The media is picking up on it now. 
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Ricky Lawson, Detroit drummer for the stars, falls ill in Los Angeles
5:50 PM, December 18, 2013
Detroit-born drummer Ricky Lawson behind the scenes of Michael Jackson's Bad Tour in February 1988.
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By Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press Pop Music Writer
Ricky Lawson, the Detroit-born drummer who became one of the music industry’s session superstars, has fallen ill in Los Angeles.
The Free Press earlier reported his death. But sources late Wednesday could not confirm that.
Friends said Lawson had become disoriented during a club gig Friday night and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors discovered a brain aneurysm.
Lawson is one of Detroit’s most respected and well-traveled session musicians, building a dazzling career that included everything from Michael Jackson tours to Steely Dan albums and a Grammy-winning stint with the jazz-fusion band the Yellowjackets.
He is a multifaceted drummer, capable of both intricate work and a fundamental groove — a versatility that earned him gigs with artists as wide-ranging as Whitney Houston (including “I Will Always Love You”), Rod Stewart, Beyonce, Kenny G, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Lionel Richie, John Mellencamp and Bette Midler.
Though he had lived in Los Angeles for many years, Lawson remained an in-demand player for artists back home, including Aretha Franklin and Anita Baker.
Los Angeles musician and producer Bruce Nazarian, a friend and fellow Detroit native, called Lawson “the groove doctor.”
“He was like a metronome,” said Nazarian. “You could literally set your watch to him.”
The two last played together at the 2011 Newport Jazz Festival, harking back to their performances three decades ago in Detroit. Lawson’s Motor City roots were integral to his work, said Nazarian.
“When you’re from Detroit, you play Detroit,” he said. “That training, that soul, gets embedded into you as a young musician, and stays with you your entire life.”
Lawson released at least three solo albums, including 2001’s jazzy R&B record “Ricky Lawson and Friends,” with guests such as Gerald Albright, Phil Collins, George Duke and Al Jarreau.
Born in 1954 and a drummer since age six, Lawson graduated from Cooley High School and went on to cut his chops at Detroit spots such as Baker’s Keyboard Lounge and Henry’s Cocktail Lounge.
He had grown up under the glow of Motown, where uncle Paul Riser was an arranger and musician with the Funk Brothers, the label’s house band.
“I went to a couple of sessions with him, met all those people and thought it was so cool,” Lawson told the Free Press in 1988. “I thought it would be great to be able to do that, make that kind of money and have so much fun.”
An audition for Stevie Wonder in 1975 led to a gig with jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers, and Lawson’s reputation in music-biz corridors quickly grew.
He was an industry star by the time he got the call in 1987 to join Michael Jackson’s career-defining Bad Tour.
Musical skill wasn’t the only trait that made Lawson a favorite with musicians, producers and tour directors: He was also known as a warm, fun personality who was easy to work with.
“When you’re in the high-stress game of playing onstage in front of tens of thousands,” said Nazarian, “the last thing a musical director wants is a prima donna.”
Contact Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com
http://www.freep.com/article/20131218/ENT04/312180134/detroit-drummer-ricky-lawson-dies
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Ricky Lawson, Detroit drummer for the stars, falls ill in Los Angeles
5:50 PM, December 18, 2013
Detroit-born drummer Ricky Lawson behind the scenes of Michael Jackson's Bad Tour in February 1988.
Purchase Image
By Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press Pop Music Writer
Ricky Lawson, the Detroit-born drummer who became one of the music industry’s session superstars, has fallen ill in Los Angeles.
The Free Press earlier reported his death. But sources late Wednesday could not confirm that.
Friends said Lawson had become disoriented during a club gig Friday night and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors discovered a brain aneurysm.
Lawson is one of Detroit’s most respected and well-traveled session musicians, building a dazzling career that included everything from Michael Jackson tours to Steely Dan albums and a Grammy-winning stint with the jazz-fusion band the Yellowjackets.
He is a multifaceted drummer, capable of both intricate work and a fundamental groove — a versatility that earned him gigs with artists as wide-ranging as Whitney Houston (including “I Will Always Love You”), Rod Stewart, Beyonce, Kenny G, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Lionel Richie, John Mellencamp and Bette Midler.
Though he had lived in Los Angeles for many years, Lawson remained an in-demand player for artists back home, including Aretha Franklin and Anita Baker.
Los Angeles musician and producer Bruce Nazarian, a friend and fellow Detroit native, called Lawson “the groove doctor.”
“He was like a metronome,” said Nazarian. “You could literally set your watch to him.”
The two last played together at the 2011 Newport Jazz Festival, harking back to their performances three decades ago in Detroit. Lawson’s Motor City roots were integral to his work, said Nazarian.
“When you’re from Detroit, you play Detroit,” he said. “That training, that soul, gets embedded into you as a young musician, and stays with you your entire life.”
Lawson released at least three solo albums, including 2001’s jazzy R&B record “Ricky Lawson and Friends,” with guests such as Gerald Albright, Phil Collins, George Duke and Al Jarreau.
Born in 1954 and a drummer since age six, Lawson graduated from Cooley High School and went on to cut his chops at Detroit spots such as Baker’s Keyboard Lounge and Henry’s Cocktail Lounge.
He had grown up under the glow of Motown, where uncle Paul Riser was an arranger and musician with the Funk Brothers, the label’s house band.
“I went to a couple of sessions with him, met all those people and thought it was so cool,” Lawson told the Free Press in 1988. “I thought it would be great to be able to do that, make that kind of money and have so much fun.”
An audition for Stevie Wonder in 1975 led to a gig with jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers, and Lawson’s reputation in music-biz corridors quickly grew.
He was an industry star by the time he got the call in 1987 to join Michael Jackson’s career-defining Bad Tour.
Musical skill wasn’t the only trait that made Lawson a favorite with musicians, producers and tour directors: He was also known as a warm, fun personality who was easy to work with.
“When you’re in the high-stress game of playing onstage in front of tens of thousands,” said Nazarian, “the last thing a musical director wants is a prima donna.”
Contact Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com
http://www.freep.com/article/20131218/ENT04/312180134/detroit-drummer-ricky-lawson-dies
