Arthur Dyer Tripp III (born September 10, 1944) is an American retired

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

who is best known for his work as a

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

and the Mothers of Invention and

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

and his Magic Band during the 1960s and 1970s. Tripp retired from music in the 1980s and works as a

chiropractor Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscie ...

in Mississippi.

Early career

Arthur Dyer Tripp III was born September 10, 1944, in

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...

. He grew up in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He started playing drums in fourth grade with school bands, then later while at high school at weddings, fraternity parties and dances. In the mid-1950s he studied drums with noted Pittsburgh jazz and big band drummer, Al Hammond. In 1959 he became a student of

Stanley Leonard Stanley Sprenger Leonard (born September 26, 1931) is a timpanist, composer and educator who has been active in the percussion world for over seventy years. While Principal Timpanist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for 38 years (1956-1994), h ...

, a timpanist with the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...

, with whom he learned to play other percussion instruments, including the

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...

tympani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

, and dozens of others. In 1962, Tripp enrolled at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music to study percussion. His private teacher at the conservatory, Ed Weubold, was a percussionist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO). Tripp became a regular member of the CSO, performing with artists such as

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

, Isaac Stern,

Leonard Rose Leonard Joseph Rose (July 27, 1918 – November 16, 1984) was an American cellist and pedagogue. Biography Rose was born in Washington, D.C.; his parents were Jewish immigrants, his father from Bragin, Belarus, and his mother from Kyiv, ...

Jose Iturbi Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

, Loren Hollender and Arthur Fiedler. In 1966, the US State Department sent the orchestra on a 10-week world tour, which provided additional experience for the young musician. During this time, Tripp also played two seasons as timpanist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a season with both the Cincinnati Summer Opera and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. He was selected by avant garde composer

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

to work with him in performances and workshops when Cage became composer-in-residence at the Conservatory of Music. Tripp graduated in 1966 with a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

degree and in 1967, accepted a scholarship to the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

in New York, primarily in order to finish a Master of Music degree, but also to expose himself further to contemporary music. His teacher was a former timpanist with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

, Fred Hinger. Hinger was at that time performing with the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

Orchestra as well as teaching there.

Later career

It was in New York that Tripp was introduced to

’s recording engineer, Richard Kunc. Kunc told Zappa about Tripp, who, he said, had the type of background and experience he thought Zappa was looking for. Tripp met Zappa and played for him at Apostolic Recording Studio in New York's

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. Tripp was soon hired to play with The Mothers of Invention and went on to record seven albums and perform numerous tours throughout the US and Europe. In early 1968, the band left New York after an 18-month stay and relocated to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. A year later, Zappa disbanded the Mothers to pursue a solo career. Tripp appears on two albums compiled from recordings made before the dissolution of the Mothers of Invention: ''

Burnt Weeny Sandwich ''Burnt Weeny Sandwich'' is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Mothers of Invention, and the ninth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It consists of both studio recordings and live elements. In contrast to the next album ...

'' and ''

Weasels Ripped My Flesh ''Weasels Ripped My Flesh'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock group the Mothers of Invention, and the tenth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It is the second album released after the Mothers disbanded in 1969, preceded by ...

'', both released in 1970. Meanwhile, Tripp had been discussing projects with occasional Zappa collaborator and long-time friend Don Van Vliet (a.k.a.

). He would later join Beefheart's group the Magic Band. At that time, he also recorded with Chad Stuart and Tarantula, played percussion on the '' Smothers Brothers Summer Special'', and was offered a position in the pit orchestra for the stage show '' Oh! Calcutta!''. Tripp decided to move to northern California with the Magic Band. The move heralded a five-year period of recording and touring again throughout the US and Europe. During the same period he was asked, but declined due to his commitment with Beefheart, to do session work with former Magic Band member

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

and saxophonist

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...

. Eventually, conflicts with Beefheart meant the rest of The Magic Band split off to compose and rehearse new music that was recorded on an album sponsored by the Jethro Tull organization, along with its drummer

Barriemore Barlow Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow (born 10 September 1949, Birmingham) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and percussionist for the rock band Jethro Tull, from May 1971 to June 1980. Christened Barrie, 'Barriemore' was an affectation ...

and guitarist Martin Barre, called

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

. However, by then Tripp had become dissatisfied with music so he returned to Pittsburgh to work in the insurance business with his father. After three years, realizing that selling insurance was not something he wanted to do either, Tripp decided to return to music. He went back to Los Angeles where he stayed with former Mothers bandmate

Ian Underwood Ian Robertson Underwood (born May 22, 1939) is a woodwind and keyboards player, known for his work with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Biography Underwood graduated from The Choate School in 1957 and Yale University with a bachelor' ...

and

Ruth Underwood Ruth Underwood (born Ruth Komanoff; May 23, 1946) is an American musician best known for playing xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, and other percussion instruments in Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. She collaborated with the Mothers of In ...

