Rami Jaffee(born March 11, 1969) is an American musician. He is the keyboardist for therockbandFoo Fighters,whom he initially joined in a touring and session capacity in 2005. He has contributed to seven of the band's studio albums, and formally joined the band as a full-time member in 2017.
Rami Jaffee | |
|---|---|
 Jaffee in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | March 11, 1969 |
| Origin | Los Angeles, United States |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Member of | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | www |
Prior to joining Foo Fighters, Jaffee was a member ofThe Wallflowersfrom 1990 to 2005, and again from 2012 to 2013. He has worked with many artists includingPete Yorn,Stone Sour,Joseph ArthurandCoheed and Cambria.
Early life
editJaffee was born on March 11, 1969, to aRussian Ashkenazi Jewishfather and aMoroccan Sephardic Jewishmother inLos Angeles.[2]When he was 13, he purchased a keyboard and was soon playing with local bands. After graduating fromFairfax High School,he continued to play in various bands, and he took session work in recording studios.[3]
Career
editAround 1989,Jakob Dylanand his friend Tobi Miller formed a group called the Apples, playing various clubs in the L.A. area. While waiting in line atCanter'sDeli after 2:00 am, Jaffee heard the Apples wanted an organist and pianist, and he was told that Dylan and Miller were then in the Kibitz Room bar attached to Canter's. They met; Dylan and Miller played Jaffee some demo tapes in their car stereo, and Jaffee immediately joined the group. A few weeks later, they changed their name to the Wallflowers and signed withVirgin Records.In 1992, they released their first album,The Wallflowers.[3]The Wallflowers toured throughout the U.S. and Canada in 1992 and early 1993. They served as the opening act forCracker,theSpin Doctorsand10,000 Maniacs,and they started headlining their own shows.[3]
Virgin appeared to lose interest in the Wallflowers because of poor album sales. The band's two familiar label representatives left the label, after which the record company tried to use the Dylan name as a selling point, against the band's directive. In mid-1993, the label released the band from their contract.[3]Other labels were not interested in signing the band, and Jaffee filled his time by playing gigs withEl Vezas well as taking more session work. He kept his interest in the Wallflowers, saying later, "I believe in these songs, and I'm here for the duration because no one is writing songs like these anymore, songs that have room for a Hammond organ and me."[3]
The Wallflowers signed toInterscope Recordsin 1994. While working withT Bone Burnett,who was producing the band's next album, Jaffee was frequently called in as a session musician for producersPaul Fox,Matt Hydeand Rick Neigher. Because of this, in 1996 he was credited on albums byRickie Lee Jones,the Hookers,Leah AndreoneandChalk FarM.At the same time, the Wallflowers released their second album,Bringing Down the Horse,which went quadruple Platinum.[3]The band toured in support of the album, but in 1997, Jaffee and his wife had a daughter, and he left the tour to be with his family for two months. That same year, he performed session work withEverclear,Grant Lee Buffalo,Richie Sambora,Macy Gray,Jeremy Toback,Joe Henry,Melissa Etheridge,Ramsay MidwoodandGarth Brooks.[3]
The Wallflowers received aGrammynomination in 1998 for "Heroes" which appeared in the filmGodzilla.In late 2000, the band releasedBreach.The band headlined their own tour for a year but also opened forTom Petty and the Heartbreakers,the WhoandJohn Mellencamp.[3]Following this, the Wallflowers releasedRed Letter Days,touring again during 2002–2003.[3]With a new drummer, the band releasedRebel, Sweetheart,their fifth album, on May 24, 2005. The Wallflowers toured to promote the album, but Jaffee disagreed with the band, and he abandoned the tour with three dates remaining.[4]
In 2005, Jaffee began collaborating withFoo Fighters.He was made an official member in 2017.[5]
Jaffee led the house band onThe Fran Drescher Showand, as of 2010, co-owned a recording studio called Fonogenic Studios in theSan Fernando Valley.[6]
In 2012 and 2013, Jaffee was a member of theSound City Players,a supergroup formed byDave Grohlthat, in addition to appearing in Grohl's 2013 documentary,Sound City,played a limited number of tour dates in 2013. The Sound City Players consisted of a rotating number of artists including Grohl, Jaffee,Stevie Nicks,Alain Johannes,Paul McCartney,Rick Springfield,Josh Homme,Trent Reznor,Krist Novoselicand more.
