meant "Jilliebean"

Wonder if there ever has been filmed early footage of Lydia & Cold Blood
Really interested to see vintage clips of Sandy McKee in action.