American drummer (born 1962)
Sonny Emory
Emory performing in 2012
Born (1962-12-23 ) December 23, 1962 (age 61) Atlanta, Georgia Genres R&B , soul , Jazz Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician Instrument(s) Drums, percussion Years active 1983-present
Musical artist
Sonny Emory (born December 23, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, drummer and percussionist . Emory is a former member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire . He has also worked with artists such as Bruce Hornsby ,[ 1] Steely Dan , Eric Clapton , Bette Midler and Lee Ritenour .[ 2] [ 3] [ 4]
Early years
Sonny Emory is a native of Atlanta , Georgia who received his first drum set at the age of five. He attended Frederick Douglass High School . He graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor's degree in Jazz and Classical Performance. After graduating, Emory began his career as a professional percussionist.[ 5] [ 2]
Professional career
At first Emory played the drums on guitarist Bruce Hampton 's 1987 album Arkansas and then upon keyboardist Joe Sample 's 1987 LP Roles . Emory also went on to join the band Earth, Wind & Fire during 1987. He played on the band's 1990 album Heritage , 1993 album Millennium and 1997 album In the Name of Love .[ 6] [ 3] [ 7]
As well he performed on saxophonist Brandon Fields 1988 album The Traveler . Emory then featured alongside Eric Clapton and David Sanborn on the soundtrack of the 1989 feature film Lethal Weapon 2 . Emory later played the drums on The B-52's 1989 LP Cosmic Thing , Phyllis Hyman 's 1991 album Prime of My Life , Peabo Bryson 1991 LP Can You Stop the Rain and Chic 's 1992 album Chic-ism .[ 6]
Emory also featured on George Howard 's 1993 LP When Summer Comes , Bobby Lyle 's 1994 album Rhythm Stories, Everette Harp 's 1994 LP Common Ground and the Urban Knights 1997 album Urban Knights II . He also played percussion upon Lee Ritenour 's 1997 album Alive in L.A., 1998 studio LP This Is Love and Steely Dan 's 2000 album Two Against Nature . Thereafter he performed on Miki Howard 's 2001 Grammy nominated album Three Wishes , Alex Bugnon 's 2003 album Southern Living, his 2005 album Free, Brian Culbertson 's 2008 album Bringing Back the Funk and Lee Ritenour's 2012 album Rhythm Sessions.[ 8] [ 6]
Sonny was a member of Bruce Hornsby 's Noisemakers band from 2002 to 2018.[ 1]
Teaching career
Emory lectures as an adjunct professor in Applied Percussion at Georgia State University.[ 3] [ 9]
References
External links
Notable members
Studio albums Soundtrack albums Live albums Videos Compilations Singles Related articles Lists
International National Artists