associated_acts death_date death_place birth_place name background birth_date instrument article_title birth_name occupation
michael jackson eric clapton phil collins whitney houston 23 december 2013 long beach , california , u.s. detroit , michigan , u.s. ricky lawson non_vocal_instrumentalist 08 november 1954 drums ricky lawson
 richard david lawson musician , composer
ricky lawson

ricky lawson -lrb- november 8 , 1954 -- december 23 , 2013 -rrb- was an american drummer and composer .
a native of detroit , michigan , he worked extensively as a session musician , collaborating with stevie wonder , michael jackson , eric clapton , phil collins , whitney houston , steely dan , kenny `` babyface '' edmonds and other artists .
he co-founded the jazz-fusion band the yellowjackets and won the 1987 grammy award for best r&b instrumental performance for `` and you know that '' from their album `` shades '' .