, who also played extensively with Zappa, while he worked as a studio musician recording with artists such as

Al Stewart Alastair Ian Stewart (born 5 September 1945) is a Scottish born singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician who rose to prominence as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s. He developed a unique style of combining folk-rock so ...

and various commercial producers. However, studio work proved to lack the allure of live performance and he once again lost interest in pursuing his career in music. After leaving music, Tripp became a chiropractor, and currently practices in Mississippi.

Discography

Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention

*''

Cruising with Ruben & the Jets ''Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' is the fourth studio album by the Mothers of Invention, released under the alias Ruben and the Jets. Released on December 2, 1968 on Bizarre and Verve Records with distribution by MGM Records, it is a concept al ...

'' (1968, LP, Verve) *''

Uncle Meat ''Uncle Meat'' is the fifth studio album by the Mothers of Invention, released as a double album in 1969. ''Uncle Meat'' was originally developed as a part of ''No Commercial Potential'', a project which spawned three other albums sharing a conce ...

'' (1969, 2LP, Bizarre) *''

'' (1970, LP, Bizarre) *''

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1'' is a double disc live album by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1988 (see 1988 in music) under the label Rykodisc. It was the beginning of a six-volume, 12-CD set Zappa assembled of live performances ...

'' (1988, 2CD, Rykodisc) *''

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4'' is a two-CD set of live recordings by Frank Zappa, recorded between 1969 and 1988, and released in 1991. Track listing All tracks written by Frank Zappa, except where noted. Personnel Musici ...

'' (1991, 2CD, Rykodisc) *''The Ark'' (1991, CD, Rhino Foo-eee Records, R2 70538) *''Electric Aunt Jemima'' (1991, CD, USA, Rhino Foo-eee Records R2 71019) *''Our Man In Nirvana'' (1991, CD, USA, Rhino Foo-eee Records R2 71022) *'' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5'' (1992, 2CD, Rykodisc) *''

Ahead Of Their Time ''Ahead of Their Time'' is a live album by The Mothers of Invention. It was recorded at the Royal Festival Hall, London, England, on October 25, 1968, and released in 1993 on CD by Barking Pumpkin. It was reissued on Rykodisc in 1995. Performanc ...

'' (1993, CD, Rykodisc) *''The Lost Episodes'' (1996, CD, Rykodisc) *''Mystery Discs'' (1998, CD, Rykodisc) *''Road Tapes – Kerrisdale Arena, Vancouver BC, 25 August 1968'' (2012, CD, USA, Vaulternative Records ) *''Finer Moments'' (2012, CD, USA, Zappa Records) *''Wollman Rink, Central Park, NY, August 3, 1968'' (2014, CD, UK, Keyhole Records) *''Meat Light'' (2016, 3CD, USA, Zappa Records)

Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band

*''

Lick My Decals Off, Baby ''Lick My Decals Off, Baby'' is the fourth studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in December 1970 by Straight Records, Straight and Reprise Records. The follow-up to ''Trout Mask Replica'' (1969), it is regar ...

'' (1970, LP, Straight) *''

The Spotlight Kid ''The Spotlight Kid'' is the sixth studio album by Captain Beefheart. Released in 1972, it is the only album credited solely to Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) rather than Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, although every member is feature ...

'' (1972, LP, Reprise) *''

Clear Spot ''Clear Spot'' is the seventh studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. It was originally released on LP in 1972 in a clear plastic sleeve. Production Beefheart's third album ''Trout Mask Replica'' established him as a critically ac ...

'' (1972, LP, Reprise) *''

Unconditionally Guaranteed ''Unconditionally Guaranteed'' is the eighth LP by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, originally released in 1974. It was recorded at Hollywood Sound, Los Angeles. Upon release it was criticised for being too commercial; even so, it failed to ...

'' (1974, LP, Mercury) *''

Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) ''Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)'' is the tenth studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in October 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. The album emerged from production difficulties surrounding '' Bat Chain Puller' ...

'' (1978, LP, Warner) *'' Grow Fins'' (1999, 5CD, Revenant Records) *''Grow Fins Vol. III: Grow Fins'' (2001, 2lp, USA, Xeric) *''Railroadism'' (2003, CD, UK, Viper cd 015) *''Live at Bickershaw Festival'' (2007, cd, UK, ozitcd9006) *''Translucent Fresnel – Live 72/73 – The Nans True's Hole Tapes'' (2011, 2lp, UK, Ozit Dandelion Records LP 8008) *''Live From Vancouver 1973'' (2014, CD, UK, Gonzo gzo106cd) *''Rough, Raw and Zmazing'' (2015, 2lp, UK, Ozit Records) – "Record Store Day 2015" release. Limited edition on yellow vinyl

Others

* Tarantula: ''Tarantula'' (1968, LP, A&M) * Wild Man Fischer: ''

An Evening With Wild Man Fischer ''An Evening with Wild Man Fischer'' is a 1969 double LP album by Wild Man Fischer. It was produced by Frank Zappa and released on his Bizarre Records, Bizarre record label. The album is split into four different areas on each record side for t ...

