Max Weinberg
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| Max Weinberg | |
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 Max Weinberg (far right) on the set of Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maxwell Sachel Weinberg |
| Born | April 13, 1951 |
| Origin | Newark, New Jersey, USA |
| Genre(s) | Rock |
| Years active | 1974 – present |
| Label(s) | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Bruce Springsteen E Street Band The Max Weinberg 7 Ringo Starr All Starr Band Late Night with Conan O' Brien Killer Joe |
Maxwell Sachel Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality. He was born in Newark, New Jersey.
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[edit] E Street Band
Weinberg rose to success as the drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, joining in 1974 after answering a newspaper ad that famously requested "no junior Ginger Bakers" in reference to Baker's long drum solo reputation. Weinberg's consistent beat solved the E Street Band's drumming instabilities.
He suffered an acknowledged "drumming slump" around 1980, as well as repetitive stress injury and tendonitis, requiring seven operations on his hands and wrists. Upon recovery, he released a popular and acclaimed book on rock drummers and rock drumming entitled The Big Beat and promoted it through a tour of northeast universities. Despite his injuries, he made a full recovery and continued to provide a solid foundation to the E Street Band until Springsteen dissolved it in 1989.
Speaking publicly about the aftermath of the E Street Band dissolution, Weinberg claimed that he resolved to never again play the drums. He returned to school at Seton Hall University, completing the remaining 21 credits needed to obtain his bachelor's degree. He then briefly attended Yeshiva University's Cardozo School of Law, but withdrew before completing his first year.
Weinberg returned to the E Street Band when Springsteen re-formed the band in 1995, and again in 1999. He resumed touring with the Band in 2007 and 2008.
[edit] Return to performing
Weinberg went into the music business, joining a distribution company as a business partner. He found business life unfulfilling, and for personal reasons as well he needed to return to performing. He auditioned to be the principal drummer on the Broadway show The Who's Tommy, but was selected instead as the second alternate substitute percussionist. That night, he had a chance sidewalk meeting outside Carnegie Deli with newly selected Late Night host Conan O'Brien, where Weinberg spoke about his ideas for music on the show.
Since the inception of Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 1993, Weinberg has been the leader of that show's band, The Max Weinberg 7. However, on some comedy bits, Weinberg is comically presented as a twisted character with sexual fetishes and homicidal tendencies.
When Conan O'Brien was host of Saturday Night Live on March 10, 2001, his monologue featured a visit from the SNL studio to the studio for Late Night With Conan O'Brien, where Conan discovers Weinberg engaged in sexual intercourse with a woman on his desk (played by Max's real-life wife, Becky). Once Springsteen reunited the E Street Band in 1999, Weinberg began taking leaves of absence from the show in order to go out on tour. Springsteen made appearances on the O'Brien show in 1999, 2002, and 2006.
[edit] Family
Max Weinberg comes from an extremely musical family. His sister Nancy Winston is a professional pianist and singer who is well known in New York City for her regular appearances at the Cafe Pierre, the Plaza Hotel, and other top piano rooms. Max played drums on Nancy's self-titled debut CD.
Max and his family are season ticket holders and avid fans of the New Jersey Devils.
[edit] Other work
Weinberg is the author of The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers (1991), a series of interviews with drummers from all eras, as well as a companion series of CDs released on Rhino Records.
In 1995, Weinberg drummed on two of Johnnie Johnson's songs: "I'm Mad" and "She Called Me Out of My Name," on Johnnie's 1995 album Johnnie Be Back.The Max Weinberg 7 released a self-titled album in 2000. He also played drums on the Meat Loaf Album "Bat out of Hell" playing on the tracks Bat out of Hell, You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth and Paradise by the Dashboard Light. He was the live drummer for 10,000 Maniacs in 1992 after their drummer Jerry Augustyniak was injured.
[edit] External links
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