Mike Clark

Mike Clark (born October 3, 1946) is an American jazz and funk drummer, who is most noted for playing in the Headhunters band headed up by Herbie Hancock in the mid-1970s. Clark's performance on Hancock's album Thrust (1974), and particularly the song "Actual Proof", is often cited as one of the finest examples of the linear funk style of drumming. He was also a member of the UK jazz-fusion outfit Brand X, alternating behind the kit with Phil Collins between 1978-80. Clark has also performed with many top musicians from the worlds of jazz and funk, including Chet Baker, Vince Guaraldi, Fred Wesley, Michael Wolff, Les Claypool, and Charlie Hunter. Clark is also known as one of the most sampled drummers in contemporary music. His beats have appeared on records by Prince, NWA, De La Soul, and Janet Jackson, among others.