Randy Cooke

Toronto drummer Randy Cooke was first exposed to the instrument at a young age via his father, who was a snare drummer in the pipe band the Toronto Scottish. But Cooke didn't begin to pick up the instrument until he was a teenager, when he joined the Cadet Lancers of Etobicoke drum corp. When he was 15, Cooke received his first full drum set and began to play in a variety of school bands, as well as taking lessons from renowned blues drummer Rick Gratton. Soon after, Cooke joined his first touring band -- the funk/reggae outfit Phase IV (which was comprised of school buddies), playing the Toronto area heavily before Cooke began playing regularly with British blues legend Long John Baldry. This led to regular session work for Cooke, as he's played with a wide variety of notable artists over the years, including Sas Jordan, Alanis Morissette, Marc Jordan, Honeymoon Suite, Rik Emmett, and Chris Spedding, among others. ~ Greg Prato