BIOGRAPHY
Carlos Vega, born on December 7, 1956 in Cuba, was a Cuban-American drummer, best known for his live and studio work with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Barry Manilow, Placido Domingo, Neil Diamond, Herb Alpert, and James Taylor.
Like many of the major session musicians of his time, Carlos grew up in Los Angeles, attending high school with the likes of Michael Landau, Jeff Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
In 1975, Vega co-founded a band, Karizma, with his close friend, David Garfield. That same year Carlos found himself on the road with teen idol, Shaun Cassidy. Not long after, Vega began to be called for a wide variety of recording sessions and live performances, pushing him into a highly successful music career.
Throughout his years, Carlos Vega worked with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Barry Manilow, Placido Domingo, Neil Diamond, Herb Alpert, James Taylor, Freddy Hubbard, Boz Scaggs, Lee Ritenour, Vince Gill, Reba McIntire, Olivia Newton-John (including the "Grease" soundtrack), Larry Carlton 335, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, and Randy Newman.
On April 7, 1998, at the age of 41, Carlos Vega died at his home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the eve of a scheduled April 8th appearance with James Taylor on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Vega had just returned from a European tour with James Taylor and was set to go bank on the road with him for the U.S.A. leg of the tour.
