Paul Buchignani (born October 31, 1967) is an American drummer who came into musical prominence for his work with

The Afghan Whigs The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John ...

on the ''

Black Love 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, ''Psyc ...

'' album and subsequent tour. Buchignani graduated from

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Associa ...

Memphis, TN 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 census, making it the second-most populous city in Tennessee, the fifth-most p ...

in 1989. Buchignani played drums for local favorite, Neighborhood Texture Jam, and worked for a law office before making the transition to full-time musician. In 1992 he secured a job at

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The studio was founded in the late 1950s by John King, Fred Smith, and John Fry. Over time, it has become a commercially successful recording studio. ...

in Memphis, TN as a session assistant and drummer. Through his association with Ardent engineers and producers

John Hampton John Stephen Hampton (c. 1806 – 1 December 1869) was Governor of Western Australia from 1862 to 1868. Early life Little is known of John Hampton's early life. His death certificate states that he was born in 1810, but other evidence sugge ...

and Jeff Powell, Buchignani built a relationship with Greg Dulli of

. With drummer Steve Earle departing from

in 1994, Buchignani was asked to step in as the new drummer. Buchignani handled the drumming duties on ''

'' and remained with the band from 1995-1996. He appeared in multiple music videos with the band including Honky's Ladder. Post-Afghan Whigs, Buchignani has remained busy as a recording and performing musician in Memphis, TN. Post-Whigs career highlights include working with

Todd Snider Todd Daniel Snider (born October 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk. Early career Snider was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in nearby Beaverton, wher ...

, Mark Lemhouse, Richard Johnston,

Impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'', lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'', and tribe Aepycerotini, it ...

, AA Bondy, teaching at the Memphis Drum Shop and Stax Music Academy, as well as being house drummer for the

New Orleans 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 ...

Ponderosa Stomp The Ponderosa Stomp is an annual American roots music festival dedicated to "recognizing the architects of rock-n-roll, blues, jazz, country, swamp pop and soul music." It was founded in New Orleans in 2002 and produced by the non-profit Mystic K ...

music festival. He has also worked on the film soundtrack for the movie

Hustle and Flow ''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer. The film stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who dreams of becoming a rapper. The ensemble cast includes Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Ta ...

(2005), and has recorded and toured with

Goner Records Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk, garage rock, and more recently post-punk and synth-ori ...

artist Harlan T. Bobo and

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by John Mermis, known as Long Gone John. Notable artists who started on Sympathy and went ...

artist, Jack Oblivian.

References

1967 births Living people 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American drummers The Afghan Whigs members American rock drummers Place of birth missing (living people) American male drummers {{US-rock-drummer-stub