Jon Fishman

Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit.

Fishman was born in Philadelphia. He was then adopted, and grew up in Syracuse, New York with a Jewish family. Fishman had a passion for the drums from an early age, and emulated John Bonham, the drummer for Led Zeppelin, Bill Bruford of Yes, and Keith Moon of The Who. He went to Jamesville-Dewitt High School in a suburb of Syracuse, and after graduation in 1983, he attended the University of Vermont to study Engineering. Shortly after his arrival, he met Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio, where they co-founded Phish. Being an engineer was not his true calling, and he transferred with guitarist Trey Anastasio to Goddard College, where he wrote his senior study on "A Self-Teaching Guide to Drumming in Retrospect." He lives in Maine.

Phish

The band Phish was named after him (he is commonly referred to as “Fish” among many other nicknames) though other explanations for the name have been given. Other than drumming, he also sings back-up vocals and occasionally lead-vocals (usually on cover songs, most of them humorous - the best examples are Prince's "Purple Rain", Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie", Will Smith's song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd's "Bike"). Worthy of note are his more serious vocal efforts, including lead vocals on Phish's cover of the Talking Heads song "Crosseyed and Painless," and his vocal duties on the Phish originals, "The Moma Dance," "Taste," and "Ghost." He is well-known on tour for his Electrolux vacuum cleaner solos and playing while wearing a muumuu dress.