Eric Drew Feldman

Eric Drew Feldman (born April 16, 1955) is an American keyboard and bass guitar player. Feldman has worked with Captain Beefheart, Fear, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies, dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy, Reid Paley, Charlotte Hatherley, Custard, and PJ Harvey.

He was already an experienced keyboard player when he joined Captain Beefheart's Magic Band in 1976, in which he also played bass. Like other members of the band, Feldman was expected to capture (on tape or notepad) Beefheart's musical ideas. Once instrumental parts had been created, the band members had to play them exactly as composed: "I never had a problem with that. I felt like I was getting parts dictated to me from one of the best, especially when they were designed for me. You just feel like a model in a fashion show wearing a really nice dress, I guess." During his time in the Magic Band, he was also given a nickname by Don, Black Jew Kitabu. Feldman worked on the acclaimed trio of Beefheart albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s that turned out to be the last of the Captain's musical career, Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978), Doc at the Radar Station (1980), and Ice Cream for Crow (1982).

Eric Drew

Eric Drew is one of the first adults in the US to survive a double cord blood stem cells transplant for "terminal leukemia". Drew is noted for having his identity stolen during his treatment. While undergoing treatment for a rare and virulent leukemia, his identity was stolen by a medical worker called Richard Gibson. Drew fought and became the first person to force a federal criminal conviction under the Health Information Privacy (HIPAA) laws. Gibson was sentenced to 16 months in prison and had to pay $15,000 in restitution. Drew has now dedicated his life to helping patients suffering from all types of serious and terminal diseases, and has become a spokesperson for the non-controversial cord blood stem cells that saved his life.

Eric Drew is the founder and director of the Eric Drew Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes advocacy for terminally ill patients.

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