Jonathan 'Sugarfoot' Moffett interview for BeatIt, pt. 1

Drums Fusion is a festival with a long history, which (during over a dozen editions) has hosted such great artists as Urszula Dudziak, Cindy Blackman Santana, John H. Beck, John R. Beck, Richard Bona, Stewart Copeland, David Friedman, Benny Greb, Skip Hadden, Claus Hessler, Marcin Jahr, Manu Katché, Pete Lockett, Dave Lombardo, Bernard Maseli, Ian Paice, Jacek Pelc, Michał Urbaniak, Pat Metheny featuring drummer Joe Dyson, Jeff Balard, UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, or Senri Kawaguchi.

During last year’s edition, Jonathan ‘Sugarfoot’ Moffett gave a special performance (you can read our account of the show HERE). Of course, we could not and did not pass on the opportunity to have a chat with the man, so watch the first installment of that interview.

beatit.tv: Jonathan Moffett, or ‘Sugarfoot’, as they know you around the world. Welcome to Poland, Welcome to the town of Bydgoszcz, and to the culture center here. Also, welcome to beatit.tv – the drummers’ website. Thank you for taking time to talk to us. We’re catching up with you at the Drums Fusion festival, where you’re going to be performing. The question is what type of material are you going to do tonight?

Jonathan Moffett: First of all, thank you for having me and for inviting me to be a part of such a big festival like this. It’s my first time doing a festival overseas. I really appreciate it. I’m honoured to be included in this one. And, of course, I am, so to speak, the ambassador of Michael Jackson. Not officially of his estate, but the unofficial team of his estate, because the estate gives me permission to use his music, and they know that I love Michael. Michael loved me, I was like family with him. Had been with him the night before he passed away at the rehearsals. That served as a 30-year anniversary of us working together since I first joined him. Since then, I’ve been breathing life into him, keeping him alive through his music, which I love playing still. And I miss him being in front of me to inspire me, but also when I hear his voice, he’s alive. When I hear his music, he’s immortal.

beatit.tv: So it’s a celebration of his legacy.

Jonathan Moffett: Yes, it is.

beatit.tv: And, in a way, a celebration of your legacy as far as the music is concerned.

Jonathan Moffett: Very true. My first professional work was with Michael and his brothers in 1979.

beatit.tv: How did you come to know the family?

Jonathan Moffett: I had just driven out of New Orleans, Louisiana, in January 1979, on a chance. Because I had this little calling. Sometimes you gotta listen to the voices. There’s two voices that speak to you. One, positive, saying: ‘Yes, do this! You gotta do it!’ Then, the other voice comes behind it and says: ‘Man, you better not do that, boy! You’ll be stuck in California. You’ll have nothing to do. Whatcha gonna do?’ So I went back and forth for like 6 months. Jermaine Jackson had heard me on a tape of a band from New Orleans that I had, and he said: ‘Who’s that drummer?’ The lead singer in our band, he moved out to California, so he asked him who I was and he said : ‘I wanted you to get him out to California.’ So I came out here on Jermaine Jackson’s ask for me to be there. And I’d taken a chance. Nothing guaranteed. So I drove out in mid January and I was out here trying to reach Jermaine, which I did, but he was busy with his schedule. He blew me off a couple of times. I was disappointed and frustrated, but that’s how God works things out. Two weeks later… No, about a month later, I’m driving around to pick up another friend from the airport. We had a mutual friend named James McField. James McField was the Jacksons’ musical director. He was from New Orleans, where I am from, and lived in the same neighbourhood I lived in back in the day, playing in bands. His band was Soul Incorporated, my band was Stop Incorporated. He moved to California in ‘75 and got with the Jacksons. I went looking for him and I was in the completely wrong area. But God works things out. I got lost on a freeway and I found his street name on the sign of the board. It said: ‘Normandy Avenue’. I’d been looking for it for like a month and a half. I got off the freeway and I didn’t know which way to turn. My friend said: ‘Turn right. It’s as good a way as any’. I said: ‘OK’. So I turn right, I go about 100 feet up to the traffic lights. We’re laughing, talking, and all of a sudden my friend says: ‘Wait a minute, Sugarfoot! There’s James on the payphone right there!’ We didn’t know what house he lived in. It was about a 30-mile run of houses. So, when I needed to see him and find out where he lived, he was on that payphone. He happened to live in the middle of that block. So he said: ‘Watch this! James McField!’ The guy turned around and it was him. He said: ‘Meet me at my house’. Went to his house, he said: ‘We just got back from Trinidad, The Jacksons. Started telling all these great stories, playing on the beach, and me getting all built up: ‘Oh man, I wanna be a part of that scene’. So I said: ‘Wait a minute, James. If The Jacksons ever need a drummer, please let him know about me. Let him know I’m out here now’. Because he said: ‘I’ve been telling you about you for years. You never came out’. I said: ‘So l let him know that I’m out here now’. He started jumping up: ‘Oh my God1 No, no! You won’t believe this!’ I said: ‘What?’ He said: ‘They fired their drummer and they’re auditioning drummers right now!’ Now, if I’d passed that payphone 10 minutes before, he wouldn’t have been on it. If I’d passed that payphone after he got off the phone and got back home, I would have missed him. That’s how things work out. So he told them that I was in town, the guy he’s been talking about, and I wanted a chance. I said: ‘All I want is a chance’. And he told him that night, on the last day of audition, a guy was coming in. He said: ‘My friend is in town and he wants a chance’. So they extended it a day, gave me a chance and I wound up being their drummer instead of two weeks of other drummers. And that’s how I got with The Jacksons.

beatit.tv: Of course, The Jacksons and Michael Jackson are not the only artists you’ve worked with. You’ve done…I can’t even begin to count the world tours. Over 20, I’m sure. With Elton John, Janet Jackson. There’s lots and lots of artists. Are there any shows or tours that really stick out in your memory?

Jonathan Moffett: There’s several and it’s hard to pick one particular one. I’d say when I was with The Jacksons on the ‘Victory’ tour playing the Dodgers Stadium sold out six nights in a row. That was pretty amazing. Elton John playing Madison Square Garden, The Jacksons playing Madison Square Garden. Michael, of course, anywhere in the world. The 2001 30th anniversary special was very special because you had all these mega artists paying tribute to him, and then we did our segment. That was pretty, pretty special. What made that special was the beauty before the beast hit. Cause that was the night before the planes hit the buildings, 9/11. We filmed on the 7th and the 10th. And so we had a wonderful time that night not knowing what was in store for us the next morning. But that night, we celebrated Michael’s life and his career. It was an incredible time with all those major mega stars telling him they loved him and singing his songs. Wonderful time.