In 2012, Jaffee returned to the Wallflowers, who were coming off a long hiatus.[4]They released the albumGlad All Overin 2012 and toured in support of it that year and also in 2013. Jaffee then left the band again.[7]
Discography (partial)
edit| Year | Group | Title | Label | Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Wallflowers | The Wallflowers | Virgin | Piano, Hammond Organ |
| 1993 | Darlene & Co | Absence of Uniformity | Sovereign | – |
| 1994 | El Vez | How Great Thou Art | Sympathy for the Record Industry | Hammond Organ |
| Fun in Español | Sympathy for the Record Industry | Hammond Organ | ||
| Victoria Williams | Loose | Atlantic | Hammond Organ | |
| 1995 | Edwin McCain | Honor Among Thieves | Lava/Atlantic | Hammond Organ |
| 1996 | Tina & the B-Side Movement | Salvation | Sire/Elektra | Piano, Hammond Organ, Farfisa |
| El Vez | Never Been To Spain (Until Now) | Munster | Keyboards | |
| Phil Cody | The Sons of Intemperance Offering | Interscope | Piano, Accordion, Hammond Organ, Mellotron | |
| The Wallflowers | Bringing Down the Horse | Interscope | Organs, Pianos | |
| Chalk FarM | Notwithstanding | Columbia | Accordion | |
| Leah Andreone | Veiled | RCA | Organ | |
| The Hookers | Calico | RCA | Piano, Accordion, Hammond Organ | |
| Rickie Lee Jones | Music fromParty of Five | Reprise | – | |
| 1997 | The Wallflowers | KCRWRare on Air, Vol. 3 | Mammoth | Piano |
| The Honeyrods | The Honeyrods | Capricorn | Piano, Wurlitzer | |
| Everclear | So Much for the Afterglow | Capitol | Vox Organ | |
| Uma | Fare Well | Refuge | Piano, Hammond Organ, Vox Organ, Optigan | |
| Soul Asylum | I Know What You Did Last Summer | SonyColumbia | – | |
| Andy If | Road Trip | CU | – | |
| 1998 | Richie Sambora | Undiscovered Soul | Mercury | Accordion, Hammond Organ, Clapping, Optigan |
| Agents of Good Roots | One by One | RCA | Organ | |
| Esthero | Breath From Another | Sony/Works | Optigan | |
| The Wallflowers | Godzilla: The Album | Epic/Sony | – | |
| Scott Thomas Band | California | Elektra | – | |
| Grant Lee Buffalo | Jubilee | Slash/Warner | – | |
| 1999 | Chlorine | Primer | Time Bomb/BMG | Keyboards |
| Matt Brown | Morning After Medicine Show | EMIUncle Green,released 2011 | Keyboards | |
| 2000 | The Wallflowers | (Breach) | Interscope | Keyboards, Vibraphone, Backing vocals |
| 2002 | Red Letter Days | Interscope | Keyboards | |
| 2005 | Foo Fighters | In Your Honor | RCA Records/Roswell | Keyboards |
| The Wallflowers | Rebel, Sweetheart | Interscope | Keyboards | |
| 2006 | Willie Nile | Streets of New York | 00:02:59/Reincarnate | Hammond Organ |
| Foo Fighters | Skin and Bones | RCA Records | Piano, Organ, Accordion, Keyboard | |
| Pete Yorn | Westerns EP | RED Ink/Columbia | B-3 Organ, Production | |
| 2007 | Mike Brown & the Fart Face Band | American Hotel | Oasis Entertainment | Hammond Organ, Keyboard |
| Coheed and Cambria | Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow | Columbia Records | Synthesisers, Piano[8] | |
| Foo Fighters | Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace | RCA Records | Accordion, Keyboard | |
| 2008 | The Fallen Stars | Where the road bends | Kiss My Squirrel Records | Hammond Organ, Keyboard, Accordion, Producer |
| 2010 | The Fallen Stars | Heart Like Mine | Kiss My Squirrel Records | Hammond Organ, Keyboard, Accordion |
| 2011 | Foo Fighters | Wasting Light | RCA Records | Keyboards, Organ, Mellotron |
| 2012 | The Wallflowers | Glad All Over | Columbia/Interscope | Keyboards |
| 2013 | Joseph Arthur | The Ballad of Boogie Christ | Lonely Astronaut Records | Organ |
| Chuck Ragan | Till Midnight | SideOneDummy | Keyboard, Glockenspiel, Accordion | |
| 2014 | Gunash | Same Old Nightmare | Go Down Records | Hammond Organ |
| Foo Fighters | Sonic Highways | RCA Records | Keyboards | |
| 2015 | Foo Fighters | Saint Cecilia(EP) | RCA Records | Keyboards |
| 2016 | Gunash | SuperHeroes In Town(EP) | Go Down Records | Hammond Organ, Keyboards |
| 2017 | Gunash | Great Expectations | Go Down Records | Hammond Organ, Keyboards, Artistic Producer |
| Foo Fighters | Concrete and Gold | RCA Records | Keyboards | |
| 2021 | Medicine at Midnight | |||
| 2021 | Fury In The Slaughterhouse | Now (Song "Letter To Myself" ) | Starwatch Entertainment | |
| 2022 | Dream Widow | Dream Widow | RCA Records | |
| 2023 | Foo Fighters | But Here We Are |
References
edit- ^Deville, Chris (March 25, 2022)."Dave Grohl Releases Metal EP As Fictional Band Dream Widow".Stereogum.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
- ^Simon Yaffe (2012)."The Wallflowers' Reunion Was Ideal Topping For Rami".Jewish Telegraph.
- ^abcdefghi"The Wallflowers Bios – Rami Jaffee".The Wallflowers. Archived fromthe originalon May 13, 2008.RetrievedSeptember 21,2017.
- ^abAushenker, Michael (October 4, 2012)."A Foo Fighter and a Wallflower: Rami Jaffee".The Malibu Times.RetrievedSeptember 21,2017.
- ^"Dave Grohl Officially Declares Rami Jaffee The Sixth Member Of The Foo Fighters".WAAF.June 5, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 22,2017.
- ^"New Fran Drescher Talk Show".The Daily Truffle. Archived fromthe originalon November 27, 2010.RetrievedNovember 23,2010.
- ^"Palm Desert | music - Rami Jaffee Leads All-Star Band Appearance at Saxony Group Fashion Week El Paseo".Palm Springs Life.March 19, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 22,2017.
- ^Mentioned in Album Booklet for Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow
