Years active 1963–2011 Name Chuck Ruff | Role Musician Genres Rock music | |
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Born May 25, 1951
Reno, Nevada, U.S. ( 1951-05-25 ) Labels Epic, Capitol, Atlantic Associated acts Sawbuck, Edgar Winter, Sammy Hagar Died October 14, 2011, San Francisco, California, United States Albums They Only Come Out at Night, Shock Treatment, The Edgar Winter Group wit | ||
Tribute to chuck ruff
Chuck Ruff (May 25, 1951 – October 14, 2011) was an American rock drummer well known for his work with Edgar Winter on the popular instrumental "Frankenstein".
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Biography
Ruff was born in Reno, Nevada on May 25, 1951 and played in the rock group Sawbuck with Ronnie Montrose and Bill Church from 1968–1970. Ruff and Montrose later joined Edgar Winter with Dan Hartman to form The Edgar Winter Group in 1972. It was with this band that he had his biggest successes: first with the album They Only Come Out at Night (1973), featuring "Frankenstein" which reached No. 1 in the U.S. in May 1973, and the top 15 single "Free Ride", which reached No. 14 that same year. The album Shock Treatment, which featured the song "Easy Street", was also successful.
In 1977, Ruff joined Sammy Hagar and performed on the albums Street Machine (1979) and Danger Zone (1979), including the song "Bad Reputation" which is in the film Up the Academy.
In his later years, Ruff continued performing music in Reno, Nevada with the Chuck Ruff Group, The Max Volume Band (played drums on the 2007 album, "Illuminaughty") and his last project, Geezersläw. Chuck Ruff was an inspiration and friend to the Reno music community, as well as his fans around the world; he died in San Francisco, California on October 14, 2011 after a long illness. He was survived by two children.
Chuck Ruff played Gretsch Drums throughout his career.