One of the world’s most masterful drummers, Zoro is also servant to a Master.

Born June 13, 1962, Zoro was raised with six siblings by his single mother, Maria, whom he credits with having “more strength and honor … than most men.”

Life was hard for the family growing up on the tough streets of Compton, Calif., and they moved some 30 times during Zoro’s childhood. But through it all, Zoro credits his mother’s faith and strength for carrying him through – and for introducing him to Jesus, whom Zoro has accepted as his Lord and Savior.

That faith has strengthened Zoro through a broken marriage and the loss of his home to an earthquake. It also fuels his talent and performances.

“When I play the drums … I’m always grooving for the Lord,” Zoro told The 700 Club.

His faith – and his mother – contributed to his nickname “The Minister of Groove.” After buying a souvenir hat (“the kind you buy at the bullfights,” Zoro said) his mother suggested he wear the hat while performing.

“You’re kind of like the real Zorro,” she told him. “You have a heart for the people and you always want to do good.”

Zoro has done more than “good” in his percussion career, mastering the genres or rock, R&B and hip hop. His feel for the music, driving style and syncopation make him a popular and well-respected drummer. His unusual foot techniques – playing with his heel down – by Zoro’s claim gives him a “fatter” sound, caused by striking and releasing the beater from the bass drum head.

Zoro’s list of collaborations is long and impressive. He’s toured and recorded with Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown, New Edition, Jody Watley, Sean Lennon, Philip Bailey, the Throttle Body Motorcycle Club, and even Lisa Marie Presley and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. He’s consistently a fan favorite and considered a top clinician.

His “Commandments of R&B Drumming” is an acclaimed educational text, and has recently been expanded and re-released by Alfred Publishing in a 10^th anniversary edition.

Zoro’s faith continues to shape his life and schedule. He is an active Christian motivational speaker appearing at churches and festivals worldwide. Now working out of Nashville, Tenn., Zoro has increased the focus of his ministry, including the development of a series of books that could be released in 2008.

Born Aug. 26, 1969, in Long Beach, Calif., Adrian Samuel Young is one of five sons born to a hippie couple. His mother left the boys when Adrian was young.

After reaching adulthood, Young quickly became involved in the 1990s California music scene. Long a fan of the ska band No Doubt, attending their concerts since the group’s inception in 1987, he joined the band in 1989, just two years after taking up the drums. He lied about his level of experience, but managed to make his way into the band via audition.

In a band filled with personalities, Young’s character is one of the more noteworthy. He has a penchant for wearing thong underwear – and only thong underwear – during shows, and his hairstyle is usually a Mohawk or other statement-maker.

But when not on stage, Young takes part in one of life’s more civilized pursuits – golf. An avid player, he participated in the VH-1 television network’s golf show “Fairway to Heaven,” and made friends with shock-rocker and golfer Alice Cooper in the process.

Young married his wife, Nina Kent, on Jan. 16, 2000, after proposing to her in October 1999 in front of the crowd while playing a gig at The Fillmore in San Francisco. The couple had a son, Mason James Young, born Feb. 9, 2002.

During lulls between No Doubt recording sessions and tours, Young stays busy as the drummer for such bands as The Vandals, Bing Ji Ling and Bow Wow Wow.

Young plays Orange County drums, endorses Zildjian cymbals and drumsticks, uses Remo drumheads and employs Drum Workshop pedals and other hardware

Anthony Tillmon Williams was born Dec. 12, 1945, in Chicago, but he grew up in Boston. The lad began studying the drums with Alan Dawson at an early age, and was a pro by the time he was 13, backing saxophonist Sam Rivers. Jackie McLean, another sax player, hired Williams three years later, and the youngster made an even bigger jump in stature by joining the legendary Miles Davis’ “Second Great Quintet” when Williams was just 17 years of age.

Williams was young, but his talent was prodigious and his style groundbreaking. He redefined the role of the jazz rhythm section with his use of metric modulation and polyrythms. His work made the jazz drummer not just the man who accompanied the band and helped the others keep time, but an equal performer who could display artistry and improvisation just as could the others.

While still playing with Miles Davis, Williams recorded the 1964 album “Life Time,” his first as a bandleader. (Later, he would form a band dubbed “Lifetime.”)

In 1969, Williams formed a trio known as The Tony Williams Lifetime, with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ. Jack Bruce, best known perhaps for his role in the rock super group Cream, was later added as a bassist. The group pioneered the fusion style of combining rock music, R&B and jazz. Their album “Emergency!” is regarded by many aficionados as a fusion classic.

