Ronnie Magri

Ronnie Magri is a noted American drummer, percussionist and music producer from New York City.
A versatile, solid and dependable drummer, Ronnie Magri can easily move from jazz, to R&B, to rock and back again.
In 1984, at the age of 21, Ronnie joined Combat recording artists Sweet Pain, just in time to record on their debut album. The album featured guitarist Richie Ranno of 1970's power pop group Starz and future L.A. Guns bassist Kelly Nickels.
In 1987, Ronnie sought out a career in the business of music, landing an A&R position at a major record label, Relativity Records. The first band that Ronnie signed (Shotgun Messiah) went gold.
Not content with sitting behind a desk, Ronnie left his A&R position and returned to his drums.
Over the next few years Ronnie would work and record with producer Bob Ezrin, guitar great Dick Wagner, Rock & Roll legend Little Richard and Punk Rock icons Joey Ramone, Cheetah Chrome and Stiv Bators as a member of Geffen recording artists The Throbs. The Throbs were on heavy rotation on MTV's "Headbanger's Ball". Though short-lived, the band's impact is still felt today, being a major influence of modern rock group The 69 Eyez.
In 1995, Ronnie relocated to New Orleans to study jazz. Since that time, Ronnie has played with the best jazz and R&B players in the Crescent City, including: Jerry Jumonville, Duke Heitger, The Palm Court Jazz Band, the Storyville Stompers, the Dukes of Dixieland, Jacques Gauthes, James Singleton, Matt Perrine, Lars Edegran and Evan Christopher to name a few. Since 2000, Ronnie has been a part of clarinetist Tim Laughlin's band, which includes Connie Jones and Tom McDermott. Ronnie can be heard on Laughlin's 2005 release "Live in Germany" which includes Jack Maheu and John Royen.
In 1999, Ronnie formed his own jazz group "The Port of New Orleans Jazz Band". In 2000, the group won an Offbeat Music Award for "Best Emerging Traditional Jazz Band".
From 1999 to 2004, Ronnie was the musical director and drummer for the burlesque revival show "The Shim Sham Revue", featuring Playboy Covergirl and Burlesque Star, Dita Von Teese. To this day, Ronnie collaborates with Dita on music for her burlesque shows, including her 2006 show MAC Viva Glam "Lipteese" and her 2007 show "Be Cointreau".
In recent years, Ronnie expanded his work to include production, including producing his first solo album "Shim Sham Revue". The album was nominated for two Offbeat Magazine Awards for "Best Album by a Louisiana Artist" and "Best Emerging Band." He was also nominated for a Big Easy Award for "Best Traditional Jazz Band".
Music from Ronnie's "Shim Sham Revue" album can be heard in such TV shows as: 2006's "Sexual Healing" (Showtime TV), 2005's "Forty Deuce" (Bravo TV), 2003's "The Nightlife That Was" (WYES TV New Orleans), 2002's "Freeride with Greta Gaines" (Oxygen Network) and 2001's "It's Burlesque" (A&E Television).
In 2005 after the devastation to New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, Ronnie moved back to New York and joined the band The NYC Blues Devils. In 2006 Ronnie recorded and co-produced their debut album, titled "Hell Yeah". The group become a regular at the famed B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill in Times Square, opening for Bo Diddley, James Cotton, Willy "Mink" Deville, David "Honeyboy" Edwards and Robert Lockwood Jr. among others. In 2006, Real Blues Magazine named The NYC Blues Devils album "Hell Yeah" as one of their "Top 20 Albums of the Year".
In 2008, Ronnie performed with "the original bad girl of rock and roll" Ronnie Spector, from The Ronettes, at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans.