Inducted July 30, 2014, One of the most influential drummers in rock, Chris Slade has played with Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, AC/DC and many others.
Chris Slade has had quite a storied career. Born in 1946, his first claim to fame was playing on the Tom Jones single “It’s Not Unusual.” He stayed with Jones until 1969, when he left to be the drummer in a group called Toomorrow with Olivia Newton-John. By 1972, he had moved on to Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and played with them until 1978. His next real group was with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers in the Firm. That band wanted him so badly that they waited several months for him to finish a previous commitment with David Gilmour. After the demise of the Firm, Slade hooked up with AC/DC for quite a while. He then became the drummer for the prog rock group Asia.
Published in well over 700 articles appearing in major periodicals around the globe, from the United States and Canada to Japan, Germany, France, England, Australia, and even Katmandu, Steven’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Playboy, Musician, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Musician, US, Creem, Circus, Player, Total Guitar, Classic Rock, Mojo, Drum! and a myriad of others.