A highly rated journeyman drummer, noted for his hard hitting virtuosity and onstage pyro displays. Cozy Powell's CV reads like a 'Who's Who Of Rock'. However, between stints for such hallowed institutions as RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, EMERSON, LAKE & POWELL and WHITESNAKE and appearances as a session drummer on albums by GRAHAM BONNET ('Line Up'), CINDERELLA ('Long Cold Winter') and ROBERT PLANT ('Pictures At Eleven'), Cozy had achieved solo success with various projects.

The man's career began with THE SORCERORS before a short diversion to CASEY JONES & THE ENGINEERS in 1968. Powell returned to THE SORCERORS who soon after adopted the fresh title of YOUNGBLOOD. A further shift found the drummer founding a new group titled IDEAL MILK. This unit added former MOVE star Ace Kefford to become the ACE KEFFORD STAND.

A union with COLOSSEUM guitarist Dave Clempson and bassist Dave Pegg did not get beyond rehearsals. Stints with BIG BERTHA and high profile work with JEFF BECK ensued. Powell also appeared at the legendary 1970 Isle Of Wight festival backing TONY JOE WHITE.

Powell returned to BIG BERTHA before getting the call from JEFF BECK again. The drummer also had a brief spell with Californian Psychedelic Rockers SPIRIT in late 1972. Early 70's sessions included appearances on ex FOCUS man HARVEY ANDERSON's 1972 album 'Writer Of Songs', TEN YEARS AFTER keyboard player CHICK CHURCHILL's 'You & Me', DONOVAN's 'Cosmic Wheels' and MURRAY HEAD's 'Nigel Lived'.

In 1973 Powell was a member of BEDLAM alongside vocalist Frank Aiello, Dave Ball on guitar and bassist Denny Ball. The resulting album, 'Bedlam' was a marvellous display of Hard Rock that was sadly neglected. Powell then united in a brief supergroup including COLOSSEUM guitarist Clem Clempson and bassist Greg Ridley titled STRANGE BREW.

The drummer next move was to assemble a touring band, modestly titled COZY POWELL'S HAMMER together with keyboard player Don Airey in the mid 70s to promote his single successes. The drummer, along with Airey, was enticed into the ranks of RAINBOW during 1975.

Cozy's first solo album, 'Over The Top' issued whilst still a member of RAINBOW, was a collaboration with ex-CREAM bassist JACK BRUCE, erstwhile COLOSSEUM and STRANGE BREW guitarist Clem Clempson, BERNIE MARSDEN, GARY MOORE and DON AIREY.

1979 sessions included GARY MOORE but quitting RAINBOW in 1980, performing his last gig at the inaugural 'Castle Donington' festival by 1981 Powell was a member of the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP.

The parallel solo effort 'Tilt' went gold in Japan. Featured were familiar faces Moore. Marsden, Bruce and Airey along with WHITESNAKE bassist Neil Murray, saxophonist Mel Collins, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP bassist Chris Glen, guitar maestro JEFF BECK and vocalists Elmer Gantry of VELVET OPERA and STRETCH alongside BEDLAM's Frank Aiello.

was back with a major league act shortly after by forming part of WHITESNAKE for two albums 'Saints n' Sinners' and 'Slide It In'. Other projects kept Powell's face in the spotlight as the drummer lent his talents to GRAHAM BONNET's 'Line Up', JON LORD's 'Before I Forget' and ROBERT PLANT's 'Pictures At Eleven'. He also appeared on Jonathon King's Metal 'supergroup' GOGMAGOG.

However, his 1983 solo album, 'Octopuss', charted only briefly although it featured contributions from WHITESNAKE's bassist Colin Hodgkinson and guitarist Mel Galley, keyboard players JON LORD and DON AIREY and legendary guitarist GARY MOORE on two tracks, namely 'Dartmoore' and 'Up On The Downs'.

Band activity witnessed duties with GARY MOORE and the formation if the ill fated EMERSON, LAKE & POWELL. He also figured in the 1985 'Phenomena II' concept album. Cozy would be back in the media spotlight with FORCEFIELD, a group forged with ex FOCUS guitarist Jan Akkermann. During this period Powell sessioned on Danish Artist SANNE SALOMONSEN's 'Not Angel' album, German Metal band WARLOCK's 1987 'Triumph And Agony' and for Pop band BOYS DON'T CRY. The man was also in illustrious company featured as part of SPENCER DAVIS GROUP drummer Pete York's ambitious 'Pete York Presents Super Drumming'.

Powell was also involved with the formative stages of BLUE MURDER before recording drum tracks for CINDERELLA's 'Long Cold Winter'. The drummer then assisted BLACK SABBATH's rise in fortunes by bolstering their 'Headless Cross' record.