McLaughlin eventually left the group and Lifetime disbanded. But in 1975, Williams put together an all-new quartet, The New Tony Williams Lifetime. It featured bassist Tony Newton, Alan Pasqua on piano, and British guitarist Allan Holdsworth (who would later find plenty of Top 40 game as a member of Level 42). This group recorded two albums for Columbia Records, “Believe It” and “Million Dollar Legs.”

The next year would see Williams reunite with a number of former Miles Davis bandmates. He and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and tenor sax player Wayne Shorter recorded an album later released as “V.S.O.P.,” or “Very Special Onetime Performance.” Davis was to be part of the reunion, but backed out at the 11^th hour and had to be replaced by Freddie Hubbard. This group would go on to tour and record for several years, with a series of live albums issued as “V.S.O.P” or “The V.S.O.P. Quintet.” Today, however, most of the records are available on CD under Hancock’s name, though the original V.S.O.P. disc is no longer available at all.

A long and winding array of collaborations over the next two decades saw Williams release albums and tour with a variety of musicians. Among the most offbeat, perhaps, was his work in 1986 with a group called Public Image Limited, which was fronted by former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon. Williams was the drummer on their album of that year, which was plainly (and alternatively, depending on which format you purchased) entitled “Album,” “Cassette” or “Compact Disc.” Williams appeared on three tracks, and the rest of the drum parts were recorded by the legendary Ginger Baker.

Williams lived and taught percussion for many years in the San Francisco Bay area. In a shock to the music world, he died on Feb. 23, 1997, from a heart attack after routine gall bladder surgery. He was only 51, but had played drums professional for 38 years, appearing on countless recordings, including 17 albums as a bandleader and another 15 during his days with Miles Davis.

A track on Miles Davis’ boxed set – the song entitled “Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Wililams Process” – is, as the name clearly implies, named in honor of the late drummer.

Wertico was born Jan. 5, 1953, in Chicago. He took up the drums, self-taught, at age 12 and was a pro by the age of 15. He developed his own style by listening not only to American jazz and rock music, but to a variety of genres from throughout the world. His playing has been compared to the work of impressionist painters – he’s also been described as an “inspired madman.”

In 1983, Wertico joined the noted Pat Metheny Group. The band won seven Grammy Awards during his 18-year tenure on the drum set, three for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, three for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance and one for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. He also played on Metheny’s Grammy-winning solo project, “Secret Story,” in 1992.

Along the way, Wertico also has manned the drum kit for one of Poland’s most legendary rock bands, SBB. The Silesian Blues Band was formed in 1971 and went through a number of lineups – and was on-again, off-again – before Wertico joined to play the drums in a year-2000 revival.

In 2001, Wertico decided to leave the Pat Metheny Group to spend more time at home with his family. (His wife, Barbara Unger-Wertico, is a vocalist and composer.) He now leads his own band, performing around Illinois and other locations in and around Chicago.

He was named one of the “Chicagoans of the Year” for 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.

Born Jan. 8, 1960, Weckl graduated from Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Mo., in 1978. He was quickly off to the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, where he majored in jazz studies.

By the early 1980s, Weckl was working in the New York fusion scene, where he found himself collaborating with legendary artists such as Paul Simon, George Benson, Madonna, Michel Camilo and Anthony Jackson. His most noted early work, however, was with Chick Corea’s Elektric Band, with which he played from 1985 to 1991. During his seven years with Corea, Weckl also appeared with Corea’s Akoustic Band, and supplemented his income with session work and appearing with the GRP All-Star Big Band. Adding to the workload, Weckl appeared on four albums in 1988 and 1989 alone with the Manhattan Jazz Quintet. He released a series of instructional videos. And, in 1990, Weckl released his first solo recording, “Master Plan,” for GRP.

“Master Plan” was followed by “Heads Up” in 1992 and “Hard-Wired” in 1994.

After parting ways with Corea, Weckl recorded and toured with guitarist Mike Stern. He led the R&B-oriented group Rhythm of the Soul during 1998, and performed with Synergy in 1999. The Dave Weckl Band had emerged by the time of the “Transition” album’s 2000 release, and with a quartet lineup, Weckl’s 2002 offering was an improv-laden release, “Perpetual Motion.” Weckl has been the leader on 10 recordings since 1990 – three under his own name as a solo artist and seven more as the Dave Weckl Band.

Weckl endorses Yamaha drums, Sabian cymbals and Vic Firth drumstricks.

