Self-taught drummer, Mike Kowalski, was born in California in 1944. In a glittering career that has lasted over 40 years, he has played with some of the most famous names in the history of pop, jazz, blues, soul, and folk, but it is his association with The Beach Boys for which he is perhaps best-known.
Mike Kowalski: Special Gift
Mike's interest in music started at an early age. He began playing the piano at three, and then moved on to the drums at the age of 10. He was given his first drum kit, a set of Slingerland Radio King's, by the star of Dragnet, the late Jack Webb.
"Jack Webb was married to Julie London, who sang Cry Me a River in 1958," remembers Mike. "He was quite a successful actor. My family were all in the motion picture business and my brother was the dialogue director on the show called Dragnet, of which Jack Web was the star – he owned the show and he loved music."
Mike Kowalski: Early Days
After practising hard and going on to gain live experience, did Mike ever think, "Yes I can make a living out of doing this?"
"It never crossed my mind," he replies modestly. "I was playing all kinds of gigs – weddings, club gigs, and then I got hired by The Vegas Brothers. Remember Redbone? They were originally called Pat and Lolly Vegas. Those are the guys that broke me into the business. I was with them from when I was about 19 till I was about 22.
"I met Dennis Wilson and we opened for The Beach Boys probably sometime in ’65 and I’m trying to remember where that place was…someplace in Long Beach. It was a big, big arena – I’ll never forget that, and we opened for them, just a trio."
It was one of the Beach Boys' official members, Bruce Johnson, who, three years later, got Mike a gig with the group, who were looking for a drummer to bolster their on-stage lineup.
Mike Kowalski: Becoming a Beach Boy
"I’ve known Bruce probably since 1963," explains Mike, "and he was the one who recommended that I audition because they wanted to go back on the road. Instead of taking studio musicians, who were much older, they wanted younger musicians who could play and who could lead. Carl Wilson liked my time, the fact I could swing, and my overall 'feel'.
"I was in the right place at the right time. I could play a shuffle beat (a type of swing-rock beat), and I could play jazz, which helped because The Beach Boys had an orchestra, of about 15 horns, that would play big band music and open for them before they came on stage.
"They would play for about 20 minutes, with me on drums. Then, there would be a short intermission before The Beach Boys took to the stage, backed by the orchestra, with me on percussion and Dennis on drums. The orchestra backing The Beach Boys sounded fabulous. This was the summer of 1968."
Suite 101: Had you been a fan of the boys before you met them?
"It’s a funny thing. I was into Little Richard and James Brown and Ray Charles, mostly jazz and R&B, and when they (The Beach Boys) first came out, I thought they were very good, but it was the song, When I Grow Up to Be a Man that captured me; that song was the one that completely threw me for a loop.
"That was probably 1963 or ’64 and never did I think…Auditioning in Hollywood, it was just another gig, to tell you the truth, but it was for a big-name band, and I knew I was fortunate to land a gig with them."
Mike Kowalski and Dennis Wilson: Rhythmic Partnership
Dennis Wilson, The Beach Boys' original drummer on stage and in the studio - although Brian Wilson often used session drummers such as Hal Blaine - was still very much with the band in 1968, and was now making a more vital contribution than ever before.
When the Beach Boys' Friends album came out in early 1968, it was notable for featuring two Dennis Wilson compositions, Little Bird and Be Still. Dennis also helped with three more numbers, including the title track.
The only band member who actually surfed was also beginning to feature more prominantly on stage, coming out from behind his drums to sing and play the piano. When he sang, Mike Kowalski would play the drums and when Dennis was behind the kit, Mike played percussion, an arrangement that lasted on and off until Dennis' untimely death.
"I played percussion and he (Dennis) would sing," confirms Mike. "In the early '80s, we had two sets of drums – he gave me a beautiful set of black Yamahas and we had two full sets of drums performing. This was probably ’82 and ’83 and then he unfortunately passed away in December of ’83. He was a great guy."
Mike Kowalski: Right Place at the Right Time
Mike Kowalski worked hard learning his trade, and was rewarded with a gig playing with one of the world's most popular groups. Never one to "blow his own trumpet," he remains grateful for being given the chance to make a living doing what he loves for so long, and humble to the fact that there was a certain amount of luck involved.
"There’s a lot of great players who weren’t as fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," he concludes, "who were excellent players, who had good time, but then, I know of drummers who are one dimensional, who have bad time and think they’re the greatest - that happens too."
Adrian Peel - Adrian is an English freelance writer and journalist currently living in Mexico. Over the past eight years, he has had articles, features ...
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