About this episode
Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming . This is another installment of Big Fat Five —the series where I sit down with my favorite drummers and ask them to break down the five records that shaped how they approach the kit. Lately I’ve been fortunate to have guests who’ve already appeared in other drummers’ Big Fat Fives , and today’s guest is one of them: Terry Silverlight . Terry’s career is so deep and wide-ranging that I almost don’t even want to start listing artists. His discography is massive — you can check it out on his website HERE and he’s still extremely active today. He was already recording at 14 on his brother Barry Miles’ record, and he hasn’t slowed down since. Along the way he’s worked with everyone from George Benson to Roberta Flack to Natalie Merchant, just to name a few. This episode doesn’t veer from the Big Fat Five format, but Terry interleaves the records that shaped him with the way music has been ingrained in his life from day one. I mention this at the top of our chat, but it’s worth saying again here — the through-line of music in Terry’s story is undeniable. Toward the end, I also ask him about a session that came up in Aaron Steele’s episode a while back, when Aaron brought up Terry’s work with the band Change. If you haven’t heard that one, go back and check it out — Aaron’s a young legend in his own right. - Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today! 🎯 Click here to order now! Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit. SONGS PLAYED IN THIS EPISODE: Artist – Barry Miles Album – White Heat Release Year – 1972 Key Track – "White Heat" Drummer – Terry Silverlight Artist – Max Roach Album – Max Roach + 4 ... On The Chicago Scene Release Year – 1958 Key Track – "Memo: To Maurice" Drummer – Max Roach Artist – The Tony Williams Lifetime Album – Emergency! Release Year – 1969 Key Track – "Emergency" Drummer – Tony Williams Artist – Ravi Shankar & Alla Rakha Album – The Genius of Pandit Ravi Shankar Release Year – 1990 Key Track – "Yaman - Gat in Matta Tal" Tabla – Alla Rakha Artist – Shakti Album – Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) Release Year – 2025 Key Track – "5 In The Morning, 6 In The Afternoon" Tabla – Zakir Hussain Artist – McCoy Tyner Album – Trident Release Year – 1975 Key Track – "Elvin (Sir) Jones" Drummer – Elvin Jones Artist – Airto Moreira Album – Fingers Release Year – 1973 Key Track – "Fingers (El Rada)" Drummers – Airto Moreira & Ivan Conti For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out www.bigfatsnaredrum.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices