George Peter Sluppick (born January 14, 1968, in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

) is an American touring and session drummer, best known for his association with bands such as The City Champs, Robert Walter's 20th Congress,

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll and doo-wop revival group formed in 1969. The group performed a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs that both revived and parodied the music and the New York City street culture of the 1 ...

, JJ Grey & Mofro and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

Biography

Under his father's tutelage and his mother's large record collection, George learned very quickly how to play with a band and at 7 years old, made his first public performance at the Goodlett Elementary School carnival in Memphis. During high school, George played in rock bands and cut his teeth playing blues on

Beale Street Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, ...

and sitting in with luminaries like B. B. King. He graduated in 1986 from Overton High School in Memphis, where he sang second tenor in the concert choir and played drums for their award winning gospel choir. After graduation, George put together a blues trio with his father, "Big George" and guitarist, Joe Hardin called, Triple Threat but the name was short lived and changed to TBC (Tennessee Blues Connection). In early 1987, he auditioned for

Albert King Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...

's band and joined the blues artist for one month, opening shows for B. B. King,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...

and

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

. From 1988 until 1991, he toured the southeast college circuit with two rock-n-roll bands, Big Fish & the Crime. In July 1991, George moved to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and while there played with Billy Bacon & The Forbidden Pigs, Robin Henkel, Eric Lieberman, Billy Watson, the cat Mary,

& Robert Walter's 20th Congress, touring all over

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Spending three years drumming with the cat Mary, George recorded on several of the group's albums, the most critically acclaimed one was ''Her High, Lonesome Days'' (Orchard Music Group). With

he recorded on two of their albums, ''Live in Japan'' (

Sony Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

) and ''Rockin’ Christmas'' (The Gold Label). During this time, he also recorded with Robert Walter’s 20th Congress on ''Giving Up the Ghost'' (Magnatude Records),

Gary Jules Gary Jules Aguirre Jr. (born March 19, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, known primarily for his cover version of the Tears for Fears song " Mad World", which he recorded with his friend Michael Andrews for the film '' Donnie Darko''. ...

’ multi-platinum album ''Trading Snake Oil for Wolftickets'' (

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

), and on a tune with singer

Judith Owen Judith Owen (born 2 January 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her first album, ''Emotions on a Postcard'', was released in 1996 and has been followed by several more. She is co-founder of Twanky Records with her husband, Harry Shearer. Life ...

for the soundtrack to the film, ''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

'' (

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

). George moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in May 2003 and for three months played with the late soul jazz guitarist

Melvin Sparks Melvin Sparks (March 22, 1946 – March 15, 2011) was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records. He appeared on several recordings with mu ...

. In September 2003, George joined

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

.-based JJ Grey &

Mofro JJ Grey & Mofro (formerly Mofro) is an American Southern rock/Swamp rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. History Early career The early days of Mofro can be traced back to the mid-1990s when John Higginbotham, aka "JJ Grey," and Daryl Hance ...

, a relationship that lasted five years. During his time with

, George recorded on three of the band’s albums and toured

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. In early March 2005, he moved to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

but when

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

hit the city in September of that year, he moved to

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. He stayed in Austin for 10 months and during that time met soul singer

Ruthie Foster Ruthie Cecelia Foster (born February 10, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter of blues and Folk music, folk music. She mixes a wide palette of American song forms, from gospel and blues to jazz, folk and soul. She has often been compared to Bo ...

and recorded drums on her album, ''The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster'' (Blue Corn), produced by Malcolm " Papa Mali" Welbourne, which debuted at No. 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Blues chart. George came back to Memphis in July 2006 and soon joined up with organist Al Gamble, guitarist Joe Restivo and saxophonist Art Edmaiston to form the

boogaloo Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a music genre, genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly by stateside Puerto Ricans with ...

instrumental band The Grip. The Grip recorded an EP for Archer Records titled ''Grab This Thing.'' Edmaiston joined JJ Grey &

and both he and George toured together in the band for one year, until George left the group in March 2008. When

's touring schedule picked up and Edmaiston left to go on the road, the three remaining members of The Grip changed the band’s name to The City Champs and played regular gigs in Memphis, including The Buccaneer Lounge. The Tuesday night sessions caught the ear of Memphis producer Scott Bomar who decided to record the band and ultimately released their first album on his Electraphonic Records label. In 2008, working alongside Bomar, George and Al Gamble played on the score for the film, '' Gospel Hill'', which stars

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television since the 1980s, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Angela Bassett, various accolades, including a Primetime ...

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...

Danny Glover Danny Glover ( ; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, producer, and political activist. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Danny Glover, numerous accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian A ...

