Abe Laboriel, Jr.

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Abe Laboriel Jr. is an American drummer who has worked with Paul McCartney, Sting, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Eric Clapton, Shakira, Jewel, Meredith Brooks, Duran Duran, Liz Phair, Chris Castle, Johnny Halliday, Mylène Farmer, Vanessa Carlton, Ringo Starr, Chris Isaak, Melissa Etheridge, Jennifer Love Hewitt Manhattan Transfer, Natalie Cole, Dianne Reeves, Justo Almario, Jonatha Brooke, and others.

Laboriel is the son of bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr.. Laboriel was mentored by well known percussionists and drummers, including Jeff Porcaro, Chester Thompson and Alex Acuña, who had formed the band Koinonia with his father in the 1980s. He attended the Dick Grove School of Music, studying with Peter Donald, during his junior year in high school. In 1989, he was honored by the National Foundation For The Advancement Of The Arts and Down Beat magazine. He then enrolled at the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated in 1993.

Laboriel's first break as a drummer was a tour with guitarist Steve Vai. He then toured with Seal, where many record producers around Los Angeles, California saw him perform, leading to many recording sessions. Laboriel next toured with k.d. lang for a while, where Sting saw him play with her, leading Laboriel to join Sting's touring band. The k.d. lang connection also lead Laboriel to working with Paul McCartney.

In addition to the artists listed above, Laboriel has also recorded and performed with artists like Crystal Lewis, B.B. King, Les Paul, Ashlee Simpson, LeAnn Rimes, Mylène Farmer, Letters to Cleo and others. Lewis and Laboriel were also both a part of the Nickelodeon Television Series, Roundhouse in the 1990s.

On the side, Laboriel was part of a power trio by the name of The Raging Honkies. He is part of the collective that is Chocolate Genius, Inc.