dEgRASSO2_wEB Bio

With a resume boasting Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal Tendencies, Lita Ford and Y&T, Jimmy DeGrasso was also the mega-powered, driving force behind one of hard rock’s most revered outfits of all time, the multi-platinum, Megadeth.

Jimmy moved from Pennsylvania, to the bustling musical Mecca of Los Angeles more than a decade ago. “I moved to L.A. hoping that someone like Ozzy would be looking for a drummer, and lo and behold, I landed the gig with Ozzy playing on the Ultimate Sin album”, says DeGrasso. 

Though the Ozzy gig was short lived, Jimmy spent three years with the critically acclaimed Y&T, before leaving the band in 1990. The skate-punk flavored, Suicidal Tendencies followed in 1992 as well doing a fill-in tour with Alice in Chains in 1993. DeGrasso then toured the world with Alice Cooper from 1995 to 1998, played on the Fistful of Alice album in 1996 and returned to Alice briefly in 2001. 

Jimmy played on Dave Mustaine’s (Megadeth Vocalist/Guitarist) solo album, MD-45 in 1995 and then received a call back from Mustaine, in 1998, to join Megadeth as a permanent member and continue the bands’ Cryptic Writings Tour. DeGrasso recorded and toured behind Megadeth’s Risk album in 1999-2000, The World Needs A Hero in 2000-2001 and was featured on Megadeths’ first ever live CD and DVD offering, Rude Awakening in 2002.

Since the demise of Megadeth, Jimmy has performed at the prestigious Modern Drummer Festival in 2002, Ultimate Drummers Weekend in Australia, Drummer Live in the UK and toured with Stonesour [Slipknot Vocalist Corey Taylor’s side project], Marty Friedman, guitar legend Ronnie Montrose, David Lee Roth of Van Halen and Alice Cooper.

Next Jimmy recorded a CD entitled “The Reckoning” with the band F5 along with his old friend David Ellefson. In 2008 Jimmy toured the world performing drum clinics in support of Sabian Cymbals, Evans drum heads and Promark drumsticks. Also introduced was his signature 23ä Over-Ride Cymbal by Sabian. For 2009 Jimmy continues to perform clinics and tour with a new project called “Hailâ” and is about to embark on another world tour with Rock Legend Alice Cooper.

In 2013, Jimmy was invited to join the new band Black Star Riders featuring much of the current lineup of Thin Lizzy. They recorded their first album “All Hell Breaks Loose” in January 2013 with producer Kevin Shirley. The album comes out at the end of May on Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Click here to read all about Jimmy’s new band, Black Star Riders


  Website
www.jimmydegrasso.com/