'' (1969, LP, Bizarre/Reprise) * Jean-Luc Ponty: ''King Kong'' (1970, LP, World Pacific Jazz ST20172) * Smothers Brothers: ''The Smothers Brothers Summer Show'' (1970, TV, ABC) *

: ''Mallard'' (1975, LP, Virgin Records V2045) *

: ''

Time Passages ''Time Passages'' is the eighth studio album by Al Stewart, released in September 1978. It is the follow-up to his 1976 album '' Year of the Cat''. The album, like 1975's ''Modern Times'' and 1976's ''Year of the Cat'', was once again produced b ...

'' (1978, LP, Arista) *

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

: ''Loves You'' (1992, 3CD, RCA) *

Tim Buckley Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years. Buckley began his career based in folk music, but his subsequent albums experimented with ja ...

: ''

Live at the Troubadour 1969 ''Live at the Troubadour 1969'' is a live album by Tim Buckley. The album was recorded at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, September 3 & 4, 1969. Track listing All songs composed by Tim Buckley. #"Strange Feelin'" – 5:40 #"Venice Mating Call" � ...

'' (1994, CD, French, Edsel Records) * Jefferson Airplane: ''

Crown of Creation ''Crown of Creation'' is the fourth studio album by the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, and was released by RCA Victor in August 1968. Containing more rock music than previous efforts, the album saw the band continuing t ...

'' (2003, EU, CD, RCA)

Filmography

* ''Uncle Meat'' (1987) * ''

The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels ''The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels'' is a documentary film released in 1988 by Frank Zappa, detailing the making of Zappa's 1971 film ''200 Motels''. It was released direct-to-video. Cast Appearing as themselves: *Theodore Bikel *Jimm ...

'' (1989) * '' The Big Lebowski'' (1998) soundtrack "Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles" (1972) Captain Beefheart * '' Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: In the 1960s'' (2009)

References

Inline citations

Sources

Michel Delville Michel Delville (born 1969) is a Belgian musician, writer and critic. Delville teaches literature at the University of Liège. He is the author of books about comparative poetics and interdisciplinary studies. He was awarded the 1998 SAMLA Book ...

and Andrew Norris, ''Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and the Secret History of Maximalism'', Salt Publishing, 2005 *Charles Ulrich, ''The Big Note: A Guide to the Recordings of Frank Zappa'', New Star Books, 2018 *Pauline Butcher, ''Freak Out! My Life With Frank Zappa'', Plexus Publishing Ltd., 2011 *

Jimmy Carl Black James Carl Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention. Background and early career: 1960s–1990s Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was o ...

, ''For Mother's Sake'', Inkanish Publications, 2013 *Frank Zappa with Peter Occhiogrosso, ''The Frank Zappa Book'', Poseidon Press, 1989 *Mike Barnes, ''Captain Beefheart: The Biography'', Cooper Square Press, 2000 & 2002 *

Bill Harkleroad Bill Harkleroad (born January 8, 1949), known professionally as Zoot Horn Rollo, is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. In 2003, he was ranked No. 62 in a ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

with Billy James, ''Lunar Notes'', SAF Publishing Ltd., 1998 * John “Drumbo” French, ''Beefheart: Through the Eyes of Magic'', Proper Music Publishing Ltd., 2010 *John Robinson, ''Dropouts Boogie'', Uncut Magazine, IPC Media, September, 2012 *Art Tripp, ''Zappa vs. Beefheart: What Were They Really Like?'', Beefheart.com, March 28, 2020 http://www.beefheart.com/zappa-vs-beefheart-what-were-they-really-like-by-art-tripp/ *Don Lombardi, The Drum Channel, ''The Art of Drumming with Terry Bozzio, Joe Travers, and Art Tripp, May 17, 2022

Interviews

* Zappanale Festival interview, July 17, 2022, https://www.facebook.com/rockradio.de/videos/611303310305401 * Interview by Andrew Greenaway, May 5, 2022, http://www.idiotbastard.com/interviews.htm * YouTube interview by composer Samuel Andreyev, April 24, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugMep20elgQ&list=PLPyqt9rE6s4tPOITHvQn9F8Ly_TMvZAaU&index=28 * YouTube interview by Prism Films, June 26, 2012, 14 parts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4WtWZaG--U * Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention In The 1960s, DVD Video SIDVD545, 2008 * Radio Interview, February 6, 2010, https://web.archive.org/web/20090907173741/http://woub.org/radio/index.php?section=4&page=19

External links

Art Tripp Pittsburgh Music History WebsiteZappa WebsiteBeefheart Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripp, Art 1944 births Living people People from Athens, Ohio Musicians from Ohio Musicians from Pittsburgh American multi-instrumentalists The Mothers of Invention members Manhattan School of Music alumni American marimbists American percussionists American rock drummers American rock percussionists The Magic Band members