JAMES "MINGO" LEWIS

In a career spanning more than 45 years (so far!), percussionist Mingo Lewis has played with some of music's greatest names, including Chick Corea (and Return to Forever), Al DiMeola, Santana, and the Tubes. He has performed live and/or recorded with hundreds of musicians such as Third World, Miles Davis, Todd Rundgren, and Billy Joel. He has recorded over 100 records, many of which were Grammy winners. Mingo's childhood was saturated with music and musicians. His father, Jimmy "Babyface" Lewis, was a blues singer and guitarist, well-known at New York's Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. Jimmy's closest friends were Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, and the two would often visit the family. With such musical luminaries surrounding him, it was inevitable that the boy would begin playing early. He started with brushes on just a snare drum and a cymbal, jamming with his father, who would wake young Mingo up in read more...