Soko Richardson

Soko Richardson
Richardson on the back cover of the John Mayall album, The Latest Edition (photography and design by John Mayall, 1974)
Background information
Born	(1939-12-08)8 December 1939 New Iberia, Louisiana, United States
Died	29 January 2004(2004-01-29) (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Blues, R&B, blues-rock, rock, soul
Occupation(s)	Drummer, percussionist, arranger
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1955–2004
Associated acts	John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, The Ike & Tina Turner Revue

Soko Richardson (December 8, 1939 – January 29, 2004) was an American rhythm and blues drummer. His career spanned almost fifty years, during which he performed and recorded with seminal groups including John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. He is perhaps best known for his innovative arrangement of Ike and Tina Turner's version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Proud Mary".

Richardson was born in New Iberia, Louisiana. He began his musical career at the age of 16, when he left home to tour the South with local bands. Shortly thereafter Ike Turner, upon hearing Richardson play in Texas, hired him to play with his band, the Kings of Rhythm, and then later with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Richardson worked with Turner for the next ten years. In March 1971 Richardson's arrangement of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Proud Mary" reached number four on the pop chart and number five on the R&B chart. It became a signature song for Tina Turner and won the band a Grammy in the category Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group.

In 1971, Richardson joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, with whom he would tour and record for the next decade, playing with many of the diverse artists to whom Mayall gave a start.

In the mid-1980s, Richardson joined Albert Collins and the Icebreakers and became an influential figure in the Chicago blues scene. He helped earn the Icebreakers the W. C. Handy Award as Blues Band of the Year in 1985.