Julia Stiles Julia O'Hara Stiles (born March 28, 1981) is an American actress. Stiles began acting at the age of 11 as part of New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Her film debut was a small role at age 15 in '' I Love You, I Love You Not'' (1996), ...

and Samuel L. Jackson. The City Champs' first album, ''The Safecracker'', received rave reviews from critics worldwide. In February 2010, The City Champs were asked to join The North Mississippi Allstars on a

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

tour, during which they opened the shows, as well as sat-in with the band during their sets. Also in 2010, The City Champs took part in the filming of a music documentary titled ''Take Me To The River'', March 2014. This Cody Dickinson and Martin Shore-produced film showcases Memphis music legends recording with younger Memphis artists. The City Champs teamed up with Memphis harmonica legend

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American blues harmonica player and bandleader who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal figure in helping to revive the Chicago ...

and renowned

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is a group of American session musicians based in the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. One of the most prominent American studio house bands from the 1960s to the 1980s, these musicians, individually or a ...

bassist,

David Hood David Hood (born September 21, 1943) is an American musician, hailing from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, He is known for playing the bass guitar and trombone, and is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Early life and education Hood was b ...

to film a segment for this project. In November 2010, The City Champs once again teamed with Scott Bomar and released their second album ''The Set-Up'' (Electraphonic). ''The Set-Up'' includes instrumental original music by the band, plus a cover of

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician and record producer based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as S ...

’s ''A Beautiful Mine'' (the theme to

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

TV’s ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...

''). Some tracks on The Set-Up also include horn players Marc Franklin, Jim Spake, Kirk Smothers and Memphis percussionist, Felix Hernandez.

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

legend

Jack Ashford Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934) is an American musician who was a percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings ...

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

, contributed

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...

to the recording, as well. The Champs' music has been featured in the

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

series ''$5 Cover'' and in the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning documentary film ''I Am a Man: From Memphis, A Lesson in Life.'' In December 2010, George received a phone call from

Black Crowes Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psy ...

front man, Chris Robinson, who asked him to come to Los Angeles and play drums with his new group, Chris Robinson Brotherhood. Robinson had been given a copy of ''The Set-Up'' from Sluppick's longtime friend and Crowes' guitarist,

Luther Dickinson Luther Andrews Dickinson (born January 18, 1973) is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the North Mississippi Allstars and the son of record producer Jim Dickinson. He is also known for being a guitarist for The Black Crowes. He hosts '' Guita ...

. In February 2011, George produced and played drums on soul singer Billy Seward's debut record, ''Better Place'', released in August 2011. George toured with the Brotherhood from March 2011 to January 2015 and recorded three studio albums with them, '' Big Moon Ritual'', ''

The Magic Door The Magic Door may refer to: * The Magic Door (TV series) ''The Magic Door'' (also known as ''The Magic Door Television Theatre'') was a Jewish educational television series, aimed at providing kiruv (outreach) to Jewish children in the Chica ...

'' & ''

Phosphorescent Harvest ''Phosphorescent Harvest'' is the third studio album by the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. It was released in the United States on April 29, 2014. Track listing All songs written by Chris Robinson and Neal Casal, except where noted. *On the LP ...

'' and two live albums, '' Betty's Blends, Volume's 1 & 2'' (Silver Arrow Records). He lives in Memphis.

Selected discography

*The Cat Mary, ''Her High, Lonesome Days'' (Orchard Music Group) *Kait Lawson, ''Until We Drown'' (Madjack Records) *Jesse Aycock, ''Flowers And Wounds'' (Horton Records) *Soundtrack, ''As Good As It Gets'' (Sony) *Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, ''Giving Up The Ghost'' (Magnatude Records) *Mofro, ''Blackwater'' (Alligator Records) *Mofro, ''Lochloosa'' (Alligator Records) *JJ Grey & Mofro, ''Country Ghetto'' (Alligator Records) *Gary Jules, ''Trading Snake Oil For Wolftickets'' (Universal Records) *Ruthie Foster, ''The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster'' (Blue Corn) *The City Champs, ''The Safecracker'' (Electraphonic Recordings) *The City Champs, ''The Set-Up'' (Electraphonic Recordings) *Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ''Big Moon Ritual'' (Silver Arrow Records) *Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ''The Magic Door'' (Silver Arrow Records) *Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ''Phosphorescent Harvest'' (Silver Arrow Records)

References

* "MUSIC: PLAYLIST; Soft Balladry, Raw Angularity And Beats With Heavy Feet," ''The New York Times'', February 18, 2007. * "The Grip Not Backing Off on the Boogaloo," ''The Commercial Appeal'', September 14, 2007. * "George On My Mind," ''Honest Tune'', December 16, 2008. * "Instrumental group The City Champs takes center stage," ''Go Memphis'', April 6, 2009. * "The City Champs: Championing the "Comeback" of the Jazz Age," ''Memphis Magazine'', May 2009. * "Harking Back to Southern Soul, and Then Reveling in Those Sounds," ''The New York Times'', July 16, 2009. * "Follow Through: The City Champs expand their sound on sophomore album The Set-Up," ''Memphis Flyer'', October 28, 2010. * "Triumphant Trio," ''Memphis Magazine'', December 2010.

External links

* http://www.sluppick.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Sluppick, George Living people 1968 births Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee American rock drummers Chris Robinson Brotherhood members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians Drummers from Tennessee