Gerardo Velez

Gerardo "Jerry" Velez
Born	August 15, 1947 (1947-08-15) (age 64) Puerto Rico
Origin	The Bronx, New York, USA
Genres	Jazz fusion, funk rock, soul, blues-rock, electronic, hip hop
Occupations	Musician, event producer, music director
Instruments	Percussion, congas, drums, harmonica, vocals
Years active	1969–present
Associated acts	Spyro Gyra, David Bowie, Martha Veléz, Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, Duran Duran, Elton John, Jessica Simpson, Slash, Stevie Wonder
Website	www.gerardovelez.com
Notable instruments
Latin Percussion

Gerardo "Jerry" Velez (born August 15, 1947) is a Puerto Rican musician. Best known for performing with American psychedelic rock musician Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock Festival in August 1969, Velez is a veteran percussionist and drummer who has performed with many artists covering a number of different genres of music. He is also a common member of jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra.

Life and career

Born in Puerto Rico on August 15, 1947, Velez began his musical career in The Bronx, New York. He notably joined Jimi Hendrix's band Gypsy Sun and Rainbows in July 1969, performed at the Woodstock Festival and at a small number of studio sessions, before Hendrix disbanded the group in favour of returning to the three-piece format of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band's performance at Woodstock was released on the live album Woodstock in 1994, followed by live album and video Live at Woodstock in 1999. For all Hendrix releases on which he appears, Velez was credited with the nickname Jerry.

Since performing with Jimi Hendrix, Velez has continued to record and tour with high-profile artists, including David Bowie, Elton John and Duran Duran. According to his official website, Gerardo Velez has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Selected discography

with Martha Veléz

• Hypnotized (1972) – conga

with Spyro Gyra

• Morning Dance (1979) – percussion, bongos, conga
• Catching the Sun (1980) – percussion
• Carnaval (1980) – percussion, bongos
• Incognito (1982) – percussion
• City Kids (1983) – percussion
• Access All Areas (1983) – percussion
• Alternating Currents (1985) – percussion
• Down the Wire (2009) – percussion

with David Bowie

• Black Tie White Noise (1993) – percussion

References

• "Biography". GerardoVelez.com. http://www.gerardovelez.com/bio.html. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
• "Gerardo Velez > Credits". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p134477/credits. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
• "Gerardo Velez Discography". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Gerardo+Velez?noanv=1. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 

External links

• Official website
• Gerardo Velez on Myspace

Persondata
Name	Velez, Gerardo
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 15, 1947
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death