Art Tripp
Encyclopedia
Arthur Dyer Tripp III (born 10 September 1944 in Athens, Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...

) is a chiropractor
Chiropractor
A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...

 and former musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

 best known for his work as a percussionist with Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...

 and the Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...

 and The Magic Band.

Early career

Tripp grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 and started playing drums in the 4th grade with school bands. In high school he played drums with bands at weddings, fraternity parties and dances. He then became a student of Stanley Leonard, the timpanist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...

, from whom he learned to play other percussion instruments including xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...

, tympani, marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...

, and dozens of others.

In 1961 he was accepted to the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
The University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music is the performing arts college of the University of Cincinnati and is one of the nation's leading music conservatories. In its most recent rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cincinnati sixth nationally among university programs...

. His private teacher at the Conservatory was Ed Weubold, a percussionist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
As the fifth oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances in historic Music Hall, recordings, and international tours...

. He became a regular member of the CSO, performing with such well known artists as Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....

, Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...

, Leonard Rose
Leonard Rose
Leonard Rose was an American cellist and pedagogue.Rose was born in Washington, D.C., his parents were immigrants from Kiev, Ukraine...

, Jose Iturbi
José Iturbi
José Iturbi was a Spanish conductor, harpsichordist and pianist. He appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, notably playing himself in the 1943 musical, Thousands Cheer and in the 1945 film, Anchors Aweigh...

, Loren Hollender, and Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...

. In 1966 the U.S. State Department sent the orchestra on a 10-week world tour, which provided additional seasoning for the youthful percussionist.

During this time Art also played two seasons as timpanist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a season with both the Cincinnati Summer Opera, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. He was selected by avant-garde composer John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...

 to work with him in performances and workshops when Cage became composer in residence at the Conservatory of Music.

Having attained his Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...

 degree in 1966, in 1967 Tripp accepted a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...

 in New York, primarily in order to finish his Master of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...

 degree, but also to continue his exposure to contemporary music. His teacher was the former timpanist with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...

, Fred Hinger. Mr. Hinger was then playing percussion with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...

 Orchestra, and teaching a few students at the Met.

Later career

It was in New York that Art was introduced to Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...

’s recording engineer, Richard Kunc. When Zappa was informed by Richard that he had met a percussionist with just the type of background and experience that Zappa was looking for, Art was invited to meet Frank and play for him at Apostolic Studio in New York’s Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...

. Art went on to join the band and record seven albums with Zappa and The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention were an American band active from 1964 to 1969, and again from 1970 to 1975.They mainly performed works by, and were the original recording group of, US composer and guitarist Frank Zappa , although other members have had the occasional writing credit...

. He performed with the band on many tours throughout the U.S. and Europe. In early 1968, the band relocated back to Hollywood. Zappa disbanded the "Mothers" in 1969 to form a smaller unit with Tripp and two others, and began performing under his own name, later dropping the "Mothers" from subsequent album titles. Art had been spending time, and discussing projects with Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...

), so when the opportunity arose, he joined up with the group Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. At that time he also recorded with Chad Stewart, and The Brotherhood of Man. He was hired to play percussion on the Smothers Brothers
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...

 Summer Special
, and was offered the percussion position in the pit orchestra for the stage show Oh! Calcutta!
Oh! Calcutta!
Oh! Calcutta! is an avant-garde theatrical revue, created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in London in 1970. It ran in London for over 3,900 performances, and in New York initially for 1,314...

.

Tripp decided to move to northern California with the Beefheart band. The move started a 5-year period of many recordings and tours in the U.S., Europe, and Great Britain. During this period he was asked to do albums with Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...

 and Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....

. He declined, so as to not take time away from rehearsing and touring with The Magic Band. But eventually conflicts caused the group to separate from Beefheart. They started composing and rehearsing new music, which ultimately was recorded on an album sponsored by the Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...

 organization - along with its drummer Barriemore Barlow
Barriemore Barlow
Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow is an English musician, best known as the drummer and percussionist for the rock band Jethro Tull, from May 1971 to June 1980....

 and guitarist Martin Barre
Martin Barre
Martin Lancelot Barre is an English rock musician.Barre has been the guitarist for rock band Jethro Tull since 1969. He has appeared on every Jethro Tull album except their debut This Was...

 - called Mallard
Mallard (band)
Mallard was the name of a band featuring ex-members of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band.In early 1974, after the recording of the uncharacteristically mainstream Unconditionally Guaranteed album, the tensions between Captain Beefheart and bandmembers Bill Harkleroad , Mark Boston and Art Tripp III ...

. However by then Tripp had become discouraged with the music business. He went back to Pittsburgh to work in the insurance business with his father.

After 3 years, realizing that the insurance industry was not what he wanted either, Tripp decided to return to his music career. He went back to Hollywood where he stayed with Ruth
Ruth Underwood
Ruth Underwood is a retired professional musician, best known for playing xylophone, marimba, vibraphone and other percussion instruments in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention from 1967 to 1977....

 and Ian Underwood
Ian Underwood
Ian Robertson Underwood is a woodwind and keyboards player. He began his career by playing San Francisco Bay Area coffeehouses and bars with his improvisational group the Jazz Mice in the mid 1960s before he became a member of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in 1967 for their third studio...

, while he worked as a studio musician recording with artists such as Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...

, and various commercial producers. However studio work did not have the same allure as concert work, so he started becoming disillusioned with the music business. During that time he sought chiropractic treatment with Dr. Joel Hanson. The Hollywood practitioner saw a talent which he believed would make the musician into a superior chiropractor. Since Tripp had been treated by chiropractors since the age of 16, and he greatly admired that form of healing, he immediately started chiropractic studies in 1978.

Following chiropractic licensure in 1983, Tripp opened a practice near Eureka, CA
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....

. In 2000, tiring of the steady rise of California governmental oppression, he moved his practice to Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...

, where he continues a successful practice today.

Discography

  • Mothers of Invention: Cruising With Ruben & The Jets
    Cruising with Ruben & the Jets
    Cruising With Ruben & The Jets is an album by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, released in December 1968, and controversially reissued in an alternate mix with newly recorded bass and percussion in 1984.-Concept:...

     (1968, LP, Verve)
  • Mothers of Invention: Uncle Meat
    Uncle Meat
    Uncle Meat is the fifth studio album by the Mothers of Invention, released in 1969. It is billed as a supposed "soundtrack" to a film by The Mothers of Invention which was, in the end, never made. The front cover, designed by Cal Schenkel, included the words ""...

     (1969, 2LP, Bizarre)
  • Wild Man Fischer
    Wild Man Fischer
    Larry Wayne Fischer , better known as Wild Man Fischer, was an American songwriter in the outsider genre. He was notable for being responsible for Rhino Records' first release, Go To Rhino Records...

    : An Evening With Wild Man Fischer (1969, LP, Bizarre/Reprise)
  • Mothers of Invention: Burnt Weeny Sandwich
    Burnt Weeny Sandwich
    Burnt Weeny Sandwich is a live and studio compilation album by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, released in 1970 ....

     (1970, LP, Bizarre)
  • Mothers of Invention: Weasels Ripped My Flesh
    Weasels Ripped My Flesh
    Weasels Ripped My Flesh is an album by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, released in 1970.Given Zappa's already stated penchant for expressing his music in "phases"—We're Only in It for the Money was written up as "phase one of Lumpy Gravy"—conceptually, Zappa fans occasionally label this...

     (1970, LP, Bizarre)
  • Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band: Lick My Decals Off, Baby
    Lick My Decals Off, Baby
    -Personnel:* Captain Beefheart – vocals, bass clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, harmonica* Zoot Horn Rollo – guitar and glass finger guitar* Rockette Morton – "bassius-o-pheilius"...

     (1970, LP, Straight)
  • Jean-Luc Ponty
    Jean-Luc Ponty
    Jean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...

    : King Kong (1970, LP, World Pacific Jazz ST20172)
  • Smothers Brothers
    Smothers Brothers
    The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...

    : The Smothers Brothers Summer Show (1970, TV, ABC)
  • Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band: The Spotlight Kid
    The Spotlight Kid
    The Spotlight Kid is the sixth album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, originally released in 1972. It is the only album formally credited solely to Captain Beefheart. Often cited as one of the most accessible of Beefheart's albums, it is solidly founded in the blues but also uses...

     (1972, LP, Reprise)
  • Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band: Clear Spot
    Clear Spot
    Clear Spot is the seventh album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, originally released on LP in 1972 in a clear plastic sleeve.After Trout Mask Replica, which was critically acclaimed but sold poorly, each of the group's following three albums was slightly more conventional than the one before...

