Player Bios: Rocky Maffit

Rocky Maffit has had a long and varied life in music. He began playing music professionally in high school. He signed his first recording contract with Rick Jarrard (who produced Nilsson, Jefferson Airplane, and Jose Feliciano) in 1971 when he was nineteen.

In his early twenties he embarked on a musical journey, studying drumming from around the world, most significantly with Brazilian and African percussionists. During that time he performed with such musicians as Paul Winter, Richie Havens, David Bromberg, Michael Blair and many others. He also served as a percussionist in residence at the American Dance Festival.

In the early eighties Rocky joined the R&B group Champaign which signed with Columbia Records. Their first release How Bout Us was a big hit around the world and they went on to make three more albums. Rocky's songwriting collaborations for Champaign and Freddie Jackson earned gold and platinum records. At the same time he made forays into the world of film music writing songs for About Last Night and Def By Temptation.

In the late eighties his life changed with the births of his two sons and for a period of time his primary creative focus was on his family. Rocky collaborated with his wife, the noted dancer and educator Kate Kuper on a number of projects. During this time he rediscovered his love of world percussion and performance. He developed a unique solo drumming and vocal concert. His performances in this arena led to the writing and publication of his book Rhythm & Beauty: The Art of Percussion in 1999.

Since then Rocky has performed with orchestras and in a variety of solo, duet and group settings. The Rocky Maffit Group performed on PBS' Centerstage in 2002. Rocky is also working on two new books including one for children.

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