Aynsley Dunbar

Rock journeyman Aynsley Dunbar has proven himself one of the finest drummers in the business for over twenty years, whether as a member of several bands or as a session musician.

Dunbar began his career on the British blues-rock scene, playing with <a href="spotify:artist:1NnRjWELSLqFONDhwc8VU7">Champion Jack Dupree</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6tlPbmYME3fjRkSBb3pjoB">Eddie Boyd</a> before becoming the drummer for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in 1967; he was influenced by jazz and the Who's <a href="spotify:artist:7i9m03TFsX9pDuP4CFDw3o">Keith Moon</a> as well. During this time, Dunbar also played on <a href="spotify:artist:0AD4odMWVQ2wUSlgxOB5Rl">Jeff Beck's</a> seminal Truth sessions, and also met <a href="spotify:artist:6ra4GIOgCZQZMOaUECftGN">Frank Zappa</a> in Belgium; when <a href="spotify:artist:6ra4GIOgCZQZMOaUECftGN">Zappa</a> broke up the first edition of the <a href="spotify:artist:6ra4GIOgCZQZMOaUECftGN">Mothers of Invention</a>, he invited Dunbar to join his new band. Dunbar first appeared with <a href="spotify:artist:6ra4GIOgCZQZMOaUECftGN">Zappa</a> as a guitarist on Uncle Meat, but soon assumed drum chores in the <a href="spotify:artist:5lcsLQAbcbmTZ7DXy2dYbK">Flo and Eddie</a> version of <a href="spotify:artist:6ra4GIOgCZQZMOaUECftGN">the Mothers</a>, appearing on such albums as Chunga's Revenge, Fillmore East: June 1971, and 200 Motels, and playing music that gave him a chance to show off his jazzier chops. In the meantime, Dunbar also formed a blues-rock band called <a href="spotify:artist:5PwOYsK8fRoIJcMxXBwdhX">the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation</a>, which featured guitarist/vocalist John Moorshead, bassist Alex Dmochowski, and organist Victor Brox. The group released several albums from 1969-1970, including a self-titled effort, Doctor Dunbar's Prescription, and To Mum From Aynsley and the Boys.

When <a href="spotify:artist:5lcsLQAbcbmTZ7DXy2dYbK">Flo and Eddie</a> jumped ship in 1972 after a deranged fan pushed <a href="spotify:artist:6ra4GIOgCZQZMOaUECftGN">Zappa</a> from the stage, confining him to a wheelchair, Dunbar joined their backing band for a short while, although he would also return to work with <a href="spotify:artist:6ra4GIOgCZQZMOaUECftGN">Zappa</a> on studio projects like Waka/Jawaka, The Grand Wazoo, and Apostrophe', as well as continuing his periodic studio work for other artists. He briefly formed an association with <a href="spotify:artist:0oSGxfWSnnOXhD2fKuz2Gy">David Bowie</a> around 1973-74 for the albums Pin-Ups and Diamond Dogs, but in 1975, Dunbar decided to join a new jazz-rock fusion group called <a href="spotify:artist:0rvjqX7ttXeg3mTy8Xscbt">Journey</a>. He remained with the band up through 1978's Infinity, departing as <a href="spotify:artist:0rvjqX7ttXeg3mTy8Xscbt">Journey</a> brought in vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:5xQKoGD7Ql92fWd1uWwKkf">Steve Perry</a> and shifted their sound towards arena-rock.

Dunbar next joined <a href="spotify:artist:3HC7NcxQx2Yk0fWoRKJ0xF">Jefferson Starship</a> in 1978, staying put through 1982's Winds of Change. He resurfaced several years later with <a href="spotify:artist:3UbyYnvNIT5DFXU4WgiGpP">Whitesnake</a> and played drums on the band's 1987 commercial breakthrough. However, Dunbar was again gone by the next <a href="spotify:artist:3UbyYnvNIT5DFXU4WgiGpP">Whitesnake</a> album; he has since returned to the blues-rock he started his career with, working with such artists as <a href="spotify:artist:0YEyuuhfdNXnTJh1uFhl3p">Pat Travers</a>. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi