Gregg Bissonette

Gregg Bissonette (born June 9, 1959) is an American rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. Bissonette is known for playing and recording many different styles of music. That experience led to him winning the 2023 Modern Drummer readers poll for best "All Around" drummer and also winning their 2015 category of best "Studio" drummer. He has played on albums by dozens of recording artists, including David Lee Roth's first three solo albums and has toured as part of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band since 2008.

Career One of Bissonette's first recordings was on jazz trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson's Live from San Francisco in 1983. Brother Matt was also in the band and on the recording. He later appeared on Brandon Fields' The Other Side of the Story in 1985. It featured David Garfield on keyboards. A few years later Bissonette would start playing shows with Fields, Garfield and Steve Lukather on guitar and with John Peña on bass as Los Lobotomys. These shows took place at the Baked Potato, a jazz club and restaurant in Los Angeles, California, playing rock, Latin, and jazz.

Bissonette got his big break joining former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth. The band included guitarist Steve Vai and future Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan. During 1985–1992 Gregg appeared on all three US Billboard 200 hit albums Eat 'Em and Smile (no.4) Skyscraper (no.6) and A Little Ain't Enough (no.18) and the subsequent world tours.

In 1990 and 1993, Bissonette released drum videos Private Lesson and Playing, Reading & Soloing with a Band, respectively. Private Lesson covers a variety of topics including double bass drumming, rudiments (with a backsticking technique from the snare drum solo Tornado by Mitch Markovich), playing with a metronome and brushes.

From 1994 to 2004, he played on the musical interludes for every episode for the TV show Friends.

In late 1995, Toto was beginning their Tambu tour when Simon Phillips developed back problems. Phillips asked Bissonette to fill in for him during the tour's first leg.

He played drums on one track on Santana's album Supernatural (1999). In 2007, he recorded on the album La La Land by Daniel Glen Timms.

In 2001 he was set to play on the Electric Light Orchestra's Zoom Tour Live with his brother Matt on Bass. The tour was cancelled after two televised performances: one at the CBS Television City on PBS and one on VH1 Storytellers.

Bissonette started playing double drums with Ringo Starr in 2003 in his band Ringo and The Roundheads. This band also included his brother Matt Bissonette on bass. Gregg has been a member of Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band since. (2008–present)

After appearing on a 2007 album by Spinal Tap's Harry Shearer, Bissonette became the drummer for the parody heavy metal band Spinal Tap for live dates and on their 2009 album Back from the Dead. Credited under his own name on the actual album, when Bissonette appeared with the group live (including at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival), he drummed under the name Scott "Skippy" Scuffleton. In keeping with the band's tradition of their (fictional) drummers dying from bizarre causes, Scuffleton was later said to have sneezed himself to death.

In 2013 Bissonette released his 3rd solo album where he plays drums and sings called Warning Will Robinson. This album also features his brother Matt on bass and backing vocals.

Bissonette played on Steve Lukather's 2021 album, I Found the Sun Again. With eight songs on the album, he played seven songs while Ringo Starr played one.

2021 was the release of The Reddcoats debut album. The album features Gregg and Matt Bissonette on drums and bass with Andy Timmons on guitar, Wally Minko on keyboards and Mike Medina on percussion.

Also in 2021 was the release of the debut album of The Red Locusts, again with Gregg on drums and his brother Matt on bass with Rick Springfield on guitar and vocals.

Bissonette can be heard on a number of rock instrumental and progressive rock albums, including The Extremist by Joe Satriani, Temporal by Shadrane, Deep Forest by Deep Forest, Bass Invader by Martin Motnik, Inner Galactic Fusion Experience by Richie Kotzen, Shadow King by Steve Fister, Revolution Road by Rocket Scientists, In the Eye of Time by Vox Tempus, Bug Alley and the soundtrack to the movie The Endless Summer II by Gary Hoey.

In 2012, Bissonette played drums on several tracks featured on Docker's Guild's album The Mystic Technocracy: Season 1: The Age of Ignorance, the progressive rock space opera masterminded by the French-American musician, teacher, and ethno-musicologist Douglas R. Docker.

In 2024 Gregg and his brother Matt's band The Reddcoats released its second album, Reddcoats 2, which also features Andy Timmons, Ron Pedley, Wally Minko and Mike Medina. The album is 1/2 instrumental and 1/2 with Matt Bissonette on vocals. The album is a mix of pop, funk, fusion and Beatles influenced tunes throughout.

