Kenny Aronoff

Kenny Aronoff (b. Albany, New York, 1953 - ) – Drummer and percussionist. A long-time resident of Bloomington, Aronoff grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Indiana University in 1974. Following college, he rejected numerous offers to play timpani with symphony orchestras in order to study drum set on the East coast and focus on jazz and fusion. In 1977, Aronoff returned to Bloomington and formed a fusion group called Streamwinner. In 1980, he joined John Mellencamp and supplied a solid backbeat for the Hoosier singer’s string of albums that came out in the ensuing seventeen years. In addition to his work with Mellencamp, Aronoff has recorded and toured extensively with countless performers that represent a wide range of popular styles. Acts that he has performed with include Cinderella, Richard Thompson, the Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Seger, Elton John, John Fogerty, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He has done studio work with many of the same artists as well as Melissa Etheridge, Jon Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, B.B. King, the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Avril Levine, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Alice Cooper, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Raitt, Ricky Martin, Santana, Michelle Branch, Vince Gill, Gladys Knight, Aaron Neville, Trisha Yearwood, Patti Labelle, George Jones, Conway Twitty, Jefferson Airplane, and the Buddy Rich Band. Furthermore, he served as Associate Professor of Percussion at IU from 1993 to 1997. In 2011, he toured with Chickenfoot and participated in Greg Allman's "All My Friends" concert in 2014. In the same year as the latter, Aronoff played at the Grammy Awards with Ringo Starr (his inspiration for being a drummer) and the Highway Men. On February 9, 2014 (50 years after the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show), he was the house drummer for The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles, playing Beatles tunes with John and Ringo, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, David Grohl, Keith Urban, Joe Walsh, Jeff Lynne, the Eurhythmics, and many others. In 2017, he toured with legend Jerry Lee Lewis.