An automotive aficionado (who has owned a succession of recent and classic Corvettes, a Porsche 911 and a 440-horse Lingenfelter-tuned Camaro, among other rides), Weckl says his true passions are “spending quality time” with his daughter, Claire, his golden retriever, Sophie, and his friends.

Wackerman was born March 25, 1960, in Long Beach, Calif. His father, Chuck, was director of the Los Alamitos High School Band. Chad’s also the older brother of Brooks Wackerman, who’s been a member of groups such as Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves, and is currently the drummer of the long-lived and always evolving punk group, Bad Religion.

Chad Wackerman joined forces with the Bill Watrous band in 1978, and was the drummer for legendary rock artist Frank Zappa from 1981 to 1988. In between, he toured with Australian rock group Men at Work, but never recorded with them.

Other collaborations by Wackerman include: guitar virtuoso Steve Vai; Zappa’s son, Dweezil; Allan Holdsworth; Andy Summers; Albert Lee; Ed Mann; Colin Hay; and Tom Grant.

Wackerman has been the drummer for the house band on comedian Dennis Miller’s late-night talk show. He played on the “One Voice” album and video with Barbara Streisand. And, he’s with folk rock legend James Taylor, progressive guitarist John Petrucci, and keyboardist/composer Joe Sample. Along with another Zappa drummer, Terry Bozzio, Wackerman performed a series of all-percussion concerts.

From the artist’s Web site, Wackerman says his style, “combines the power and conviction of rock with the sensitivity and finesse of jazz.” Thus, Wackerman says, his playing “is remarkably free of predictable patterns and licks, relying instead on invention and interplay with the musicians around him.”

Wackerman spent 10 years (1995-2005) living in Australia, but has returned to the States. He’s also now a bandleader and composer, and his various groups have released four albums: “Forty Reasons;” “The View;” “Scream;” and, most recently, “Legs Eleven.” The first three were recorded as the Chad Wackerman Group (with Leon Gaer on bass, Daryl Pratt on MIDI vibraphone and James Muller on guitar) and the last album was released as the Chad Wackerman Trio, with bassist Doug Lunn and guitarist Mike Miller.

Widely considered a leading authority on live sample triggering and electronic drumming, Verderosa has spent years perfecting his one-man, live techno concept that originated in New York City’s underground music scene. He’s released records on his own New York-based label, Thwak!, and also has issued three videos of live performances that document his innovative approach to electronic percussion and music. His recordings have been critically acclaimed both in the underground music community and in more mainstream circles. His live DJ videos are considered to be essential resources for musicians hoping to learn from and emulate his style.

In addition to his recordings, Verderosa – also known as VFX – has shared the stage with the British electronic music duo Underworld (Karl Hyde and Rick Smith), and has performed with Drum N Bass producer Jamie Myerson, The Brecker Brothers, Cold Cut, Angelique Kidjo, pop music producer Philippe Saisse and others.

Despite his fascination with, and advancement of, electronic drumming techniques, Verderosa is a classically trained percussionist. This training has allowed him to master a hybrid kit of electronic and acoustic percussion instruments that provide the ability to play melodies, harmonies, loops, bass lines and even vocal samples and sound effects, all in real time.

“It’s like combining the best parts of being a composer, piano player, bass player and DJ, totally live,” Verderosa has said.

His notoriety also has landed Verderosa an endorsement outside of the percussion world. He appears in a commercial for Twix candy bars during the company’s “It’s All in the Mix” campaign.

Velez, of Mexican-American ancestry, grew up on Texas, but moved to New York City in the late 1960s. He began his percussion career playing on a jazz drum set, but soon felt himself drawn to hand drums from around the world – frame drums particularly – and sought out teachers from many different genres.

Among the instruments Velez most favors are the Irish bodhrán, the Brazilian pandeiro, the North African bender, the Arabic riq and the Azerbaijani ghaval. While similar in construction, each instrument has its own unique characteristics. By studying and combining their qualities, Velez has developed a groundbreaking, cross-cultural style, such as playing the bodhrán with brushes, which is traditionally not done.

Velez has at the forefront of the increasing popularity of frame drums, both in the U.S. and worldwide. His performances and teaching more than 20 years ago (in 1983) inspired the Remo Drum Co. to develop an entire line of frame drums known as the Glen Velez Signature Series. In 1999, the Cooperman Drum Co. introduced its handmade Signature Series Glen Velez frame drum and tambourine lines.

Beyond frame drums, Velez plays other percussion instruments, such as the Venezuelan maracas and the steel drum. He is also accomplished at overtone singing.

