Jonathan Drew Zingg (November 14, 1957 – April 7, 2025) was an American rock, blues, soul and jazz guitarist, best known for his performing with

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...

and

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

Life and career

Zingg was born and raised in New York City, the son of

David Drew Zingg David Drew Zingg (December 14, 1923July 28, 2000) was an American photographer and journalist. He spent nearly forty years in Brazil (mostly split between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), becoming an important figure in the cultural life of the b ...

. After picking up the guitar around the age of 8, he formed his first musical group christened “The Ineffable Blanket” while attending the Buckley School. While attending the Loomis School in Windsor, CT, he played lead guitar for Lester and The Molesters. At Vassar College, he was in several bands including The Cubists who performed with square boxes on their heads. After graduation, Drew spent more than a decade on the New York club scene, at times backing

Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1997 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home". Early life Colvin was born Shawna Lee Colvin in Vermillion, South Dakota, and ...

and

Lucy Kaplansky Lucy Kaplansky (born February 16, 1960) is an American folk musician based in New York City. Kaplansky has a PhD in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University and plays guitar, mandolin, and piano. Life and career Kaplansky was originally fro ...

. He also did some Broadway production and session work. Eventually, Zingg started playing in a band headed by keyboard player and vocalist Jeff Young. In 1989,

Donald Fagen Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker ...

signed up Young and his band, which included Zingg, initially as the rhythm section for what eventually became Fagen's (along with his future wife

Libby Titus Elizabeth Titus (nee Jurist; July 6, 1947 – October 13, 2024) was an American singer and songwriter. Early life Titus was born in Woodstock, New York, on July 6, 1947. Her studies at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, were cut s ...

) New York Rock and Soul Revue. Zingg can be heard on the 1991 album '' The New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live at the Beacon'', which also features Michael McDonald,

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "Poetry Man" and "Harpo's Blues", and her credited guest vocals on Paul Simo ...

, and

, among others. His soloing is featured on “Green Flower Street”, “Drowning In The Sea Of Love”, “Chain Lightning”, “Minute By Minute”, and “Pretzel Logic”. The New York Rock and Soul gigs led to

Walter Becker Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen to ...

coming to New York and joining the Revue in the summer of 1992. Then, in 1993, Fagen and Becker decided to hit the road, touring as

, with Zingg joining them on the tour as a lead guitarist and music director for the nationwide summer tour and the subsequent spring tour of Japan. Others joining this "Steely Dan Orchestra" were

Warren Bernhardt Warren Bernhardt (November 13, 1938 – August 19, 2022) was an American pianist in jazz, pop and classical music. Early life Bernhardt was born in Wausau, Wisconsin. His father was a pianist, leading him to have early childhood exposure to pian ...

on keyboards,

Peter Erskine Peter Clark Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the d ...

on drums, and

Tom Barney Tom Barney is an American bass guitarist. Career Barney first came to prominence in the late 1970s, when he appeared on different jazz albums by Turk Mauro and Walter Davis Jr., following to appear on records by such artists as Chaka Khan, J ...

on bass. In 1995,

released a live album entitled ''

Alive in America ''Alive in America'' is a first live album by the American rock group Steely Dan, released in 1995. Overview The album comprises recordings from their 1993 and 1994 tours, which were the first live Steely Dan performances since 1974. The tour w ...

'' that was recorded during the 1993-1994 tours, with Zingg soloing on "Green Earrings" and "Third World Man". In 1993, to coincide with the release of Fagen’s second solo album “Kamakiriad”, several CD singles were released. The CDs included remix versions of album tracks plus a live version of “Home At Last”, taken from the Rock And Soul Revue gigs, as well as a previously unreleased studio track “Confide In Me”. Both performances feature prominent solos by Zingg. In 1996, Zingg started touring with

. He can be heard on Boz's 2004 release ''Greatest Hits Live''. He also toured or recorded with

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sa ...

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, an ...

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age o ...

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

, Alana Davis, and

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...

. Zingg went into the studio and recorded his first album, the self-titled ''Drew Zingg'', released in 2012. It was produced and engineered by George Walker Petit, and recorded in multiple studios in New York City and California. Guest vocalists Michael McDonald and

lend support, and the album includes the talents of

George Whitty George Whitty is an American musician, composer, record producer, audio engineer and music educator. Biography Whitty was born and raised in Coos Bay, Oregon, and is a 1980 graduate of Marshfield High School. As a musician, he has played and re ...

Will Lee William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hoope ...

, and

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...

. The album includes a composition by

and

entitled "Megashine City", which is an instrumental arrangement of an unreleased Steely Dan song also known as "Talkin' 'Bout My Home". Zingg and band also cover the Lionel Richie tune "Easy". The album received fine reviews. Zingg died in San Francisco, CA. on April 7, 2025, at the age of 67.Jonathan Drew Zingg
/ref>

Discography

* ''Drew Zingg'' (The Infrangibile Syndicate, 2012)

As sideman

With

* '' The Tide'' (1994) * '' Flesh and Bone'' (1996) With Monkey House * ''

Headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

'' (2012) * ''

Left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

'' (2016) * ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...

'' (2019) * '' Remember The Audio'' (2022) * '' Crashbox'' (2025) With

* '' The New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live at the Beacon'' – (1991) * ''

'' (1995) With others *

Lili Añel Lili Añel (''nee'' Eulalia Añel) is an American singer-songwriter and performing artist from New York City. She was born in El Barrio, Spanish Harlem and raised in the South Bronx. She moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2004. She perform ...

, '' Hi-Octane Coffee'' (2001) * Alana Davis, '' Blame It on Me'' (1997) * Adam Holzman, ''Overdrive'' (1994) * Michael McDonald, ''The Voice of Michael McDonald'' (2001) *

, '' Live & More'' (1998) *

Nelson Rangell Nelson Rangell (born March 26, 1960) is an American smooth jazz musician and composer from Castle Rock, Colorado. Although he is known for his work with the tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, his primary instrument is the piccolo, which he beg ...

, ''Nelson Rangell'' (1990) *

, '' My Time: A Boz Scaggs Anthology'' (1997)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zingg, Drew 1957 births 2025 deaths American rock guitarists American jazz guitarists The New York Rock and Soul Revue members Loomis Chaffee School alumni Steely Dan members