| Walfredo Reyes Jr. | |
| Birth Name: | Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV |
| Birth Date: | December 18, 1955 |
| Birth Place: | Havana, Cuba |
| Years Active: | –present |
| Current Member Of: | Chicago |
Walfredo Reyes Jr. (born Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV; December 18, 1955) is a Cuban American musician who is an expert in drum set and auxiliary percussion, and a music educator and clinician. He has performed with many jazz, Latin, World music, World fusion, Afro-Cuban, and rock bands as a touring, session recording, and full-time player/performer.
Reyes is known for his fusion of many of the world's percussion techniques, including the ability to play a drum set with his hands in addition to the traditional use of drumsticks; it was said that he can "sound like a drummer and a percussionist at the same time"[1] He was a long-term member of Santana. He was also a member of Chicago as the percussionist from 2012 to 2018, at which point he took over the drum seat. He also performed in the band of former Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton.
Walfredo Reyes Jr. was born on December 18, 1955, in Havana, Cuba. His native name of Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV is a traditional Cuban combination of his paternal and maternal surnames. He is a third generation musician in a prolific professional musical lineage on both sides of his family, including several globally recognized percussion experts. His father is percussionist Walfredo Reyes, Sr.; one brother is world music percussionist Daniel de los Reyes; another brother is actor Kamar de los Reyes; and his grandfather is trumpeter and Cuban orchestral organizer, Walfredo de los Reyes II.
Reyes has had a lifelong interest in the music of the band Chicago, originally known as Chicago Transit Authority. The first album he purchased as a youth was with his own money was Chicago Transit Authority'.
Walfredo Reyes Jr. and his wife Kirsten were married on March 21, 2020, and live in Greater Cincinnati.[2]
Leading up to his current role with the band Chicago, Reyes had a connection as a lifelong fan of the band, as a long-time friend of and collaborator with former drummer Tris Imboden, and as brother of Chicago's previous percussionist Daniel de los Reyes.
He is the title character of the Phish song "Walfredo".[3]
For the 2021 movie Being the Ricardos, Reyes coached and mentored Javier Bardem in learning the conga drums performed in the film.[4]
Reyes has globally toured and/or recorded with countless international acts, including the following:
| Select discography | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Artist | Title | Credits | Source | |
| 1986 | Jackson Browne | Lives in the Balance | Conductor, conga, drum set | ||
| 1990 | Santana | Spirits Dancing in the Flesh | member | ||
| 1992 | Santana | Milagro | member | ||
| 1993 | Santana | member | |||
| 1995 | Frank Gambale | Thinking Out Loud | Percussion | ||
| 2000 | Johnny Hallyday | 100% Johnny – Live a la tour Eiffel | Percussion, drums | ||
| 2000 | Johnny Hallyday | Olympia 2000 – Live a l'Olympia | Percussion, drums | ||
| 2009 | Thomas Lorenzo Quartet | Spanish Breeze | Member | ||
| 2012 | Manny Charlton Band | Hellacious | Member | ||
| 2014 | Chicago | Member, percussion | |||
| 2020 | Johnny Hallyday | Happy Birthday – Live au Parc de Sceaux | Percussion, drums | ||
| Complete Discography | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Artist | Title | Credits | Source | |
| 1986 | Jackson Browne | Lives in the Balance | Conductor, conga, drum set | ||
| Johnny Hallyday | Tour 2000 – Backstage | ||||
| Carl Verheyen | Trading 8s | ||||
| Txell Sust | Ciudadana Universal | ||||
| Lindsey Buckingham | Gift of Screws | ||||
| Martin Verdonk | Old School, New Sound | ||||
| Steve Winwood | Junction Seven | ||||
| Steve Winwood | About Time | ||||
| Robbie Robertson | Classic Masters | ||||
| Joe Sample | The Song Lives On | ||||
| Santana (band) | Spirits Dancing in the Flesh | ||||
| Santana | Milagro | ||||
| Santana | Brothers | ||||
| Rickie Lee Jones | Pop Pop | ||||
| Dave Samuels | Del Sol | ||||
| Frank Gambale | Passages | ||||
| Frank Gambale | Thinkin out Loud | ||||
| Don Grusin | Laguna Cove | ||||
| John Mayall | Sense of Place | ||||
| Kazu Matsui | Wheels of the Sun | ||||
| Juan Gabriel | Todo esta Bien | ||||
| Daniel de los Reyes | Rafael 560 | ||||
| Michael Thompson | The World According to MT | ||||
| Nestor Torres | Talk to Me | ||||
| Kathy Troccoli | Corner of Eden | ||||
| Michael O'Neill | Never Too Late | ||||
| Freddie Ravel | Soul to Sol | ||||
| Jackson Browne | World in Motion | ||||
| David Lindley y El Rayo X | Very Greasy | ||||
| David Lindley y El Rayo X | Live | ||||
| Luis Conte | The Road | ||||
| Tania Maria | The Real Tania Maria, Wild! | ||||
| Louis Bellson/ Walfredo de los Reyes | Ecue | ||||
| Patti Cabrera | Forever & Forever | ||||
| Rose Mary Clooney | Brazil | ||||
| Clare Fischer | Crazy Bird | ||||
| Clare Fischer | Free Fall | ||||
| Clare Fischer | Rockin' in Rhythm | ||||
| Clare Fischer | Tjaderama | ||||
| Jazz Tribute to Brian Wilson | Wouldn't It be Nice | ||||
| 2004 | Willie Lomax Blues Revue | Best Blues Money Can Buy | Drums, percussion | [5] | |
| Marcos Loya | Love is the Reason | ||||
| Barry Manilow | Showstoppers | ||||
| Don Randi | Baked Potato Shuffle | ||||
| Juan Carlos Quintero | Through the Winds | ||||
| Ricardo Silveira | Storyteller | ||||
| Shapes | The Last Farewell | ||||
| Willie and Lobo | Siete | ||||
| Haakon Graf | License to Chill | ||||
| Roma Kanyan | Insight | ||||
| 2011 | Carl Verheyen Band | The Road Divides | Drums, percussion | ||
| 2014 | Chicago | Member, percussion | |||
| Year | Title | Artist | Credits | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Pippin: His Life and Times | Soundtrack musician, uncredited | |||
| 1993 | Santana: Sacred Fire, Live in Mexico | Santana | member | ||
| 2000 | 100% Johnny Live a la tour Eiffel | Johnny Hallyday | Percussion, drums | ||
| 2000 | Olympia 2000 – Live a l'Olympia | Johnny Hallyday | Percussion, drums | ||
| 2003 | The Studio Percussionist, Vol. 1 | Michael McFall; Dave Witham; Walfredo de los Reyes; Larry Klimas; John Peña | |||
| 2005 | The Last Great Traffic Jam | Traffic | |||
| 2005 | Sound Stage featuring Steve Winwood | Steve Winwood | member | ||
| 2005 | Global Beats for Drumset & Percussion | Walfredo Reyes Jr. | author of instructional video | ||
| 2011 | Songs from the Small Machine | Lindsey Buckingham | Drums | ||
| 2011 | The Road Divides | Carl Verheyen Band | Drums, percussion | ||
| 2014 | Killer B3 | Interviewee, drum set | |||
| 2020 | Happy Birthday – Live au Parc de Sceaux | Johnny Hallyday | Percussion, drums |
Reyes uses and has used the following equipment:
Walfredo "El Rockero" Reyes Jr. signature series drumsticks. Reyes designed his own signature series of drum sticks, earning him Regal Tip's unique nickname of "El Rockero" (lit. "The Rocker" in English.)