Velez is a longtime member of the Paul Winter Consort and Steve Reich and Musicians. His numerous other collaborations include Howard Levy, Steve Gorn, Layne Redmond, Malcom Dalglish and Rabih Abou-Khalil.

As a bandleader, Velez has released at least a dozen albums, beginning with “Handdance” in 1983.

He regularly performs with Trio Globo (featuring Levy and Eugene Friesen), his own Glen Velez Ensemble, in duo performances with vocalist Lori Cotler, and alongside scholar and poet Coleman Barkes.

Velez has won three Grammy awards.

Born the day after Christmas, 1963, in Gentofte, Denmark, Ulrich was the son of Torben Ulrich, an accomplished tennis pro from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. Lars was a quite a prodigy in the sport and at age 17 moved to Los Angeles to pursue his training. There, he ended up a drummer instead. He posted an ad in a local paper called “The Recycler,” met James Hetfield from that ad, and the two formed the now-legendary hard rock group Metallica.

It could be said that Lars got his musical genes from his father, as well. Torben Ulrich played jazz with such notables as Miles Davis and Stan Getz, and legendary saxophonist Dexter Gordon is Lars’ godfather. When the elder Ulrich obtained five passes to a Deep Purple concert in 1973 – and one of his friends couldn’t go – he took little Lars, instead, and though he was only 9, the boy was sold on rock-and-roll. The child bought Deep Purple’s “Fireball” album the next day, and by age 13, he was the proud owner of a Ludwig drum set.

Ulrich met up with Hetfield in 1981, and the youngsters formed an alliance that would not be broken, though some of the supporting characters have changed. With more than 90 million records sold worldwide and 57 million sold in the U.S. alone, Metallica is recognized as the best-selling thrash metal band of all time.

For his part, Ulrich has been a groundbreaker on the drum set. He became known for his fast thrash drum beats and techniques on many of Metallica’s early songs, particularly “Metal Militia” (from the “Kill ‘Em All” album), “Fight Fire With Fire” (“Ride the Lightning”), “Dyers Eve” (“… And Justice for All”) and “Battery” (“Master of Puppets”). His machinegun-emulating double-bass punch on the song “One” and the relentless pounding that opens the hit “Enter Sandman” are other examples of Ulrich’s unmistakable style.

While Ulrich created many fans through his performances and recordings with Metallica, he has turned off a few over the years, as well. He met with criticism in 2000 when he became one of the first and most vocal artists to take action against Napster, an electronic music-sharing service. Ulrich testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, noting that Metallica’s entire catalog was available for free download via Napster. Though no lawsuits for copyright infringement ever resulted, the case was settled out of court, and more than 300,000 Napster users were henceforth barred from using the service.

Ulrich has been married twice, and has two sons, Myles (born Aug. 5, 1998) and Layne (May 6, 2001), from his relationship with second wife, Skylar Satenstein, an emergency medicine physician. A third son was born to Ulrich via his relationship with Danish actress Connie Nielsen; Bryce Thadeus Ulrich-Nielsen was born in San Francisco on May 21, 2007.

Born Chester Cortez Thompson on Dec. 11, 1948, in Baltimore, Md., he isn’t to be confused with Chester Thompson who is noteworthy as the keyboardist for Santana.

The drumming Chester Thompson first made a name for himself as a session drummer. He moved on to play in Frank Zappa’s touring band in 1973 and 1974, then joining Zappa for recording sessions on such albums as “One Size Fits All,” “Roxy & Elsewhere,” and “Overnite Sensation.”

Thompson also drummed for a time with the legendary jazz fusion group Weather Report.

His longest gig was as the touring drummer for the noteworthy progressive rock band Genesis. He toured with Genesis from 1977 until 1992 and during the 2007 “Turn It On Again” reunion tour, with his work appearing on four live albums, “Seconds Out,” “Three Sides Live,” and “The Way We Walk,” volumes 1 and 2. He continues to work with Phil Collins – himself a Genesis percussionist – on his solo tours, and appears on Collins’ “Serious Hits … Live!” album and DVD.

Collaborating with another Genesis alum, he’s joined guitarist Steve Hackett on two albums, “Please Don’t Touch” and “Genesis Revisited.” Thompson also appears on the “Tokyo Tapes” album, released in 1998, which features Hackett and guitarist John Wetton, among others.

Thompson has even released his own solo album, “A Joyful Noise.”

Ironically, Thompson also has played alongside guitarist Carlos Santana on several tours, for whom the keyboardist Chester Thompson also had played in the past.