There’s a certain kind of drummer personality type that you find in a lot of classic rock bands. Think Charlie Watts, Ringo Starr, John Densmore. The steady, even-keeled timekeeper.
The quiet, sensible one, observing the wild excess and eccentricity of his bandmates from a vantage point at the back of the stage. “Maybe it’s the aerobic exercise that makes us a little more stable,” Fito de la Parra says with a laugh. Fito, 77, is the original drummer - and only surviving member - of veteran blues-rock group .
“Of all the instruments, drums is the most physically demanding. You can play another instrument and be totally relaxed. But with drums you’re putting your whole body into play - arms, legs, back, feet.
And you’re using your brain too. So maybe that’s part of the reason why we’re known to be a little bit more steady than the rest of the musicians.” Born Adolfo de la Parra in Mexico City in 1946, he grew up in a music-loving family, and gravitated to the drums when he was 12 years old.
“I chose the drums because I didn’t really want to deal with the public in the front,” he says. “I always enjoyed being in the background more. You feel protected, surrounded by the other guys.
” When he was 16, Fito went with his dad to see a Bill Haley & The Comets concert in Mexico City. It was a life-changing moment for the aspiring musician. “It was this new music and attitude that came from the north – the first live rock’n’roll band in our lives.
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