Aynsley Dunbar

For more than two decades Aynsley Dunbar has demonstrated his stature among rock's premier drummers, whether anchoring ensembles or contributing as a studio player. His path opened on Britain's blues-rock circuit, where early engagements with Champion Jack Dupree and Eddie Boyd led to his 1967 appointment behind the kit for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers; jazz and the Who's Keith Moon further shaped his approach. Around the same period he appeared on Jeff Beck's landmark Truth sessions and crossed paths with Frank Zappa in Belgium. Once Zappa disbanded the original Mothers of Invention, he recruited Dunbar for the successor lineup. Dunbar's initial appearance came as guitarist on Uncle Meat, after which he took over drumming duties in the Flo and Eddie incarnation of the Mothers, contributing to Chunga's Revenge, Fillmore East: June 1971, and 200 Motels while exploring material that highlighted his jazz-inflected technique. Concurrently he assembled the blues-rock outfit Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, featuring guitarist/vocalist John Moorshead, bassist Alex Dmochowski, and organist Victor Brox; the group issued several albums between 1969 and 1970, among them the self-titled debut, Doctor Dunbar's Prescription, and To Mum From Aynsley and the Boys.

Following the 1972 departure of Flo and Eddie after a deranged fan pushed Zappa from the stage and into a wheelchair, Dunbar briefly backed the duo before resuming studio work with Zappa on Waka/Jawaka, The Grand Wazoo, and Apostrophe' while maintaining session activity for assorted artists. An association with David Bowie materialized around 1973–74, yielding Pin-Ups and Diamond Dogs. In 1975 Dunbar entered the jazz-rock fusion ensemble Journey, remaining through Infinity in 1978 before exiting as vocalist Steve Perry arrived and the band pivoted toward arena-rock. He then joined Jefferson Starship in 1978 and stayed until after Winds of Change in 1982. Several years later he enlisted with Whitesnake, drumming on the group's commercially breakthrough 1987 release, yet had departed before the subsequent album. Dunbar has since circled back to the blues-rock origins of his career, collaborating with artists such as Pat Travers.