Denny Carmassi

Updated on Nov 18, 2023

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Occupation(s) Musician Name Denny Carmassi Instruments Drums Role Musical Artist		Years active 1970-present Genres Rock music

Origin San Francisco, California, USA Music groups Montrose (1973 – 1976), Heart (1982 – 1993), Gamma (1978 – 1983), Michael Schenker Group (1979) Albums Brigade, Gamma 1, Heart, Gamma 2, Paper Money Similar People Bill Church, Ronnie Montrose, Mark Andes, Howard Leese, Alan Fitzgerald
Associated acts MontroseGammaHeart

Denny Carmassi's 1973 MONTROSE Flaming Ludwig Set

Denny Carmassi is an American drummer. He was born into a family of drummers; his father, his uncle, and his brother each played the drums. Some of Denny's earliest memories are his father rehearsing after work with his band in the kitchen of their home. Occasionally they allowed young Denny Carmassi to sit in with them. His father exposed him to great drummers, including Buddy Rich, Jimmy Vincent and Richard Goldberg. Then Denny listened the radio and discovered several drummers like Earl Palmer, D.J. Fontana, Al Jackson Jr. (Denny actually learned to play the drums from listening to Al's and playing along with the Booker T. & the M.G.'s "Green Onions" album), Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks, Dino Danelli, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell, John Bonham and Tony Williams.

Denny Carmassi hardrockcitypagespersoorangefrimagesdicodic

Out of high school, Denny started playing topless clubs in San Francisco. He joined a band called Sweet Linda Devine, and recorded an album in New York on Columbia, produced by Al Kooper, but before long they parted ways. Denny went on to work with several local bands in the San Francisco Bay Area and began working with Montrose and Sammy Hagar in the 1970s.

Denny Carmassi Tribute to John Bonham Denny Carmassi performs Led

Carmassi was a member of the first four line-ups of the band Montrose. After Montrose, he played with his former Montrose bandmate Sammy Hagar as a solo artist, and with his former Montrose bandmates Ronnie Montrose and Jim Alcivar in the band Gamma.

Denny Carmassi Ludwig Drums The Concert Database

Denny has played with Heart, Coverdale-Page, Whitesnake, and David Coverdale as a solo artist. He also recorded with Randy Meisner, Kim Carnes, Al Stewart, Joe Walsh, 38 Special, Cinderella, Randy Newman and many more. Denny toured with Foreigner in 2002. Currently he performs with Mercy (featuring Lynda Morrison).

Sammy Hagar (Rock The Nation) With Denny Carmassi

By date

Denny Carmassi Denny Carmassi Credits AllMusic

1970s

Denny Carmassi Sammy Hagar Birthday Bash 2012 Night Three Backstage w

Sweet Linda Divine – Sweet Linda Divine (1970)

Montrose – Montrose (1973)

Montrose – Paper Money (1974)

Montrose – Warner Brothers Presents... Montrose! (1975)

Montrose – Jump On It (1976)

Sammy Hagar – Musical Chairs (1977)

Sammy Hagar – All Night Long (1978)

Randy Meisner – Randy Meisner (1978)

St. Paradise – St. Paradise (1979)

Gamma – Gamma 1 (1979)

1980s

Gamma – Gamma 2 (1980)

Gamma – Gamma 3 (1982)

Randy Meisner – Randy Meisner (1982)

Heart – Passionworks (1983)

Kim Carnes – Café Racers (1983)

Mitchell Froom – Key of Cool (1984)

Al Stewart – Russians & Americans (1984)

Joe Walsh – The Confessor (1985)

Heart – Heart (1985)

Stevie Nicks – Rock a Little (1985)

.38 Special – Strength in Numbers (1986)

Heart – Bad Animals (1987)

Whitesnake – Here I Go Again 87 – Radio-Edit Single (1987)

Cinderella – Long Cold Winter (1988)

Russell Hitchcock – Russell Hitchcock (1988)

1990s

Heart – Brigade (1990)

Heart – Rock the House Live! (1991)

Coverdale-Page – Coverdale and Page (1993)

Heart – Desire Walks On (1993)

Randy Newman – Faust (1995)

Ted Nugent – Spirit of the Wild (1995)

Sammy Hagar – Marching to Mars (1997)

Whitesnake – Restless Heart (1997)

2000s

David Coverdale – Into the light (2000)

Trip to Heaven – 707 (2000)

Gamma – Gamma 4 (2000)

Bruce Turgon – Outside Looking In (2006)

Mercy (featuring Lynda Morrison) – "Bad Habit" (2014)

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