John "Jabo" Starks, October 26, 1938 – May 1, 2018

On the first of this month, we lost one of the most important figures in modern music, John "Jabo" Starks. We cannot accurately convey the influence this man has had on us, as musicians and as people in general. It is a little annoying that even in death he is constantly mentioned along with his sometime colleague in context of sampling, when in reality, his contributions as the lone drummer on recordings for James Brown, The JB's, Lyn Collins, Bobby Byrd, and also Bobby "Blue" Bland are impossible to measure. Here he is in one of our favorite performances, starting off James Brown's first ever Soul Train appearance. Rest in Peace, Mr Starks. We'll miss you.