with Mad Brad, all about Anton Fig, The Arachnid
Anton Fig AKA “Anton Zip” AKA “Buddy Rich Jr.” was born on 8 August 1952 in Cape Town, South Africa and referred to as THE THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER. He began playing drums at the age of four. After performing in numerous successful local rock bands in Cape Town, he moved to Boston to further pursue his musical interests and later to New York City. Fig was a member of the band Spider during both their album releases in 1980 and 1981 as well as on their 1982 album as a newly renamed band Shanghai . Fig was the drummer on Ace Frehley’s 1978 eponymous solo album and subsequently became a member of the solo project Frehley’s Comet from 1984 to 1987. Fig also played drums on all but one song namely Criss’ song “Dirty Livin'” on the Kiss’ 1979 album Dynasty and every song on their 1980 album Unmasked. The use of Fig to replace usual drummer Peter Criss who had a drug problem and had seen a deterioration of his skills upset Criss, to the point where, after appearing in promotional videos and tours through Unmasked, he left the band. According to Ace Frehley Fig was an official member of Kiss for one day and as the 11th member fans likened him to the ARACHNID or SPIDER persona. Due to Kiss’ management attempting to cover up any personnel problems within the band, Fig would not be credited until years later. Fig was the drummer for the Paul Shaffer-led house band of David Letterman’s late night television shows since 1986, when he debuted with “The World’s Most Dangerous Band” on NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman. When Letterman’s show moved to CBS in 1993 and became Late Show with David Letterman, the band (and Fig) moved as well, adding a horn section and becoming known as the “CBS Orchestra”. During this tenure, Fig and the rest of the band have played with scores of artists including Miles Davis, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Winwood, Bonnie Raitt, and Tony Bennett. The CBS Orchestra has also backed up a host of artists in other venues, such as Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Little Richard, and also B. B. King at the closing ceremonies of the summer 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. They also backed Al Green, Gloria Estefan, ‘N Sync, and Eric Clapton for VH1’s Save the Music concert at the White House. The World’s Most Dangerous Band is also the house band for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Additionally, they were the backup band for The Concert for New York City where they performed with David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy, Macy Gray, and James Taylor. Some of the many recordings Fig has made include selections with Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Gary Moore, Shanghai, Ace Frehley, Joan Armatrading, Rosanne Cash, Joe Cocker, John Phillips, Warren Zevon, Sebastian Bach, Oz Noy, Jed Davis, Joe Satriani, Paul Butterfield, Link Wray and Chris Spedding. As a freelance drummer, Fig has also played live with Paul Simon, Booker T and the MG’s, The Thompson Twins at Live Aid, and Jim Keltner for Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary concert celebration. In 1996, Fig released a drum instructional video and book titled In the Groove and Late Night Drumming, respectively. In 2002, Fig completed his first solo record, Figments. Produced and co-written by Fig, the record represents three years of work and includes – among others singers and musicians – Richie Havens, Brian Wilson, Ivan Neville, Sebastian Bach, Ace Frehley, Al Kooper, Chris Spedding, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Blondie Chaplin, Paul Shaffer, Chris Botti, Randy Brecker, and Richard Bona. In 2006, Fig worked with Blackmore’s Night on The Village Lanterne. In 2007, Fig worked with Joe Bonamassa on his Sloe Gin album, in 2009 on his Ballad of John Henry album, and in 2014 on Different Shades of Blue. On 4 May 2009, Fig joined Joe Bonamassa’s band for their debut appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where Eric Clapton made a guest appearance. Fig was featured on Ace Frehley’s album Anomaly, 2009,Spaceman ,2018 and 10,000 Volts in 2024.
Songs from Kiss, Anton Fig, Europe, Karla Devito, Gary Moore, Spider, Warren Zevon, Mick Jagger, Joe Cocker, Joe Bonamassa, Shangai,Billy Squire, Martin Baily, Beth Heart, Peter Frampton, Garland Jeffery, Joan Armatrading, Ace Frehley
And. our Top 11 feature with the word “Made”
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