Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
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| Ronnie Vannucci Jr. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Born | February 15, 1976 in Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Genre(s) | Synth Rock | |
| Instrument(s) | Drums | |
| Years active | 2002 - present | |
| Associated acts |
The Killers | |
| Website | Official The Killers website | |
| Members | ||
| Brandon Flowers,David Keuning,Mark Stoermer | ||
Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. is the Drummer for the American Synth rock band The Killers.
[edit] Biography
Ronnie Vannucci was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 15th, 1976. As a kid, Vannucci claims to have banged on every object in his parents' house like a drum. At age 6, he became the youngest musician to perform in a Las Vegas band; he played drums for "Play That Funky Music White Boy" at a lounge in Caesars Palace. In fourth grade, Ronnie won his school's talent show for drumming. In junior high, Vannucci listened to punk rock and Britpop and wore white combat boots. He learned to play guitar from his dad after quitting the junior high school jazz ensemble over "creative differences". Ronnie attended both Clark and Western High Schools and formed his first band, Purple Dirt. During this time he'd listen to The Cure and Depeche Mode. He attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas.[citation needed] He also attended York University.[citation needed]
Vannucci started teaching private lessons while drumming in a variety of bands that played everything and everywhere, from a desert show to a wedding.[citation needed]
Previous bands Vannucci was the drummer for include Attaboy Skip (ska) and Free Food (cover-band). Attaboy Skip had a big underground following amongst Las Vegas high school students in the 1990's. Free Food was an all-cover oldies/classic rock band that played at local Las Vegas prisons and homeless shelters.
He joined The Killers in 2002 by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, who co-founded the band. Later, it was Ronnie's idea to sneak The Killers into the Alta Ham Fine Arts Building on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus for practice. After an all-night practice, Ronnie headed off to his day job as a photographer at the Little Chapel of the Flowers. He co-wrote the song "Believe Me Natalie" with Brandon Flowers on the album Hot Fuss. Shortly after this, world famous trumpet player Eddie Colonna left his struggling group Dom Stat 2 Fur, and joined The Killers in the studio, playing trumpet on numerous tracks, much to the amusement of Ronnie.
[edit] Trivia
- His parents bought his first drum kit from a heroin addict.
- Ronnie had a tough childhood, as he was often physically and verbally bullied at school for his short stature. However, he is now happy of his height of 6'2 1/2". He once quoted "I'm proud to be small" to NME magazine.
[edit] External links
- Ronnie Vannucci Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview with RockPress.com (9/12/2004)
- The Killers bio at VH1
- Fanlisting
- The Killers official site, from Island Records
- The Killers official site (U.K.), from the Vertigo label
- The Killers fansite
| The Killers |
|---|
| Brandon Flowers | Dave Keuning | Mark Stoermer | Ronnie Vannucci Jr. |
| Discography |
| Albums: Hot Fuss | Sam's Town |
| Singles: "Somebody Told Me" | "Mr. Brightside" | "All These Things That I've Done" | "Smile Like You Mean It" | "When You Were Young" | "Bones" | "A Great Big Sled" | "Read My Mind" | "For Reasons Unknown" |
| Related articles |
| Marrakesh Records | Island Records | Las Vegas | "Crystal" |
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Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | American rock musicians | People from Nevada | The Killers | Living people | People from Las Vegas | 1977 births | Nevada musicians | Italian-American musicians | United States drummer stubs
