Munetaka Higuchi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Munetaka Higuchi | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 24, 1958 |
| Origin | Nara, Nara, Japan |
| Genre(s) | Rock/metal |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums |
| Associated acts | Loudness |
Munetaka Higuchi (樋口 宗孝 Higuchi Munetaka?) (born December 24, 1958 in Nara, Japan) is the original and current drummer of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.
From the very beginning he was considered as a young talent, many bands wanted Munetaka to play with them. That's why besides his own band, during his high school years Munetaka played in seven bands. But the talented drummer wasn't happy with this situation, he wanted to spend his time in only one band. That's when future bandmate Akira Takasaki came along and they formed Lazy.
When he and Akira got into hard rock and heavy metal, they formed Loudness in 1981. During his first stint with Loudness, he released his first solo album, Destruction, in 1983. He left Loudness in 1992 and not only he resumed his solo career in the late-1990's, he also got into side projects, including Sly, Bloodcircus, Rose of Rose, and the Rock 'n' Roll Standard Club Band.
In 1997, with a "band" called "Munetaka Higuchi & Dream Castle", he released the album "Free World". The "band" featured many famous musicians from the jazz and rock/metal spheres, like Steve Vai, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan, Ty Tabor, Terry Bozzio, T. M. Stevens, Ronnie James Dio, Richie Kotzen and others. The album was released on the 21st of February 1997 in Japan.
He returned to Loudness in 2001. He is often mentioned not only as one of the leading Japanese drummers but a rock/metal artist overall.
Higuchi is an endorser of Pearl Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Remo drumheads and Vic Firth drumsticks.
On April 14, 2008 it was announced that he was diagnosed with Hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer. More information can be found at the Loudness website.
