Muruga Booker
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Muruga Booker (also known as Steve Booker, Muruga, and Maruga) is an American born, drummer and artist of Serbian decent. Muruga and his wife Shakti, son Aaron, and daughter Rani have lived a drummer's journey.
He was born Steven Bookvich in Detroit, Michigan on December 27, 1942. His father, Melvin Bookvich, was a shoemaker who played accordion. Muruga first played the accordion before taking up drums as a pre-teen. Muruga studied drums under Misha Bischoff, a Russian music teacher.
Muruga first professionally played drums with "The Low Rocks" in Detroit as Steve Booker. Under that name he achieved fame locally playing with not only "The Low Rocks," but the "Thunder Rocks," Ted Lucas and The Spike Drivers, and was renowned for his long, driving drum solos. He was on the same bill at venues like Detroit's Eastown Theatre and Grande Ballroom as Ted Nugent (2/23/70), Traffic (6/5/70 & 6/6/70), Jack Bruce (2/13/70 & 2/14/70), and others.
Through the 1960s, as Steve Booker, he recorded with Jim and Jean on "Changes" 1964, & "People World" 1966, The Paul Winter Consort's "Something in the Wind," and played drums at the original Woodstock Festival with Tim Hardin.
At Woodstock Muruga met Swami Satchidananda who gave him the name Muruga. After Woodstock Muruga studied under Swami Satchidananda and also recorded on a 1969 meditation record with him.
Through the 1970s Muruga recorded with Darius Brubeck, Gunter Hampel, Al Kooper, Ursa Major, and with Weather Report on their album "Sweet Nighter" 1973.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s Muruga lived in New York and played with David Peel on "King of Punk" and "Death to Disco." In 1980 Muruga moved back to Detroit where he connected with funk legend George Clinton and became an official P-Funk All-Star.
Muruga's band, Muruga and the Soda Jerks, were produced by George Clinton, and he recorded with George Clinton, Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, and the P-Funk All Stars on the following records:
- 1985 - George Clinton - Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends
- 1984 - Muruga & The Soda Jerks - Boogy With You (45)
- 1983 - George Clinton - You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish
- 1983 - P-Funk All Stars - Urban Dance Floor Guerillas
- 1982 - George Clinton - Computer Games
- 1982 - Godmama (w/Bootsy Collins) - Here
- 1981 - Funkadelic - The Electric Spanking of War Babies
In mid-1985 Muruga moved to Oakland, California where he formed the band Muruga UFM which recorded "Terroristic Activities" 1990 and "Rock the Planet" 1993. Big Brother and the Holding Company guitarist James Gurley also played with Muruga UFM. It was in 1990 that Muruga, his wife Shakti, and Prem Das recorded the long-selling Journey of the Drums, a pioneering drum album. That same year, Booker joined Merle Saunders and Jerry Garcia to record the Grammy-nominated album "Blues From the Rain Forest." He recorded on the Merle Saunders & The Rainforest Band's live CD Save the Planet So We'll Have Some Place to Boogy (1992) and "Fiesta Amazonica" (1998), as well as with Babatunde Olatunji and Sikiru Adepoju on the CD Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations 1993, which was later remixed and distributed on Chesky records as "Circle of Drums" 2005.
Muruga continued to work with George Clinton and would play with the P-Funk All Stars whenever they performed in California and he recorded on George Clinton's "Smell My Finger" and The P-Funk All Stars' "Dope Dogs."
Muruga moved back to the Detroit area by 2000 and currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since moving back to Michigan, Muruga has formed the band Muruga and The Global Village Ceremonial Band, which released the CD One Global Village, featuring P-Funk vocalist Belita Woods and jazz clarinetist Perry Robinson. Muruga and The Global Village Ceremonial Band also played at several festivals including the Starwood Festival, Rhythm Fest 1 with Mickey Hart and Rhythm Fest 2 with Airto Moreira. In 2002 his recording company Musart and the Association for Consciousness Exploration hosted the SpiritDrum Festival, a tribute to Babatunde Olatunji, featuring Muruga Booker, Sikiru Adepoju, Badal Roy, Jeff Rosenbaum, Halim El-Dabh, Perry Robinson, and Jim Donovan of Rusted Root.