Discography Artist Album Year Maynard Ferguson Live from San Francisco 1983 Yarborough and Peoples Heart Beats 1983 Brandon Fields The Other Side of the Story 1985 David Lee Roth Eat 'Em and Smile 1986 Keiko Matsui A Drop of Water 1987 David Lee Roth Skyscraper 1988 Pat Kelly Views of the Future 1989 Frank Gambale Thunder from Down Under 1990 David Lee Roth A Little Ain't Enough 1991 Joe Satriani The Extremist 1992 Steve Bailey Dichotomy 1992 Tab Benoit Nice and Warm 1999 L.A. Blues Authority L.A. Blues Authority 1992 Stan Bush Every Beat of My Heart 1992 Lanny Cordolla Of Riffs and Symphonies 1992 Ann Lewis Rockadelic 1993 Robin Zander Robin Zander 1993 Joe Satriani Time Machine 1993 Circus of Power Magic & Madness 1993 Vasco Rossi Gli Spari Sopra 1993 Brandon Fields Brandon Fields 1994 Gary Hoey The Endless Summer II soundtrack 1994 Milos Dodo Dolezal/Guy Mann-Dude Milos Dodo Dolezal/Guy Mann-Dude 1994 Joe Satriani Joe Satriani 1995 Richie Kotzen Inner Galactic Fusion Experience 1995 Wayne Watson Field of Souls 1995 Bryan Duncan Christmas Is Jesus 1995 Jason Becker Perspective 1995 Andy Summers Synaesthesia 1995 Mustard Seeds Mustard seeds 1996 Enrique Iglesias Enrique Iglesias 1996 Larry Carlton The Gift 1996 Steve Vai Fire Garden 1996Ron Kenoly Welcome Home 1996 Gary Hoey Bug Alley 1996 Steve Fister Shadow King 1997 Steve Lukather Luke 1997 Pat Boone In a Metal Mood:No More Mr. Nice Guy 1997 Kalapana Captain Santa Island Music 1997 Andy Summers Last Dance of Mr. X 1997 Michael Thompson The World According to M.T. 1998 Gregg Bissonette Gregg Bissonette 1998 Paul Anka A Body of Work 1998 Bette Midler Bathhouse Betty 1998 Luis Villegas Cafe Ole 1998 Matt Bissonette Spot 1998Bass ExtremesCookbook1998 Kombo Big Blast 1999 Steve Vai The Ultra Zone 1999 Santana Super Natural 1999 Carl Verheyen Slingshot 1999 Matt Bissonette Spot 2 2000 Duran Duran Pop Trash 2000 Don Henley Inside Job 2000 David Benoit Great Composers of Jazz 2000 Jann Arden Blood Red Cherry 2000 Gregg Bissonette Submarine 2000 Crush Velvet Cowboys Crush Velvet Cowboys 2000 Gordon Goodwin Swingin for the Fences 2001 Larry Carlton& Steve Lukather No Substitutions: Live in Osaka 2001 Steve Mindick So It Begins 2001 Lana Lane Covers Collection 2002 Jughead Jughead 2002 Rico Garcia The Beginning 2002 Lana Lane Winter Sessions 2003 Eric Norlander Music Machine 2003 Engelbert Humperdinck Definition of Love 2003 Under-Radio Bad Heir Ways 2003 Steve Lukather Santamental 2003 Dan Ramsey Gentle Giants 2003 Robert Downey Jr. The Futurist 2004 Chester E. Smith Monster Groove Party 2004 Raizing Lazarus Raising Lazarus 2004 Rocket Richotte Salute 2004 Vox Tempus In the Eye of Time 2004 Deep Forest Deep Forest 2004 Matt Bissonette Oh No! Bass Solo! 2004 Owen Kortz Owen Kortz 2004 Ryan Cabrera Take it all 2004 Richard Marx My Own Best Enemy 2004 Matt Swindells Matt Swindells 2004 Matt Swindells Matt Swindells Here 2005 Ozzy Osbourne Under Cover 2005 Ten by Tuesday Tearing Down the Walls 2005 Dan Ramsey Everybody's Songs But My Own 2005 Martin Motnik Bass Invader 2005 Brian Setzer Dig That Crazy Christmas 2005 Steve Vai Real Illusions: Reflections 2005 Ray Charles Genius and Friends 2005 Brian Ghiglia Mystery 2006 Dave C. Norman Stratosfear 2006 Santo Garofalo Further Up and Further In 2006 Phil Soussan Vibrate 2006 Eric Norlander Hommage Symphoniqe 2006 Michele Pillar I Hear Angels Calling 2006GlobusEpicon2006 Dave Rogers Blow Your Mind 2006 Lou Rawls Lou Rawls Christmas 2006 Various Artists 80's Metal Tribute to Van Halen 2006 Rocket Scientists Revolution Road 2006 Harry Shearer Songs Pointed and Pointless 2007 Katharine McPhee Katharine McPhee 2007 Sasha & Shawna Siren 2007 Mick Abrahams Rattlesnake Shake Guitar:Music of Peter Green 2007 Code The Enemy Within 2007 Cal Leonardand His Orchestra Mr. Irrelevant 2007 Daniel Glen Timms La La Land

Television soundtracks Mad About You King of the Hill Just Shoot Me! Friends Jeopardy! Wheel of Fortune

Movie soundtracks Gregg Bissonette's movie soundtrack credits include the following:

The Devil Wears Prada Bourne Supremacy Sex and the City Superbad Encino Man Payback (1999) The Endless Summer II Waiting for Guffman For Your Consideration Best in Show Hope Floats The Craft A Mighty Wind 2 Days in the Valley The Bucket List Forgetting Sarah Marshall Finding Nemo American Pie American Pie 2