Born Leo Morris in New Orleans, Idris Muhammad grew up in the city's 13th Ward in a home next door to a dry cleaner's shop.[4] He later would claim the sound of the shop's steam presser influenced his hi-hat technique.[5][6]
Growing up, he spent time with fellow New Orleanians The Neville Brothers.[7][8] Also interested in other instruments, he showed early talent as a percussionist, playing in a Mardi Gras parade at age 9.[5][9]
Muhammad asked Paul Barbarin to teach him to read music but Barbarin, who thought he was already so talented, declined.[10]
After being introduced by Joe Jones, Muhammad began touring with Sam Cooke. Later he played with Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield in Chicago, working largely in R'n'B, before moving to New York City in the mid-1960s.[12][9] In New York, Muhammad became embedded in the jazz scene playing with Kenny Dorham, Horace Silver, Lou Donaldson and Betty Carter. He also played in the Apollo Theatre's house band. In 1967, he accepted a job in the orchestra for the initial off-Broadway production of Hair and stayed with the production when it moved to Broadway.[12][2]
During this time, Muhammad was also in the Prestige label's house band and made over 150 recordings for the Prestige, Blue Note, and CTI labels among others.[13][11][12] He recorded with artists such as Lou Donaldson and Charles Earland who had begun merging jazz with sounds from funk, soul and rock. Muhammad also appeared as a sideman with artists such as Gene Ammons, Nat Adderley, and George Benson.[12][11]Rudy Van Gelder often worked with Muhammad and had a special relationship with him. The producer greatly assisted with fine tuning Muhammad's recorded drum sound.[12][9]
After four years with Hair, Muhammad left the production to tour with Roberta Flack whom he worked with for much of the next decade.[12][13]
Muhammad's first recording as a leader, Black Rhythm Revolution!, was released by Prestige in 1970 and was followed by Peace and Rhythm in 1971. Both of these albums explored a range of styles and traditions found in jazz and New Orleans rhythms.[9] Subsequent albums released on the Kudu imprint, Power of Soul, House of the Rising Sun, and Turn This Mutha Out, took a turn towards funk.[12][2] These albums have subsequently become favourites of funk enthusiasts and have been heavily sampled by hip-hop artists.[12][2]
In 2011 he moved back to New Orleans. He died of kidney failure in 2014, aged 74, and was buried according to Islamic burial traditions in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[2][9][12]
Personal life
He changed his name to Idris Muhammad in the 1960s upon his conversion to Islam. Speaking on his name change, he later noted in an interview with Modern Drummer magazine, "One guy told me that if I changed my name, I was going to have a problem because no one would know that Leo Morris and Idris Muhammad were the same guy...But I thought, well, if I stay the same person, then people will know it's me. And it worked like that. Everybody knew right away that it was me, because of my style of playing.”[4]
In 1966, he married singer Dolores "LaLa" Brooks, a former member of the Crystals. She converted to Islam with him and went for a time by the name Sakinah Muhammad. They separated in 1999. Together, they had two sons and two daughters; he also had a daughter from his first marriage to Gracie Lee Edwards.[2] One son, also named Idris Muhammed, is a professional chef who has appeared on several cooking competition shows including Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped.[15]
