All That Music! Jazz: Terry Bozzio & Billy Sheehan - Nine Short .

Terry Bozzio first got his part as the drummer for Frank Zappa's backing band during the '70s, but would go on to get one of rock's most versatile session men, and constitute one of new wave's most visually exciting outfits, Missing Persons, along with then-wife, Dale Bozzio. Born Terry John Bozzio on December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California, Bozzio began acting on makeshift drums at an early age, before taking formal lessons at the age of 13 (inspired by the Beatles' infamous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show).

After performing in several local garage bands during the mid-late '60s, Bozzio majored in music while attending Sir Francis Drake High School and College of Marin - as he studied timpani and several forms of percussion. By the early '70s, Bozzio had landed gigs with such rock musicals as Godspell and Walk in my Time, in gain to acting in several jazz/fusion outfits and appearance on his first record - backing trumpeter Luis Gasca on his 1972 release, Born to Know You. 1975 saw Bozzio catch his big career break, when he auditioned for and got a spot drumming for Frank Zappa. Bozzio's tenure with Zappa lasted just 3 years, but the drummer was featured on ten albums and countless tours (Bozzio also appeared in the Zappa concert movie, Baby Snakes). Bozzio also served as the aspiration for several Zappa compositions during their time together, including "the Fatal Page" and "Punky's Whips." After leaving Zappa in 1978, Bozzio nearly landed spots with a couple of potentially interesting outfits - a jazz supergroup called Group 87 (consisting of bassist Patrick O'Hearn and keyboardist Mark Isham, among others) and already-established hard rockers Thin Lizzy. Unfortunately, both wound up not running out for Bozzio (although he would run on Group 87's self-titled debut recording a brace of days later). But Bozzio didn't get to look long to unite his future project, as he got the thumbs up to join prog rockers UK in 1979. The same year, he played on a couple of UK albums, (Danger Money and Dark After Night), plus their subsequent supporting tours. Up next for Bozzio was a new wave project with his wife Dale Bozzio and former Frank Zappa guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, called Missing Persons. The group's space age good and look turned heads right off the bat, as they enjoyed a pair of hit singles/videos ("Words" and "Destination Unknown"), as good as a gold certified debut album, 1982's Spring Session M. But the band (and Bozzio's marriage) didn't go much longer, as Missing Persons issued only two more albums before splitting up - 1984's Rhyme and Understanding and 1986's Color in Your Life. Subsequently, Bozzio has focused mainly on either recording or touring with a broad assortment of acclaimed artists, including Robbie Robertson, Gary Wright, Don Dokken, Paul Hyde, Herbie Hancock, Dweezil Zappa, Richard Marx, Jeff Beck, Duran Duran, Explorer's Club, Billy Sheehan, Steve Vai, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others. Bozzio also began performing clinics for fellow drummers across the country, in gain to issue an instructional home video in 1992, Solo Drums. The late '90s saw the drummer issue albums as division of the all-star trio Bozzio Levins Stevens (Black Light Syndrome and Situation Dangerous), plus collaborative albums with Chad Wackerman (Solos & Duets Vol. I & II), and solo releases (Drawing the Circle, Chamberworks, Solo Drum Music Vol. I & II). 2001 saw Terry rejoin Missing Persons for a serial of reunion concerts. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide