Photo: Tore Sætre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Drummers · b. 1944

Billy Cobham

Panamanian jazz drummer and composer (born 1944)

Born: 16 May 1944
Colón City
Country: Panama
Active: 1968–
Record labels: Columbia Records, Atlantic Records, Elektra, GRP Records, CTI Records
Discography: 62 albums

Biography

Billy Cobham is a jazz musician who plays drum kit, percussion instrument and voice. Billy Cobham was born on 16 May 1944 in Colón City. The music is usually filed under jazz, post-bop and funk. Record labels: Columbia Records, Atlantic Records, Elektra and GRP Records. The discography here lists 62 albums, from “Spectrum” (1973) to “Times of My Life” (2026).

William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Cobham was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1987, the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013., and The Percussive Arts Society Hall Of Fame in 2006, a very rare honour. AllMusic biographer Steve Huey said: "Generally acclaimed as fusion's greatest drummer, Billy Cobham's explosive technique powered some of the genre's most important early recordings – including groundbreaking efforts by Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra – before he became an accomplished bandleader in his own right.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Spectrum 1973

Crosswinds 1974

Total Eclipse 1974

A Funky Thide of Sings 1975

Shabazz 1975 · Live

Life & Times 1976

Magic 1977

Alivemutherforya 1978 · Live

Inner Conflicts 1978

Simplicity Of Expression - Depth Of Thought 1978

Flight Time 1981 · Live

When Sun Lights Up The Future 1984 · Live

Warning 1985

Powerplay 1986

Picture This 1987

Incoming 1989

By Design 1992

The Traveler 1994

Nordic 1996

Focused 1998

Mississippi Knights: Live 1998 · Live

Paradox, The First Second 1998

Hope Street 1999

Off Color 1999

Live in Rome 2000 · Live

Billy Cobham Presents North by Northwest 2001

The Art of Three 2001 · Live

Culture Mix 2002

Drum'n'voice: All That Groove 2002

Live in Japan 2003 2003 · Live

The Art Of Five 2003

Colours 2004

Art of Four 2006

Drum 'n' Voice 2 2006

Meeting of the Spirits 2006 · Live

Fruit From the Loom 2007

De Cuba y de Panamá 2008

Drum 'n' Voice 3 2009

Palindrome 2010

Drum 'n' Voices, Volumes I + II 2011

Live in Leverkusen 2011 · Live

Compass Point by Billy Cobham 2013

Tales From the Skeleton Coast 2014

B.C. 2015

Live 1975 From Dallas Electric Ballroom 2015 · Live

Mirror's Image 2015

Reflected Journey 2015 · Live

Spectrum 40 Live 2015 · Live

Broad Horizon 2016

Drum ’n’ Voice, Vol. 4 2016

Live 1976 From New York Hofstra Playhouse 2016

Red Baron 2017

Time Lapse Photos 2019

Jazzfest Saalfelden 2020 · Live

Live in Montreux 1987 (Live 1987) 2020 · Live

Tierra Del Fuego 2020

Northern Lights (Live 1987) 2021 · Live

Drum 'n' voice, Vol. 5 2022

DRUM 'N VOICE VOL. 1,2,3,4,5 2024

FUSION 2024

Times of My Life 2026

Paradox

Also plays on

Albums where Billy Cobham is credited as a sideman

1973	Love Devotion Surrender — Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin	drums (drum set)
1974	Get Up With It — Miles Davis	drums (drum set)
1974	Big Fun — Miles Davis	drums (drum set)