Karriem Riggins

Biography

Karriem Riggins was born in Detroit, Michigan on August 25, 1975. His love for music, and jazz in peculiar, were inspired from an early stage on by his parents. Hardly 4 years of age he joined his father in the studios for rehearsals and recordings. Being born in the Motor-City, the home of Motown Records, he grew up listening to a wide variety of musical styles from classical jazz to funk and soul. Out of those many early influences emerged his own unique style to play the drums, and the reminiscences of Motown can still be heard in his playing today.

After High School and studying music in Southfield Schools in Southfield, MI and at Cass Tech in Detroit, Karriem decided to pursue his career as professional musician and moved to New York City in 1994. Hardly having arrived in the Big Apple Karriem Riggins, at the early age of 19, joined the band of the legendary singer Betty Carter, taking the drum-seat left open by Greg Hutchinson. "I just moved to New York and started working on the jazz scene there, when I got the call to join Jazz Ahead, Betty Carter's band. The time with her was great, music wise I was able make some major accomplishments and of course it also boosted my career to work with such a renown leader," says Riggins.

After he left Betty Carter he could be heard live and on recordings with a variety of outfits including the bands of Roy Hargrove, Eric Reed, Stephen Scott, Rodney Whitaker and Mulgrew Miller.

The summer of 1998 saw the beginning of a new era in the career of drummer Karriem Riggins, when he joined the trio of bass-legend Ray Brown, once again filling the drum-seat Gregory Hutchinson left open.

When not touring the world with the Ray Brown Trio or working in the studios with other major jazz acts, he indulges in his secret passion, and earliest musical influence from his hometown Detroit City, as musician and producer in the Soul and Hip Hop area.

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