In 2004 with most of the same musician as Muruga and The Global Village Ceremonial Band, Muruga formed the band Free Funk. Free Funk has played a hand full of concerts in the Detroit area and recorded the self titled colored vinyl LP titled Free Funk in 2005 which is being released by Qbico Records. Free Funk also features P-Funk's Belita Woods, Trey Lewd, and Louie Kabbabie.
Muruga is a Sub Deacon of the Orthodox Christian faith and has been studying Iconography. Muruga invented the Nada Drum, a variation on the talking drum, which was sold through LP.
[edit] Muruga's Discography Solo & Band Member
- 2006 - Muruga & The Global Village Ceremonial Band - Self Titled LP on Qbico Records
- 2005 - Free Funk - Self Titled LP on Qbico Records
- 2005 - Babatunde Olatunji - Circle of Drums
- 2003 - Muruga GVCB - One Global Village
- 2003 - Muruga, Dr. Chernin, & Perry Robinson - Kundalini Rhapsody
- 2002 - Muruga GVCB - Find the Peace & Love Inside
- 2002 - Weather Report - Best of Weather Report
- 2002 - How to Meditate Using Chakras, Mantras, and Breath - Dr. Dennis Chernin
- 2001 - World Of Survivors - Mark Hershberger
- 1998 - Merl Saunders - With His Funky Friends Live
- 1998 - Merl Saunders - Fiesta Amazonica
- 1998 - Thunder Rocks - Sabre Records Story
- 1997 - Low Rocks - Blueberry Jam (Re-Release)
- 1996 - Olatunji, Muruga, & Sikiru - Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations
- 1995 - P-Funk All Stars - Police Doggy (EP)
- 1995 - P-Funk All Stars - Hydraulic Funk
- 1994 - Allen Ginsberg (w/ Bob Dylan) - Holy Soul Jelly Roll
- 1994 - Muruga & The Soda Jerks - George Clinton Family Series Vol. 4
- 1993 - Muruga UFM - Relix Magazine CD Sampler
- 1993 - Muruga UFM - Rock the Planet
- 1993 - George Clinton - Smell My Finger
- 1993 - George Clinton - Paint the White House Black (EP)
- 1992 - Merl Saunders - Save the Planet So We'll Have Some Place to Boogy
- 1991 - Muruga & Friends - Sacred Drum
- 1991 - Muruga & Prem Das -Ecstacy
- 1990 - Muruga - Muruga
- 1990 - Muruga & Big Black - Sangoma Drum
- 1990 - Muruga & Prem Das - Sanando Tambores
- 1990 - Merl Saunders (w/Jerry Garcia) - Blues From the Rainforest
- 1990 - Muruga & Prem Das - Journey of the Drums
- 1986 - Muruga UFM - Terroristic Activities
- 1986 - Muruga & David Peel - The Muruga & David Peel Experience
- 1985 - George Clinton - Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends
- 1984 - Muruga & The Soda Jerks - Boogy With You (45)
- 1983 - George Clinton - You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish
- 1983 - P-Funk All Stars - Urban Dance Floor Guerillas
- 1982 - George Clinton - Computer Games
- 1982 - Godmama (w/Bootsy Collins) - Here
- 1981 - Funkadelic - The Electric Spanking of War Babies
- 1980 - Mitch Ryder - Naked But Not Dead
- 1980 - David Peel - Death to Disco
- 1978 - David Peel - King of Punk
- 1975 - Larry Nazero - Time
- 1973 - Weather Report - Sweet Nighter
- 1973 - Ursa Major - Ursa Major
- 1972 - Al Kooper - Naked Songs
- 1972 - Gunter Hampel - Angel
- 1971 - Darius Brubeck - Chaplins Back
- 1970 - The Rainbow Band - The Rainbow Band
- 1969 - Swami Satchidananda - Swami Satchidananda
- 1968 - Paul Winter Consort - Something in the Wind
- 1966- Jim & Jean - People World
- 1964 - Jim & Jean - Changes
- 1962 - Semenals - Open Your Eyes
- 1961 - Kieth O'Mally - Meet Me Here Alvera
- 1960 - Low Rocks - Blueberry Jam
[edit] References
- Jazz News. Global Jazz Trio: New Release. Nestor Publishers.
- Leikam, William C. Woodstock in Relix, 2002.
- Quinn, PT. The Return of Muruga Booker: Interview & Photos
- Williams, H. Allen. CD Review of The Global Jazz Trio
