Abe Laboriel Jr.

Abe Laboriel Jr.
Playing as sideman with Paul McCartney in Tel Aviv, 2008
Background information
Birth name	Abraham Laboriel Jr.
Born	March 23, 1971 (1971-03-23) (age 45)
Origin	Lexington, Massachusetts United States
Genres	Rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Drums, vocals
Years active	1980s–present

Abraham "Abe" Laboriel Jr. (born March 23, 1971) is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bass guitarist Abraham Laboriel and brother of record producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel. He has been the drummer for Paul McCartney as well as for the French singer Mylène Farmer, among others.

The son of jazz bass player Abraham Laboriel, Abe grew up playing drums starting at age four. His mother is a classically trained singer.

Laboriel was mentored by well-known percussionists and drummers, including Jeff Porcaro, Chester Thompson, along with Bill Maxwell and Alex Acuña, who had formed the band Koinonia with his father in the 1980s.

He attended the Dick Grove School of Music, studying with Peter Donald, during his junior year in high school. He also attended the Hamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles in his senior year. Here he first experienced the use of programming and became a member of a marching band. He formed a jazz trio with Vernell Brown and Mike Elizondo. In 1989, he was honored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and Down Beat magazine. He then enrolled at the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated in 1993.

Laboriel's first break as a drummer was a tour with guitarist Steve Vai. He then toured with Seal, with whom he was seen by many record producers around Los Angeles, California which led to session work. Laboriel next toured with k.d. lang for a while, where Sting saw him play with her, leading Laboriel to join Sting's touring band. The k.d. lang connection also led Laboriel to working with Paul McCartney, including McCartney's appearance during the halftime of Super Bowl XXXIX. He also toured and recorded on studio with former Menudo member, Robi Draco Rosa on his album Vagabundo.