Anton Fig
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Anton Fig (born August 8, 1952 in Cape Town, South Africa), known as "The Thunder from Down Under" is a top-rated session drummer, noted for his work in David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra.
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[edit] Beginnings in music
Fig began playing drums at age four. After performing in numerous successful local rock bands he moved to Boston to further pursue his musical interests. His formal education included studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, studying both jazz and classical disciplines graduating with Honors in 1975. In 1976 he moved to New York City where he began to establish a career as a freelance musician.
Fig played with Spider on both their releases in 1980 and 1981. Fig was also a member of ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley's solo project Frehley's Comet from 1984 to 1987. Other artists with whom he has worked include Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Peter Frampton, Joan Armatrading, Cyndi Lauper, Link Wray, Robert Gordon and Kix.
[edit] The CBS Orchestra
Fig is presently a member of the CBS Orchestra appearing nightly on The Late Show with David Letterman, a position which he has held since 1986. During this tenure he has played with scores of great artists including Miles Davis, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Winwood, Bonnie Raitt, and Tony Bennett. The CBS Orchestra has also backed up a host of artists in other venues such as Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Little Richard, and also BB King at the closing ceremonies of the summer 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. They also backed Al Green, Gloria Estefan, 'N Sync, and Eric Clapton for VH1's Save the Music concert at the White House.
The CBS Orchestra is also the house band for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, playing with music's most influential personalities. Additionally, they were the backup band for The Concert for New York City where they performed with David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy, Macy Gray, and James Taylor.
[edit] Other Projects
Some of the many recordings Fig has made include selections with Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Gary Moore, Spider, Ace Frehley, Joan Armatrading, Rosanne Cash, Joe Cocker, John Phillips, Warren Zevon, Sebastian Bach, and Paul Butterfield.
He replaced Peter Criss on the Kiss albums Dynasty (1979) and Unmasked (1980), playing drums on all tracks (except Criss' song from Dynasty, "Dirty Livin'") for both albums.
As a freelance drummer Fig has also played live with Paul Simon, Booker T and the MG's, The Thompson Twins at Live Aid, and played alongside Jim Keltner for Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary concert celebration.
In 1996 Fig released a drum instructional video and book entitled "In the Groove" and "Late Night Drumming".
In 2002, Fig completed his first solo record entitled Figments. Produced and co-written by Fig, the record represents three years of work and includes among others singers and musicians Richie Havens, Brian Wilson, Ivan Neville, Sebastian Bach, Ace Frehley, Al Kooper, Chris Spedding, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Blondie Chaplin, Paul Shaffer, Chris Botti, Randy Brecker, and Richard Bona.
In 2006, Fig worked with Blackmore's Night on The Village Lanterne.
In 2007, Fig worked with Joe Bonamassa on his Sloe Gin album.
Fig continues to be an in-demand studio and live musician and is currently recording and composing for numerous projects.
[edit] Trivia
- A long running David Letterman joke has been to refer to Fig as "Anton Zip."
- David Letterman often refers to Anton as "Buddy Rich Jr."
