Mario Parga: rip tribute to cozy powell 1947 - 1998

News:
05-04-2008:
Cozy Powell, 1947 - 1998. Mario posted a blog in honour of his friend who passed awy 10 years ago today. Mario Parga Says:

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the death of rock drummer, legend and my friend Cozy Powell. I can’t believe it’s been ten years already, how time flies. It only feels like a little while ago when I last spoke to him.



Cozy died in a car crash on this date back in 1998, his death shocked everyone who knew him. I can remember the date and time vividly, I was then living in Oxfordshire, England and had recently got back from L.A. having worked on Graham Bonnet’s The Day I Went Mad album. I can remember reading of his untimely death through the local teletext pages on the TV. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes, I thought that perhaps there had been some kind of mistake; this was followed by a sickness to my stomach and a terrible sadness. I called Neil Murray who sadly confirmed the news story, then I spoke with Don Airey and later Graham Bonnet. I can remember that evening very well.

Dance with the devil


I was introduced to Cozy in an indirect way through Graham Bonnet. Graham had asked me to play on the Forcefield album ’Let the Wild Run Free’ back in 1990, on which Cozy had played the drums. When Cozy reformed his band ’Hammer’ in 1992, I was recommended as guitarist by Don Airey. Cozy knew of me from the Forcefield album.

Black Sabbath headless cross


I’ve met many people in the music industry during my career, and I can honestly say that Cozy was one of the kindest, sweetest people I ever knew. He had a reputation for being volatile and fiery, yet the man I knew was quite different. During the ’Hammer’ days, Cozy lived in Lambourn Woodlands, Berkshire and I lived just outside of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Cozy would pick me up in his car and we’d drive to rehearsals at the Rich Bitch Studios in Birmingham. Cozy had been a prolific racing driver in his younger years, and his driving didn’t differ much from the racetrack to the regular roads! :-D

Cozy Powell with Jeff Beck



He was very intuitive, and had a heart of gold. I can remember talking to Cozy on the phone one afternoon, at the time I was short of money, although I never mentioned this to him or even hinted at it. A little while after our conversation, there was a knock on my front door, and there stood Cozy. He’d driven up to me on his motorcycle, and had come to give me a £50 note... Cozy had a soft spot for animals, and they instinctively loved him. He kept horses on the grounds of his home, and I can remember him driving down his driveway extra slowly at night and dawn to avoid running over the many rabbits that lived nearby. He often visited me en-route to visit his Mother in Cirencester, popping in for his cup of tea and a chat. Always thoughtful, Cozy sent me a very kind card when I moved home to the South Coast.

Brian May tribute


Musically, Cozy was a great musician who knew what he was talking about and what he was playing. I can remember jamming with him several times in the converted barn in the grounds of his home where he had a drum kit set up, we played all kinds of stuff from jazz fusion to crazy double bass drum metal. He often displayed incredible technique, particularly when playing jazzier music, although he’s renowned the world over for his formidable rock drum style with his wonderful ’Cozy’ timing. He was also the loudest drummer I’ve ever worked with. Cozy hit his drums very hard, making up his unique sound.

Gary Moore, Phil Lynott, Cozy Powell - Don't Believe A Word


Tha last time I saw Cozy was when the Brian May Band played at the Bournemouth International Centre (I think around late 1994?). He played drums for Brian at the time, and I went along to the show and caught up with Cozy at the post-gig party. We left the party together, and Cozy gave me a lift home as I lived fairly locally to the Bournemouth area.

Over the years we still kept in touch by phone, and I remember talking to Cozy just days before he died. We chatted about music, what we were both up to, etc., and even arranged a get-together. I’ll never forget Cozy as a person and musician, and I’m sure he’ll rightly be remembered forever amongst music fans. I hope that wherever he is now he’s at peace and still playing his legendary drums to a big audience...

Brian May & Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Neil Murray, Cozy Powe


I had planned on recording a special commemorative song for Cozy to be available from today for everyone to download indefinitely for free. Due to the timing of the permanent move to our home in Las Vegas and the relocation of MidnightCafe Studios, this sadly wasn’t possible :-/ I’ve already written an instrumental song for Cozy and I will record it as soon as the studio is up and running fully again. Drummer Kevin Valentine who’s played with Kiss, Cinderella and Graham Bonnet is going to provide the drums as he has a very similar style and ’feel’ to Cozy with that same sense of timing. The song will be announced on the main website www.MarioParga.com soon.