| Rocky Dzidzornu | |
| Birth Name: | Kwasi Dzidzornu |
| Birth Date: | 28 February 1932 |
| Birth Place: | Gold Coast |
| Death Place: | California, U.S. |
| Alias: | Rocky Dijon |
| Occupation: | Percussionist |
Kwasi "Rocky" Dzidzornu,[1] [2] also known as Rocky Dijon, was a Ghanaian-born percussionist known for his 1960s and 1970s work with rock and R&B artists.
Dzidzornu was born in the British Gold Coast colony (later Ghana), on 28 February 1932. In the 1960s and 1970s, he played with acts such as the Rolling Stones, Nick Drake, Ginger Baker, Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, Taj Mahal, Joe Walsh.[3]
In 1968, producer Jimmy Miller enlisted Dzidzornu to record with the Rolling Stones.[4] He played on the albums Beggars Banquet (1968) and Let It Bleed (1969). He also appeared in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus concert and film. In 1971, he appeared on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" from Sticky Fingers. Bill Wyman also enlisted him on his 1976 solo album Stone Alone.
War's drummer Harold Brown has named him as an important influence, and also credits him with teaching Ginger Baker.[5] Critic Ned Sublette has written that the addition of his conga drumming on "Sympathy for the Devil" transformed the song from "a dirge, and a dull one at that...making it come alive".[6] [7]
Dzidzornu died in California on 13 March 1993.