Returning to solo work in the 90s, Cozy's 1992 album 'The Drums Are Back' featured such luminaries as BRIAN MAY and John Deacon from QUEEN, JON LORD, STEVE LUKATHER and MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan. Two tracks would be co-composed by Australian guitarist Jamie Page of BLACK ALICE, TRILOGY and DRIVESHAFT repute.

Another stab at COZY POWELL'S HAMMER was tried in 1992 with vocalist Peter Oliver, guitarist MARIO PARGA and bassist Neil Murray. This line up only lasted one gig and soon erstwhile BLACK SABBATH colleague TONY MARTIN was drafted. The band switched handles to TONY MARTIN & FRIENDS to tour Germany.

In 1994 Cozy contributed drums to JUDAS PRIEST guitarist GLENN TIPTON's solo album before rejoining BLACK SABBATH for the 'Forbidden' album and a 1995 American tour.

Powell was also keeping his hand in on the live circuit with S.A.S. (SPIKE'S ALL STARS). A nebulous band of name musicians S.A.S. began with a showing at the 1994 Gosport festival where Spike Edney and Powell were joined by guitarist Jamie Moses, bassist Neil Murray and vocalist Chris Thompson. The band would evolve and mutate endlessly embracing Jess Roden, ROGER CHAPMAN, Mark Shaw, Mike Rutherford of GENESIS, QUEEN's ROGER TAYLOR and John Deacon, PETER GREEN, John Marter and JETHRO TULL's Ian Anderson.

During 1996 Cozy had rejoined Neil Murray in a rhythm section for the comeback band featuring the legendary ex FLEETWOOD MAC guitarist Peter Green, but 1997 found Powell working in the studio with RAINBOW vocalist Doogie White. These recordings failed to bear fruit but Powell, still much in demand, did provide drums on a session basis for the SKYLARK album 'Dragon's Secrets' released in Japan.

Throughout all of this Cozy had been laying down tracks for a further solo album with ex-BADLANDS and ARTENSION vocalist JOHN WEST. A band unit was also rehearsed named SAINTS & SINNERS basically made up of WHITESNAKE refugees BERNIE MARSDEN, MICKY MOODY, Neil Murray plus West.

As the year drew to a close Powell announced a fresh liaison with Swedish axe wizard YNGWIE MALMSTEEN for the latter's 'Facing The Animal' album. Before long though Powell's name was linked to a reformation of the classic RAINBOW line-up together with RITCHIE BLACKMORE, Ronnie James Dio and Jimmy Bain. This reunion had been instigated by a huge offer from a Japanese label to record an album.

Some of Powell's last recorded work came with COLIN BLUNSTONE's 1998 album 'The Light Inside' which found him back in the company of old friends DON AIREY and Neil Murray.

Tragically though, on April 5th 1998, Cozy was killed in a car crash, his Saab going off the road at a reported 120mph plus crashing into the central reservation on the M4 near Bristol. It was reported he had been using his car phone when the accident happened. Cozy succumbed to his injuries in hospital. He was 50. Ironically, prior to the fatal accident, Cozy had been forced to pull out of his appearance on a Japanese tour with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN because he had injured his foot in a minor motorcycle accident. In a twist of fate Japan's 'Burrn' magazine had already gone to print with their reader's polls for the previous year. Powell had been voted number 1 drummer.

Brian May paid tribute by withdrawing his planned single (a costly affair as they had already been pressed) and quickly issuing a remixed version of his album cut that featured Cozy prominently 'The Business' (Rock On Cozy mix).

The fourth solo album laid down with JOHN WEST, guitarist Mike Casswell, bassist Neil Murray and keyboard player Lonnie Parks was re-titled 'Especially For You' and issued in Japan. Two Japanese tribute albums 'Rest In Peace - Thanks Cozy' and 'Cozy Powell Forever' were also released in quick succession. The latter featured LOUDNESS guitarist AKIRA TAKASAKI, VOW WOW keyboard player Rei Atsumi, CARMINE APPICE and TONY FRANKLIN.

During 2004 a belated tribute emerged entitled the COZY MURAKAMI PROJECT. The album 'Soul Bound', assembled by BLINDMAN drummer 'Cozy' Murakami, saw a whole host of name Japanese musicians from acts such as CONCERTO MOON, ANTHEM, DEAD END, MARINO, ONMYO-ZA, SIXRIDE, REDRISE, BULLETS TOUGH and BLINDMAN. 'Soul Bound' comprised tracks by bands Powell had made his mark on such as BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, EMERSON, LAKE AND POWELL and the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP.