Professor Dr. Randy Gelispie

Biography

Randy Gelispie is an instructor of jazz drums at Michigan State University College of Music. He is a professional jazz drummer who began his career performing with a ten-piece band in the ninth grade. Gelispie has traveled the road with jazz legends including Wes Montgomery, Sonny Stitt, Dinah Washington, Etta Jones, Lou Donaldson, and Gene Ammons. In the Detroit area, he has performed with icons such as Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie, Tommy Flanagan, and Barry Harris. Gelispie has also collaborated with blues musicians including Jimmy Witherspoon, John Lee Hooker, and Big Maybelle. Throughout his career, he has played alongside notable jazz figures such as Donald Walden, Marcus Belgrave, Perry Hughes, Rodney Whitaker, Gary Schunk, Rick Roe, Marian Hayden, Bill Heid, Andrew Speight, and Wycliffe Gordon.

Research Interests