     (1972, LP, Reprise)
  • Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band: Unconditionally Guaranteed
    Unconditionally Guaranteed
    Unconditionally Guaranteed is the eighth LP by Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, originally released in 1974. Upon release it was criticised for being too commercial; in any case, it failed to give Beefheart any real chart success, peaking at #192 on the Billboard Top 200.Immediately after...

     (1974, LP, Mercury)
  • Mallard
    Mallard (band)
    Mallard was the name of a band featuring ex-members of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band.In early 1974, after the recording of the uncharacteristically mainstream Unconditionally Guaranteed album, the tensions between Captain Beefheart and bandmembers Bill Harkleroad , Mark Boston and Art Tripp III ...

    : Mallard (1975, LP, Virgin Records V2045)
  • Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band: Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
    Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
    Shiny Beast is the tenth studio album by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. Originally released in 1978, it is considered to be Beefheart's comeback album following 1974's poorly received efforts, Unconditionally Guaranteed and Bluejeans & Moonbeams, and is the first of his three critically...

     (1978, LP, Warner)
  • Al Stewart
    Al Stewart
    Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...

    : Time Passages
    Time Passages
    Time Passages is the eighth studio album by Al Stewart, released in 1978. It is the follow-up to his 1976 album Year of the Cat. The album, like its predecessor, was produced by Alan Parsons...

     (1978, LP, Arista)
  • Frank Zappa: You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1
    You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1
    You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 is a double disc set of live tracks by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1988 under the label Rykodisc.-Disc one:#"The Florida Airport Tape" – 1:03...

     (1988, 2CD, Rykodisc)
  • Frank Zappa: You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4
    You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4
    You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 is a two-CD set of live recordings by Frank Zappa, recorded between 1969 and 1988, and released in 1991.-Disc one:#"Little Rubber Girl" - #*...

     (1991, 2CD, Rykodisc)
  • Mothers of Invention: The Ark (1991, CD, Rhino Foo-eee Records, R2 70538)
  • Frank Zappa: You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5
    You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5
    You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 is a double compact disc collection of live recordings by Frank Zappa. Disc one comprises performances by the Mothers of Invention spanning the period from 1966 to 1969. "My Guitar" had been previously released as a single in 1969...

     (1992, 2CD, Rykodisc)
  • Jefferson Airplane
    Jefferson Airplane
    Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....

    : Loves You (1992, 3CD, RCA)
  • Zappa/Mothers: Ahead Of Their Time (1993, CD, Rykodisc)
  • Tim Buckley
    Tim Buckley
    Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...

    : Live at the Troubadour 1969
    Live at the Troubadour 1969
    Live at the Troubadour 1969 is a live album by Tim Buckley. The album was recorded at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, September 3 & 4, 1969.-Track listing:All songs composed by Tim Buckley.#"Strange Feelin'" – 5:40#"Venice Mating Call" – 3:27...

     (1994, CD, French, Edsel Records)
  • Frank Zappa: The Lost Episodes (1996, CD, Rykodisc)
  • Frank Zappa: Mystery Discs (1998, CD, Rykodisc)
  • Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: Grow Fins (1999, 5CD, Revenant Records)
  • Jefferson Airplane: Crown of Creation
    Crown of Creation
    -Personnel:*Marty Balin – vocals, rhythm guitar*Grace Slick – vocals, piano, organ*Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals*Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar, electric chicken, vocals*Spencer Dryden – drums, piano, organ, steel balls, vocals...

     (2003, EU, CD, RCA)

Filmography

  • 200 Motels
    200 Motels
    200 Motels is a 1971 American-British musical surrealist film cowritten and directed by Frank Zappa and Tony Palmer and starring The Mothers of Invention, Theodore Bikel and Ringo Starr. The film covers a loose storyline about The Mothers of Invention going crazy in the small town Centerville...

    , 1971
  • Uncle Meat
    Uncle Meat (film)
    Uncle Meat is a film written and directed by Frank Zappa, released directly to video in 1987. Principal photography having never been completed, the videocassette is actually a "making of" documentary showing rehearsals and background footage from 1968 and interviews with people involved with the...

    , 1987
  • The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
    The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
    The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels is a video documentary film released in 1989 by Frank Zappa, detailing the making of Zappa's 1971 film 200 Motels.-Cast:Appearing as themselves:*Theodore Bikel*Jimmy Carl Black*George Duke...

    , 1989

Interviews

  • Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention In The 1960s, DVD Video SIDVD545, 2008
  • Radio Interview, February 6, 2010, http://woub.org/radio/index.php?section=4&page=19
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