US drummer
For seven years, Brian Dunne has been the drummer for Daryl Hall and John Oates, the pop-soul duo that spent much of the ’70s and ’80s at the top of the charts with hits like “Sara Smile,” “Rich Girl,” “She’s Gone,” “Maneater,” and “Private Eyes.” Among the drummers that contributed to Hall and Oates’ albums are legendary studio cats like Bernard Purdie, Jim Gordon, Jeff Porcaro, Ed Greene, Rick and Jerry Marotta, and the group’s longtime comrade Mickey Curry, so the bar that Dunne has to clear on a regular basis is very high indeed.

No less potentially daunting, Dunne is the drummer in the band of the highly successful MTV Live show Live From Daryl’s House, which features a variety of A-list artists performing their own hits as well as songs from the Hall and Oates repertoire. Among the household-name acts Dunne has so far backed are Rob Thomas, Daughtry, CeeLo Green, Joe Walsh, Kenny Loggins, Cheap Trick, the O’Jays, and José Feliciano. It would be difficult to think of another drummer who so regularly has to nail such familiar and high-quality music in front of so many discerning listeners—not to mention in front of the artists themselves, who perform with Dunne a mere few feet away, with the cameras rolling and with precious little preparation.

Dunne is the quintessential pocket player, and a versatile one at that, with lots of professional experience of his own and a sound, groove, feel, and sense of time that are the envy of many. So he takes it all in stride—though even he has to occasionally stop and process how heavy his gig is. We caught up with Brian as he was busily shuttling between Hall and Oates shows and Live From Daryl’s House recording sessions.