Paul Nelson Humphrey (born October 12, 1935 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American jazz and funk/R+B drummer.
He worked as a session drummer in the 1960s for jazz artists such as Wes Montgomery, Les McCann, Kai Winding, Jimmy Smith, Charles Mingus, Lee Konitz, Blue Mitchell and Gene Ammons.
As a bandleader, he recorded under the name Paul Humphrey and the Cool Aid Chemists, with Clarence MacDonald, David T. Walker, and Phil Upchurch. In 1971, this ensemble had two hits, "Cool Aid" (US #29, US Black Singles #14) and "Funky L.A." (US Black Singles #45). He also recorded an album as head of the Paul Humphrey Sextet in 1981.
Mr. Humphrey was one of the drummers on Marvin Gaye's album "Let's Get It On".
He also recorded with Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia, Jimmy Smith, The Four Tops, Al Kooper, Jackie DeShannon, Natalie Cole, Albert King, Quincy Jones, Dusty Springfield, Jean-Luc Ponty, Michael Franks, Maria Muldaur, and others.
Humphrey also was the featured drummer for both the Lawrence Welk orchestra and television show from 1976 to 1982. He and his wife Joan are the parents of two children, Pier and Damien, who appeared with their father on the Welk show's annual Christmas episode.
Famous quotes containing the word humphrey:
“Fortunately, the time has long passed when people liked to regard the United States as some kind of melting pot, taking men and women from every part of the world and converting them into standardized, homogenized Americans. We are, I think, much more mature and wise today. Just as we welcome a world of diversity, so we glory in an America of diversity—an America all the richer for the many different and distinctive strands of which it is woven.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)