Although he only played drums for Sly & the Family Stone for one year, Andy says the album he appeared on, Fresh, is of all his work the one which has received the most attention from musicians and fans. It is Andy that provides the killer drum track on "In Time," the song which Miles Davis supposedly brought in to his band's rehearsal and played for them repeatedly for half an hour straight. There is also an interesting story (that is now legendary) regarding Andy's unique "audition" for Sly, involving a set of Remo practice pads. You can read about this in a lengthy Rick Mattingly interview with Andy in the Feb. 1984 issue of Modern Drummer and the Jim Payne book "Give the Drummer Some!"

I spoke with Andy on the phone in May, and he expressed his thanks for constructing an electronic tribute to Sly, whom he called "a genius ... he's one in ten quadrillion. You couldn't be doing this for a more talented musician." He said that Sly had a way of making him feel quite special, and that he also felt that he was in turn a positive source of inspiration for Sly. "He always made an effort to somehow connect with me, like how he would always come and over to talk with me before a concert to see how I was doing and make sure I was comfortable." Andy currently lives in Sussex, England and continues to play freelance drums, including a recent CD of B.B. King's in which B.B. sings duets with other notable musicians, including Eric Clapton. He has also recently toured with Nils Lofgren.

(Thanks to Andy Newmark, Don DiPaolo and Jim Payne)

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