Classic Drummer Hall of Fame
Honoring Music's Most Influential Drummers
As voted by the readers of Classic Drummer Magazine
Bobby T Torello
Bobby T Torello is known for his no-holds-barred, full-tilt drumming and has been respected as one of hardest working players in the business. He got his first professional break in the early ‘70s replacing Keith Thibodeaux in a group called David & the Giants. (Thibodeaux, by the way, had been the child actor that played Little Ricky on the I Love Lucy Show.)
Bobby T’s next move was to a group that was to become Thunderhead, recording an album produced by Johnny Winter and released in 1975, featuring the hit “Busted In Georgia”. This project began a relationship with Winter that would lead Torello to play with Winter on his White Hot & Blue and Raisin’ Cain albums. He also appeared on Jefferson Starship’s Grace Slick album entitled “Welcome to the Wrecking Ball” in 1981.
In 1976 he replaced Tommy Aldridge in Black Oak Arkansas, a group he would return to in 1985. In addition to regular touring with Johnny Winter, Torello took part in two tours of duty with Michael Bolton, appearing in two of his music videos.
He was to form his own group, The Bobby T Band in Chicago and later move to Nashville where he spent two years with Tony Stample and the Southern Renegades. He currently works with The Sin Sisters, 8 and Up, Fairly Famous and the Jay Willie Blues Band. Bobby T Torelli puts it like this, “Every ounce of mental and physical energy goes into my performing, and it doesn't matter if it's for four people, or 40 or 40,000. It never will."