Cozy Powell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cozy Powell
Powell in the 1980s as a member of Black Sabbath
Background information
Birth name	Colin Trevor Flooks
Born	(1947-12-29)29 December 1947 Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England
Died	5 April 1998(1998-04-05) (aged 50) Bristol, England
Genres	Hard rock, blues rock, progressive rock, instrumental rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Drums, percussion
Years active	1968–1998
Labels	Polydor
Associated acts	Bedlam Cozy Powell's Hammer The Jeff Beck Group Rainbow MSG Whitesnake Emerson, Lake & Powell Gary Moore Black Sabbath The Brian May Band Robert Plant Suzi Quatro Peter Green Splinter Group Thin Lizzy Cinderella Tipton, Entwistle & Powell

Cozy Powell (born Colin Trevor Flooks; 29 December 1947 – 5 April 1998) was a famous English rock drummer. He played with many big rock bands and artists. Some of these include The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Robert Plant, Brian May, Whitesnake, Emerson, Lake & Powell, and Black Sabbath.

Cozy Powell played drums on at least 66 albums. He also contributed to many other recordings. Lots of rock drummers say he was a huge influence on their playing style.

Early Life of a Drummer

Colin Flooks, who became known as Cozy Powell, was born in Cirencester, England. He started playing drums when he was 12 years old. He played in his school orchestra and practiced along to popular songs.

Cozy's first band was called the Corals. They played every week at the youth club in Cirencester. When he was 15, Cozy already had an amazing drum solo. He got his stage name, Cozy, from a jazz drummer named Cozy Cole.

Cozy Powell's Music Career

Cozy then joined a band called The Sorcerers. They were a pop band that sang harmonies. Cozy left school to work in an office. This helped him buy his first set of Premier drums. The Sorcerers played in clubs in Germany in the 1960s.

By 1968, the band moved back to England. They were based in the Birmingham area. Cozy became friends with many local musicians. These included Robert Plant and John Bonham. The Sorcerers changed their name to Youngblood. They released several songs in 1968 and 1969.

Playing with Jeff Beck

In 1970, Cozy Powell got a big drumming job. He joined Jeff Beck's group. They started recording an album of Motown songs in the USA. This album was never finished. Cozy Powell also played on two albums with the Jeff Beck Group. These were Rough and Ready (1971) and Jeff Beck Group (1972). After these albums, the band broke up.

Solo Success and New Bands (1972–1974)

In 1972, Cozy played drums for two songs on Harvey Andrews' album. By late 1972, he formed a band called Bedlam. They released their album in 1973.

Cozy Powell also had solo success. His song "Dance with the Devil" became a big hit in the UK in 1974. It reached number 3 on the charts. Suzi Quatro played bass on this song. His second hit in 1974 was "The Man in Black."

Cozy often played drums for other artists. He worked with artists on the RAK record label. To build on his success, he formed "Cozy Powell's Hammer" in 1974. This band had Bernie Marsden on guitar and Don Airey on keyboards. They had a hit song called "Na Na Na."

Joining Rainbow (1975–1980)

In 1975, Cozy Powell joined the band Rainbow. For the next five years, he and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore were key members. Rainbow's 1979 album, Down to Earth, was very successful. It included the hit songs "Since You Been Gone" and "All Night Long."

Rainbow became more popular during this time. Cozy decided to leave Rainbow in 1980. His last show with the band was at the first Monsters of Rock festival.

Playing with Many Stars (1980s)

After Rainbow, Cozy worked with singer Graham Bonnet again. Their song "Night Games" was a UK hit. Cozy then played with many other famous bands. He joined The Michael Schenker Group. In 1985, he started recording with Phenomena.

Time with Whitesnake (1982–1985)

Cozy Powell joined Whitesnake in late 1982. He replaced their previous drummer. After the success of the Saints & Sinners album, Whitesnake became very popular. They signed with an American record label.

Cozy played on the 1984 album Slide It In. His time with Whitesnake ended in 1985. He then joined Keith Emerson and Greg Lake in a new band called Emerson, Lake & Powell.

Black Sabbath and Final Years (1988–1998)

Cozy Powell worked with Gary Moore in 1988. He then joined Black Sabbath from 1988 to 1991. He also played with them again from 1994 to 1995.

In 1991, Cozy made headlines on the BBC children's show Record Breakers. He set a world record for playing the most drums (400) in under one minute.

