American musician James Cottack was born December 26, 1962 in Louisville. He is best known as the Scorpions drummer. He was part of the legendary group from 1996 to 2016. Due to problems with drinking and eccentric behavior, the rockers of the legendary group decided to say goodbye to the old-timer, until he comes to the right shape. Will we see the famous drummer in the Scorpions? Time will tell, but for now, his former comrades are working with an equally talented musician.
What is known about Kottak and his work? What are the groups in which he was a member?
Early work
James Cottack has worked with various artists. The first records with his play appeared in the eighties of the twentieth century. There is even a video in which the musician performs one of the songs of the Arech group, in which he played at the beginning of his journey. In 1990, the musician collaborated with Michael Lee Firkins. He took part in album recordings and performances by other bands and artists.
Since 1996, he joined the world-famous group. He replaced during the tour drummer Herman Rarebell and remained. At the same time, he still had the strength to work on his own project, which will be discussed later.
Work with Scorpions
A German rock band performing songs in English was born back in 1965. Kottaku was only three years old at this time. She won recognition not only in her country, but throughout the world. The band's team is on the list of fifty greatest hard rock artists.
The current composition of the group consists of five people. James Kottak (drums) today belongs to the list of former members of the group. In 2016, rockers announced that a new drummer, Mickey Dee, had come to replace James. The reason for his departure from the group was health problems. Before returning to the team, he needs to undergo a rehabilitation course.
Together with the Scorpions, James Kottak, whose biography is full of scandals, spent twenty fruitful years. He was involved in the release of six albums.
Own group
In 1996, the drummer founded his own band Kottak. His then-wife Athena, a musician, drummer, actress, was also involved in the creation of the group. She is the younger sister of the famous musician Tommy Lee. Athena and James have known each other since 1989. Together they gave the world not only a rock band, but also three children (daughter Toby, sons Mills and Matthew).
The group, which is also called "Crank", included four people:
- Kottak - vocals;
- Johnny Lucas - guitar;
- Price Vernon - bass;
- Athena Lee - drums.
During performances with the Skopions, Kottak played his own solo program. In 2011, part of his individual performances turned into the album of Kottak. In total, the group released four albums. The musician always considered writing songs to his brainchild as his hobby.
Interesting Facts
James Cottack is a blond with blue eyes. His height is 180 centimeters. The body is decorated with numerous tattoos that fans can always see at concerts. The drummer has the habit of showing his back in public. It has a large tattoo in the form of an inscription in English, which translates as "Rock and Roll Forever." When exposing the back during a performance, Kottak does not stop playing drums, masterfully juggling sticks.
In 2014, James Kottak was arrested in Dubai. He was accused of drinking alcohol without a license and sentenced to a fine and imprisonment, which lasted one month. Everything happened at the airport. The musician flew in from Moscow and was waiting for his flight on the next plane. Being drunk, he began to show obscene gestures to Muslims who were at the airport. After he took off his pants in front of passengers from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The musician admitted drinking, but denied trying to offend Muslims. And his attorney explained his actions with his pants down as an attempt to demonstrate the famous tattoo on his back.
His eccentric nature has always been evident during performances. So he could easily drink a glass of a strong drink on stage. As, for example, at one of the concerts in Russia, Kottak took a glass from a drum set on the chains and, speaking in broken Russian “To health”, drained it.