Chad Cromwell
Chad Cromwell (born June 14, 1957) is an American rock drummer whose music career has spanned more than 30 years. He is the founding member of a band called Fortunate Sons, which released a self-titled album in 2004.
Chad Cromwell | |
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Cromwell performing live with Neil Young, in 2009. | |
Background information | |
Born | Paducah, Kentucky, U.S. | June 14, 1957
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments |
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Years active | 1986–present |
Associated acts |
Cromwell has worked with multiple prominent artists from various genres, including Neil Young, Mark Knopfler, Joe Walsh, Joss Stone, Bonnie Raitt, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
Early life
Cromwell was born on June 14, 1957, in Paducah, Kentucky. When he was three years old he moved with his parents and siblings to Memphis, Tennessee in 1960. In 1970, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and remained there for the rest of his childhood.
He started playing drums at the age of eight, wearing headphones as he played along to records in an upstairs room of his parents' home. By the age of twelve he was playing in garage bands in the local neighborhood.[1]
Career
Cromwell started recording and touring with Joe Walsh in 1986,[2] appearing on two albums, Got Any Gum? and Ordinary Average Guy.
In 1987, Cromwell began a collaboration with songwriter Neil Young. The initial sessions became Neil Young & The Bluenotes. Since then he has recorded and toured with Young on several occasions, and appears on albums such as Freedom (1989), Prairie Wind (2005) Living with War (2006) and Chrome Dreams II (2007). He has also appeared in Heart of Gold, a documentary capturing the debut of Neil Young's album, Prairie Wind (along with other Young classics).[3] This was filmed at the Ryman auditorium and directed by Jonathan Demme.
Cromwell is also known for his contributions to Mark Knopfler's solo albums Golden Heart (1996), Sailing to Philadelphia (2000), The Ragpicker's Dream (2002) and Shangri-La (2004). He was also part of Knopfler's band during the tours of his first solo albums.[4]
Cromwell toured with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the summer of 2006.[5]
He has also worked with many other artists including Dave Stewart, Vince Gill,[6] Amy Grant, Lady Antebellum, Diana Krall, Willie Nelson,[7] Jackson Browne,[8] Boz Scaggs, Wynonna, Trisha Yearwood, Miranda Lambert, Bonnie Raitt,[7] Peter Frampton,[9] Allison Moorer,[10] Chris Knight,[11] Joss Stone,[12] Rodney Crowell, Marty Stuart, and Stevie Nicks.
In the mid 2000s, Cromwell formed the band Fortunate Sons along with Michael Rhodes, Gary Nicholson, Kenny Greenberg, and Reese Wynans. They released a self-titled album in 2004.[13] He is also a member of the occasional touring band, Big Al Anderson and The Balls, led by former NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson.
In 2012, he appeared on The Beach Boys' studio album entitled That's Why God Made the Radio. In 2013, he was featured on Bonnie Tyler's album, Rocks and Honey.
In 2014, he provided drums on Drake Bell's third studio album, Ready Steady Go!
Collaborations
With Amy Grant
- House of Love (A&M Records, 1994)
- Behind the Eyes (A&M Records, 1997)
- Legacy... Hymns and Faith (A&M Records, 2002)
- Simple Things (A&M Records, 2003)
- Rock of Ages... Hymns and Faith (World Records, 2005)
- Somewhere Down the Road (Sparrow Records, 2010)
With Mark Knopfler
- Golden Heart (Vertigo Records, 1996)
- Sailing to Philadelphia (Mercury Records, 2000)
- The Ragpicker's Dream (Mercury Records, 2002)
- Shangri-La (Mercury Records, 2004)
- One Take Radio Sessions (Mercury Records, 2005)
With Stevie Nicks
- In Your Dreams (Reprise Records, 2011)
- 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault (Reprise Records, 2014)
With Charles Kelley
- The Driver (Capitol Records, 2015)
With Alison Krauss
- Windy City (Capitol Records, 2017)
- Between Here and Gone (Columbia Records, 2004)
- Signs of Life (Sparrow Records, 1996)
With Bob Seger
- Ride Out (Capitol Records, 2014)
- I Knew You When (Capitol Records, 2017)
With Neil Young
- This Note's For You (Reprise Records, 1988)
- Freedom (Reprise Records, 1989)
- Prairie Wind (Reprise Records, 2005)
- Living with War (Reprise Records, 2006)
- Chrome Dreams II (Reprise Records, 2007)
- Fork in the Road (Reprise Records, 2009)
- Bluenote Café (Reprise Records, 2015, recorded live 1987 – 88)
With Allison Moorer
- Alabama Song (MCA Records, 1998)
- The Hardest Part (MCA Records, 2000)
- Down to Believing (Proper Records, 2015)
With Blake Shelton
- Pure BS (Warner Bros. Records, 2007)
With Willie Nelson
- To All the Girls... (Legacy Recording, 2013)
With Joe Walsh
- Got Any Gum? (Warner Bros. Records, 1987)
- Ordinary Average Guy (Epic Records, 1991)
- Brand New Me (Atlantic Records, 2000)
With Lionel Richie
- Tuskegee (Mercury Records, 2012)
With Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler
- All the Roadrunning (Mercury Records, 2006)
With Gretchen Wilson
- All Jacked Up (Epic Records, 2005)
With Jake Owen
- Barefoot Blue Jean Night (RCA Records, 2011)
With Dolly Parton
- Blue Smoke (Dolly Records, 2014)
With Livingston Taylor
- There You Are Again (Coconut Bay, 2005)
- Last Alaska Moon (Coconut Bay, 2009)
With Terri Clark
- Classic (EMI, 2012)
With Trace Adkins
- Love Will... (Show Dog, 2013)
With Lee Ann Womack
- Some Things I Know (MCA Records, 1998)
- I Hope You Dance (MCA Records, 2000)
With Lady Antebellum
- Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records, 2008)
- Need You Now (Capitol Records, 2010)
- Own the Night (Capitol Records, 2011)
- Golden (Capitol Records, 2017)
With Beth Nielsen Chapman
- Uncovered (BNC Records, 2014)
With LeAnn Rimes
With Matraca Berg
- Sunday Morning to Sunday Night (Rising Tride Records, 1997)
With Chely Wright
- Never Love You Enough (MCA Records, 2001)
With Kenny Chesney
- When the Sun Goes Down (BNA Records, 2004)
- Be as You Are (BNA Records, 2005)
- The Road and the Radio (BNA Records, 2005)
- The Big Revival (Columbia Records, 2014)
- Cosmic Hallelujah (Columbia Records, 2016)
- Songs for the Saints (Warner Bros. Records, 2018)
- Here and Now (Blue Chair, 2020)
With Rodney Crowell
- The Houston Kid (Sugar Hill Records, 2001)
- The Outsider (Columbia Records, 2005)
With Bonnie Tyler
- Rocks and Honey (Warner Bros. Records, 2013)
With Jessica Simpson
- In This Skin (Columbia Records, 2003)
With Brian Wilson
- No Pier Pressure (Capitol Records, 2015)
With Joss Stone
- LP1 (Surfdog Records, 2011)
With Michael Bolton
- All That Matters (Columbia Records, 1997)
With Paul Carrack
- I Know That Name (Carrack UK, 2008)
With Cyndi Lauper
- Detour (Rhino Records, 2016)
With Miranda Lambert
- Kerosene (Epic Records, 2005)
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Columbia Records, 2007)
- Revolution (Columbia Records, 2009)
With Toby Keith
- A Classic Christmas (Show Dog, 2007)
- Big Dog Daddy (Show Dog, 2007)
- Bullets in the Gun (Show Dog, 2010)
- Clancy's Tavern (Show Dog, 2011)
- Hope on the Rocks (Show Dog, 2012)
- Drinks After Work (Show Dog, 2013)
- 35 MPH Town (Show Dog, 2015)
With Jewel
- Picking Up the Pieces (Sugar Hill Records, 2015)
With Peter Frampton
- Now (33rd Street Records, 2003)
- Fingerprints (Polydor Records, 2006)
- Thank You Mr. Churchill (New Door Records, 2010)
With Vince Gill
- Next Big Thing (MCA Records, 2003)
- These Days (MCA Records, 2006)
- Guitar Slinger (MCA Records, 2011)
With Joan Baez
- Play Me Backwards (Virgin Records, 1992)
- Gone from Danger (Guardian, 1997)
With Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell
- Old Yellow Moon (Nonesuch Records, 2013)
With Joe Bonamassa
- Dust Bowl (J&R Adventures, 2011)
Personal life
He lives in both Nashville and Los Angeles with his wife, Windy.[14]
References
- "Zildjian Artists-Chad Cromwell Artist Page". zildjian.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- Gomez, Alex M. (November 27, 1987). "Joe Walsh keeping young", South Florida Sun-Sentinel, p. 22.
- Varga, George (February 23, 2006). "The right chemistry: Demme, Young 'were on the same page' for 'Neil Young: Heart of Gold'", The San Diego Union-Tribune, p. ND.
- Morse, Steve (March 22, 1996). "Mark Knopfler takes a Strait-country line on solo CD", The Boston Globe, p. 62.
- "Neil Young Concert Review". thrasherswheat.org. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- (June 13, 2003). "Pop music: Gill's going strong", The Press-Enterprise, p. AA3.
- Danton, Eric R. (December 31, 2006). "Rockin' once again: Big Al Anderson's new album goes back to his roots", The Hartford Courant, p. G1.
- Caudle, Todd (August 17, 1989). "Browne lets music do the talking: More rock, less rally this time", Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, p. D5.
- Sandler, Adam (October 2003). "Peter Frampton; Joe Bonamassa", Variety Review Database.
- Novak, Ralph (September 11, 2000). "The Hardest Part", People 54 (11): 52.
- McGuinness, Jim (April 24, 1998). "Dark side of Knight: A little hard-luck music", The Record, p. 36.
- thodoris. "Interview:Chad Cromwell (Neil Young,Mark Knopfler,Joss Stone,Joe Bonamassa)". Hit Channel. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- Bumgardner, Ed (April 1, 2004). "Fortunate Sons", Winston-Salem Journal, p. 9.
- Amendola, Billy. "Chad Cromwell", Modern Drummer. Retrieved on February 7, 2015.