Steve Berrios

Steve Berrios was an American jazz drummer and percussionist born in New York City.

Biography

Starting out on trumpet while in public school, Berrios was influenced by his father, a professional drummer, and his neighbors in Upper Manhattan: Tito Puente, Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria. At 16, Berrios began winning talent and trumpet contests, including the famed Apollo Theater competitions, in which he placed first no less than five times. Switching his focus to drums and percussion, he started touring and recording with Mongo Santamaria at the age of 19.
Berrios learned to play batá sacred drums from Julito Collazo. He played conga, djembe, cowbells, marimba, timpani and glockenspiel in Dizzy Gillespie's band on a good-will tour of Cuba in the 1980s. In 1981, he became a founding member of the milestone Latin jazz group Jerry González & the Fort Apache Band. Berrios recorded more than a dozen albums as a member of the Fort Apache Band, including The River Is Deep, Obatala, Rumba Para Monk ''Earthdance and Moliendo Café. He was also in M'Boom, a percussion group created by Max Roach.
Berrios also led his own group, Son Bacheche. And Then Some!'', one of the few albums he recorded at the head of his own group, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance.
Berrios also played and recorded with artists such as Kenny Kirkland, Art Blakey, Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers, Michael Brecker, Grover Washington, Hilton Ruiz and Miriam Makeba.