John Ja'bo Starks: Rest in peace. Legendary drummer and local icon

[Teresa]

John Jab'o Starks has passed away today. We know Jabo as a legendary drummer and musician who headed up the Red Bar Jazz Band for many years He's had a lifetime of music experience and accomplishments and yet we love him for being a local legend drumming up a special kind of jazz music on any given night. We've all danced to his funky tunes whether you know it or not We will miss him.



1938 October 26 -2018 May 01

John “Jab’o” Starks
He loved and respected God, his family, his friends and his fans

Survived by his spouse, Namoi, of 58 years. Children: Sonya P. Starks, Mark (Benita) Starks. Grandchildren: Lyah Shea Smith and Sean Starks.

Born in Jackson, AL

A few of his drumming highlights:

1938 forward: "watching, listening and trying. It’s work so far. Never thought I’d come from there to here"

Grew up listening to gospel and ALL the blues artists.

1955 Played in Mobile County Training School high school band - no lessons, if you could play, you played

1957 Attended Alabama Sate Junior College (now Bishop College)

1957-1959 Castanets in Mobile, AL- Played as part of the house band at the Harlem Club (Harlem Duke Social Club in Prichard, AL) with musicians such as: Gatemouth Brown, Smiley Lewis, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Howlin’ Wolf, Percy Mayfield,

1959-1965 Bobby “Blue” Bland on the Chitlin Circuit (played on two flat bed trailers. further south they toured the trailers turned to plywood to then the ground)
Stayed where he was permitted to stay and ate where he was permitted to eat across the segregated south.
Recorded his first drum solo on DON’T CRY NO MORE and later on TURN ON YOUR LOVE LIGHT

1965-1972 James Brown Toured and recorded making the hits: Sex Machine, Super Bad, Give it Up or Turnit Loose, Big Pay

1972-1977 Toured and recorded with BB King.

1996- present Red Bar in Grayton Beach, FL (Santa Rosa Beach)

1998 Reunited with Clyde Stubblefield

1998 He and Clyde on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine
He and Clyde on the cover of Stick It Magazine

1999 Recorded instructional video SOUL OF THE FUNKY DRUMMERS with Clyde

2000 Established record label with Clyde: FunkMasters and publishing company, JCK and Barrie Publishing Company

2000 Recorded for Paul Allen’s Experienced Music Project in Seattle / He with other JBs Opened for Mr. Brown at Key Arena

2000 He and Clyde at Montreal Drum Festival

2000-2017 Toured with Clyde Stubblefield as the FunkMasters: USA, Japan, England, Scotland, Sweden, France, Germany and beyond.

2008 Recorded with Fred Wesley’s Funk for Your Ass

He and Clyde hosted drum clinics in New York, Tennessee, Alabama, England on beyond

2001 He and Clyde released their CD -FIND THE GROOVE as the FunkMasters

2003 He and Clyde recorded and released CD- COME GET SUMMA THIS

2004-present Plays at his church on Sunday mornings

2007 He and Clyde recorded on movie soundtrack Super Bad at Capitol Records

2012 Drum Off as guest of Aaron Spears

2013 Received Yamaha’s Lifetime Achievement Award

2014 Hollywood Bowl with Clyde, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Robert “Mousey" Thompson promoting GET ON UP with Christine McBride

2016 He and Fred Wesley performed with Sonny Knight and the Lakers at the Dakota Club in Minneapolis where Prince showed up to watch and listen for 35 minutes

2016 Unsung Bobby “Blue” Bland

2017 He and Clyde Stubblefield-handprints enshrined at Drum-Off/Guitar Center's Rock Walk Hall of Fame

2017 He and Clyde honoring 50 Years of Yamaha Drums

2018 Recorded, videoed and interviewed for Discovery GIVE THE DUMMER SOME

Named # 6 All Time Great Drummers

C and Boskie are jamming’ again

 

[Teresa]

Posted today by Shannon C. / John Jab'o Starks Facebook

A Friday night in early January 2005, I walked into The Red Bar in Grayton Beach a week into moving up to Destin, Florida. I heard an amazing band playing A Moment’s Notice by John Coltrane, burnin’ it up. Then they did Let’s Stay Together by Al Green. It was like butter. I thought to myself, “Now this is a really great band!” After that set I had to go talk to the band to tell them how amazing they were. I told them Blue Train was one of my favorite ‘Trane albums. The drummer said “Are you a musician? Most people don’t know Coltrane.” I said yeah, I play saxophone. He said “Well then, go get it!”

I went to the car and came back and the guitarist asked me what song I wanted to play. Since I heard them play soul and jazz I said “How about The Chicken? Do you guys know that? It’s a JB’s tune.”

At that point I turn back and the drummer is taking his glasses off and wiping tears from his eyes... I said “Ah man, we don’t have to play that, we can do anything.” The saxophonist smiled and turned to me and said “You don’t know who that is, do you?”

“I played on the original recording and never in my life did I think someone would walk into one of my gigs and call that tune, and not know that I was on it.” Said the smiling drummer.

We played it and it was awesome, did more of a Meters style second line type beat on it.

That drummer said “Chief, we gonna take a break, come have a seat with me, I’d love to talk to you.”

He then proceeded to share his good times and bad times with James Brown. He talked about how Fred Wesley popped into town a week earlier and on occasion to jam and Maceo Parker as well.

I never forgot that night. I came back again more than a few times and got to play every time, but that night was special to me.

I’ll never forget the first time I met Jab'o Starks.

 

[SoWal Staff]

A Legend Lives at the Red Bar in Grayton Beach | SoWal.com

SoWal visitors and locals love the Red Bar, and the Red Bar Jazz Band is a fixture thanks to Oli and Philippe Petit. But many don't know that right in front of them sits a legend with sticks in his hands, providing the beat for all the fun in Grayton Beach...

 

[SoWal Staff]

 

[SoWal Staff]

The Amazing Life of Jabo Starks

...“People tell me we were poor back then,” Starks says. “We were? I never knew that.”

Starks’ voice is deep and smooth, but his laughter is contagious. “There were some things you could do to make yourself some extra money,” he says with a chuckle. “When I was 12 or 13, I’d catch a bus to Baldwin County during the summer months and pick potatoes for a day or two. You could always bring some home, so Mother would take them and boil some with green beans or slice ’em real thin and fry ’em.”...

 

[SoWal Staff]

Local Jabo Starks #6 on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Drummers All Time

Jabo & Clyde each deserve their own spots but in a way it is nice that the friends are still a team. And posting a top ten spot at number 6 is impressive.

You can see Jabo almost every night as the 20-year anchor of the Red Bar Jazz Band.

Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jabo" Starks - 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time

 

[Kurt]

I will miss Jabo playing and his smile and laid back way! Great guy!

Jabo Starks, Drummer for James Brown, Dies at 79

“When I’m playing music, man, let me tell you one thing: There ain’t nobody in the world higher than I am,” he said. “I get so high playing music, it scares me.”