Cozy Powell also played with Brian May's band. He played on the albums Back to the Light and Another World. He toured with Brian May, opening for Guns N' Roses in 1993. Cozy also played with blues guitarist Peter Green in the mid-1990s. His last recording session was for Colin Blunstone's album The Light Inside.

Cozy Powell's Passing

Cozy Powell passed away on 5 April 1998. This happened after a car crash near Bristol, England. He was living in Lambourn at the time. He had recently been recording with Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green.

A special memorial plaque was put up in Cirencester on 7 January 2016. Many famous musicians attended the ceremony. These included Brian May, Suzi Quatro, and Tony Iommi.

Music Released After His Death

Even after his death, Cozy Powell's music continued to be released. In 2005, former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin released an album called Scream. It included a song called "Raising Hell." Cozy had recorded the drum part for this song back in 1992.

Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton also released music with Cozy's drumming. This 2006 album, Edge of the World, honored Cozy Powell and John Entwistle.

Bands Cozy Powell Played With

• The Sorcerers (1967–1968)
• Youngblood (1968–1969)
• The Ace Kefford Stand (1969)
• Big Bertha (1969–1970)
• The Jeff Beck Group (1970–1972)
• Bedlam (1972–1973)
• Cozy Powell (Solo work: 1973–1974, 1979–1983, 1992)
• Cozy Powell's Hammer (1974, 1992–1993)
• Rainbow (1975–1980)
• Graham Bonnet (1980–1981)
• Michael Schenker Group (1980–1982)
• Whitesnake (1982–1985)
• Emerson, Lake & Powell (1985–1986)
• Pete York/Cozy Powell (1987)
• Black Sabbath (1988–1991, 1994–1995)
• The Brian May Band (1991–1992, 1993–1994, 1998)
• Peter Green Splinter Group (1997–1998)
• Tipton, Entwistle and Powell (1997)
• Yngwie Malmsteen (1997)
• The Snakes (1998)

Discography

Guest Appearances and Studio Sessions

Cozy Powell also played drums for many other artists and albums. These are called guest appearances or session work. Here are some of them:

• Tony Joe White – Swamp Music: The Complete Monument Recordings (2006) – Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
• Ed Welch – Clowns (1971)
• Harvey Andrews – Writer of Songs (1972)
• Julie Felix – Clotho's Web (1972)
• Donovan – Cosmic Wheels (1973)
• Chick Churchill – You and Me (1973)
• Murray Head – Nigel Lived (1973)
• Tony Ashton and Jon Lord – First of the Big Bands (1974)
• Bob Sargeant – The First Starring Role (1974)
• Peter Sarstedt – Every Word You Say (1975)
• Various – Peter & The Wolf (1976) - including Phil Collins, Brian Eno, Gary Moore, Alvin Lee, Chris Spedding, etc.
• Hot Chocolate – XIV Greatest Hits (1976)
• Bernie Marsden – And About Time Too! (1979)
• Bernie Marsden – Look at Me Now (1981)
• Jon Lord – Before I Forget (1982)
• Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven (1982)
• Phenomena – Phenomena (1985)
• Roger Daltrey – Under a Raging Moon (1985)
• Boys Don't Cry – Who the Am Dam do You Think We Am (1987)
• Sanne Salomonsen – Ingen Engel (Danish Version) / No Angel (English Version) (1987)
• Warlock – Triumph and Agony (1987)
• Pete York – Super Drumming Vol. 1 (1987)
• Cinderella – Long Cold Winter (1988)
• James Darby – Southern Region Breakdown (1988)
• Don Airey – K2 – Tales of Triumph and Tragedy (1988)
• Gary Moore – After the War (1989)
• Minute By Minute – Timewatch (1989)
• Ritchie Blackmore – Rock Profile Vol. 2 (1991)
• Various Artists – In From The Storm – The Music of Jimi Hendrix (1995)
• Glenn Tipton – Baptizm of Fire (1997)
• S.A.S. Band – SAS Band (1997)
• Colin Blunstone – The Light Inside (1998)
• Ace Kefford – Ace The Face (2003)
• Tony Martin – Scream (2005)
• Pete York – Super Drumming Vol. 3 (2008)

Motor Racing and TV Appearances

Cozy Powell loved fast cars and motorbikes. He even raced cars for a company called Hitachi for a few months. He once said, "I drive like I drum – madly."

See also

In Spanish: Cozy Powell para niños

• Cozy Powell Forever – a tribute album made for Cozy Powell