Tris Imboden
Gregory Tristan "Tris" Imboden (born July 27, 1951) is an American rock and jazz drummer. He was the drummer for the multi-platinum band Chicago from 1990 to 2018. He is a multi-platinum selling artist.
Also recorded as Gregory Tristan Imboden
Tris Imboden
Daniel Bethe · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Tris Imboden
- Birth Name
- Gregory Tristan Imboden
- Born
- 27 July 1951
- Occupation
- Musician
- Nationality
- United States
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Gregory Tristan "Tris" Imboden (born July 27, 1951) is an American rock and jazz drummer. He was the drummer for the multi-platinum band Chicago from 1990 to 2018. He is a multi-platinum selling artist.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Some of Imboden's most notable work include recordings with Neil Diamond, Kenny Loggins, Firefall, Richard Marx, Steve Vai, Roger Daltrey, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Chicago, Anita Baker, Julio Iglesias and Stevie Wonder. His career with Chicago has seen the release of thirteen albums, several of them certified platinum.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Tris Imboden • Birth Name — Gregory Tristan Imboden • Born — 27 July 1951 • Instrument — * Drums • percussion • Genre — * Rock • adult contemporary • jazz • Occupation — Musician • Years Active — 1970–present • Past Member Of — * Chicago • Firefall • Honk
Biography
Biography
Aside from a brief, early move to Germany, Tris Imboden was raised in various beachside communities of Orange County in Southern California. I still remember the day my dad took me to a Fourth of July parade in Huntington Beach. This marching band from Compton came down the street and the cadence that they were playing almost made me hysterical. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.... the drum section was just smoking... I was so deeply moved. But I knew at that moment that was what I was going to have to do. His formal training began in grade school, and until there was an available position in the percussion section of the school band, he drummed at home on a practice pad and studied basic music theory on the trumpet at school. He ultimately reached the position of second-chair trumpeter before switching to the then-available percussion section in junior high school. He currently resides in Malibu, California, and on the island of Kauai, Hawai'i, where he is an avid surfer.
Career
Career
Imboden began his adolescent career in various surf bands, and then achieved professional status in a high school band called The Other Half. The band performed at venues ranging from sock hops to Hollywood's venerable Teenage Fair, where Imboden said their popularity "clogged the whole entrance." Out of Newport Harbor High School, Imboden co-founded Honk in 1970. After recording some demo songs, the band's first album was the soundtrack for the surf movie Five Summer Stories, crediting Imboden as composer, producer, drummer, harmonica player, and vocalist. Imboden established a career trend, ultimately lasting through to Chicago, of occasionally being featured on harmonica. The song "Pipeline Sequence" reached No. 1 on Hawai'i radio. Being a member of Honk provided Imboden with formative future-career experience as the band honed their studio recording skills, their touring skills, and innumerable industry contacts. They worked with bands which would eventually serve as Imboden's future professional base by touring with Loggins and Messina, Jackson Browne, and The Beach Boys—and by opening Chicago's concerts. Honk went on hiatus from 1976 to 1986, when they established a tradition of periodic reunion concerts in their original home area of Southern California, as band members' schedules permit. From 1977 to 1986, Imboden became a full-time recording and touring member of the Kenny Loggins Band, and then would do part-time work with them until 1989, for a total of 12 years of collaboration. During his full-time tenure there, he composed and performed the drum set arrangements for popular 1980s motion picture soundtracks for Caddyshack and Footloose. From the end of his full-time duration with Kenny Loggins in 1986 until 1989, Imboden's career became a full-time composite of various part-time session recordings and live performances with various groups. His consistent work throughout that entire duration included part-time work with Kenny Loggins, stage support for Al Jarreau, and Chaka Khan. In 1986, he performed drum-set overdub sessions for Neil Diamond's Headed for the Future album. This provided a venue for Imboden's studio session collaboration with then-member of Chicago, Bill Champlin. In 1988, he was a studio session player with former member of Chicago, bassist/lead vocalist Peter Cetera on the latter's solo album One More Story. In 1990, his career was reshaped by joining the multi-platinum Chicago. With the departure of founding drummer Danny Seraphine, Imboden joined the band as the full-time drummer in time for the band's 1991 release titled Twenty 1. As an integral part of Chicago for the latter half of the band's -year total career, Imboden would contribute to twelve Chicago records, and to tours alongside The Beach Boys, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and The Doobie Brothers. Since 2012, the drum chair has been occupied by Chicago's newest full-time member, veteran auxiliary percussionist Walfredo Reyes, Jr. ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:60 top:15 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1970 till:08/31/2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1970 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1970 Colors = id:drumset value:green legend:Drum_set id:parttimedrum value:yellowgreen legend:Parttime_Drumset id:percussion value:orange legend:Auxiliary_percussion id:drumperc value:blue legend:DrumsetAndAux id:audio value:red legend:Audio_album id:video value:purple legend:Video_album BarData = bar:Honk text:Honk bar:Kenny text:Kenny Loggins bar:Chicago text:Chicago bar:Jarreau text:Al Jarreau bar:Chaka text:Chaka Khan bar:Firefall text:Firefall bar:Iain text:Iain Matthews bar:none text: PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Honk from:01/01/1970 till:12/31/1975 color:drumset bar:Iain from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1977 color:drumset bar:Firefall from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1982 color:drumset bar:Honk from:01/01/1985 till:end color:parttimedrum bar:Chaka from:01/01/1986 till:12/31/1989 color:parttimedrum bar:Jarreau from:01/01/1986 till:12/31/1989 color:parttimedrum bar:Kenny from:01/01/1977 till:12/31/1985 color:drumset bar:Kenny from:01/01/1986 till:12/31/1989 color:parttimedrum bar:Chicago from:01/01/1990 till:01/17/2018 color:drumset bar:Kenny from:01/17/2018 till:end color:drumset LineData= at:01/01/1972 color:audio layer:back at:06/01/1972 color:video layer:back at:01/01/1979 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1984 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1986 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1987 color:audio layer:back at:06/01/1987 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1989 color:video layer:back at:01/01/1990 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1991 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1992 color:video layer:back at:01/01/1994 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1995 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1997 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1998 color:audio layer:back at:05/01/1998 color:audio layer:back at:09/01/1998 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/1999 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/2000 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/2002 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/2003 color:audio layer:back at:05/01/2003 color:audio layer:back at:09/01/2003 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/2007 color:video layer:back at:01/01/2008 color:audio layer:back at:01/01/2011 color:audio layer:back
Videography
Videography
• Year — Artist — Title — Credit • 1972 — Honk — Five Summer Stories (film soundtrack) — Composer, producer, Harmonica, Percussion, Drums, Vocals • 1980 — Kenny Loggins — Kenny Loggins Alive — Drums • 1985 — Kenny Loggins — "Vox Humana" (music video) — Drums, performance • 1989 — Tris Imboden — Latin Rock for Gringos — Drums, instruction • 2012 — Kenny Loggins — Keep the Fire (film soundtrack) — Drums • 2002 — Chicago — A&E Live by Request: Chicago — Drums • 2004 — Chicago — Soundstage Presents Chicago Live — Drums • 2005 — Chicago — Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire – Live at the Greek Theatre — Drums
Equipment
Equipment
Tris Imboden currently endorses and uses the following products: • Groove Juice Cymbal Cleaner • DW drums, hardware and pedals • Gibraltar drum racks • Remo drum heads • Paiste cymbals • Vic Firth drumsticks • Beato Bags • Latin Percussion
Discography
• Select discography • Year — Artist — Album — Credit — Achievement • 1972 — Honk — The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories — Composer, producer, Harmonica, Percussion, Drums, Vocals • 1979 — Kenny Loggins — Keep the Fire — Harmonica, Drums • 1984 — [Original Soundtrack] — Footloose — Drums — Billboard #1 6× platinum • 1986 — Neil Diamond — Headed for the Future — Drums, Background Vocals — Billboard 200 #20 • 1986 — Howard Hewett — I Commit to Love — Drums (Tracks 2, 3, 5, and 9) • 1987 — Richard Marx — Richard Marx — Drums — Billboard #1 single Billboard 200 #8 album 3× platinum • 1987 — [Original Soundtrack] — St. Elmo's Fire — Drums — Billboard Hot 100 #1 Grammy nomination • 1990 — Steve Vai — Passion and Warfare — Drums (Tracks 7, 9) • 1991 — Chicago — Twenty 1 — Drums • 1994 — Crosby, Stills & Nash — After the Storm — Drums • 1995 — Chicago — Night & Day: Big Band — Harmonica, Drums • 1997 — Chicago — The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997 — Drums (Tracks 7, 10) — "Here in My Heart": AC #1 "The Only One": AC Top 20 Billboard 200 #55 • 1998 — Chicago — The Heart of Chicago 1967–1998 Volume II • 1998 — Chicago — Chicago's First Christmas — Drums • 1998 — Chicago — Chicago 25: The Christmas Album — Drums • 1999 — Chicago — Chicago XXVI – The Live Album — Drums • 2000 — Steve Vai — 7th Song: Enchanting Guitar Melodies – Archive — Drums • 2002 — Chicago — Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning — Harmonica, Drums • 2003 — Chicago — Chicago Story: The Complete Greatest Hits 1967–2002 — Harmonica, Drums • 2003 — Chicago — Chicago: The Box [Bonus DVD] — Harmonica, Drums • 2003 — Chicago — Christmas: What's It Gonna Be Santa — Arranger, Drums • 2008 — Chicago — Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus — Harmonica, Drums • 2011 — Chicago — O Christmas Three — Arranger, Drums • 2013 — Chicago — The Nashville Sessions — Drums • 2014 — Chicago — Chicago XXXVI: Now — Drums • Complete discography • Year — Artist — Album — Credit — Achievement • 1972 — Honk — The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories — Composer, producer, Harmonica, Percussion, Drums, Vocals • 1973 — Honk — Honk [1973] — Harmonica, Percussion, Drums, Vocals • 1975 — Bert Jansch — Santa Barbara Honeymoon — Drums • 1975 — Iain Matthews — Go for Broke — Drums • 1976 — La Seine — Like a River — Drums • 1976 — Iain Matthews — Hit and Run — Drums • 1976 — John Reid — Façade — Drums • 1976 — Harriet Schock — You Don't Know What You're in For — Drums • 1978 — Kenny Loggins — Nightwatch — Harmonica, Drums • 1979 — Kenny Loggins — Keep the Fire — Harmonica, Drums • 1980 — Kenny Loggins — Kenny Loggins Alive — Harmonica, Drums, Vocals • 1980 — Thunder — Thunder [1980] — Drums • 1981 — Firefall — Clouds Across the Sun — Drums • 1981 — Firefall — Best of Firefall — Drums • 1981 — Thunder — Headphones for Cows — Drums • 1981 — Gary Wright — Right Place — Drums • 1982 — Jay Ferguson — White Noise — Drums • 1982 — Firefall — Break of Dawn — Drums • 1982 — Kenny Loggins — High Adventure — Harmonica, Percussion, Drums • 1982 — Tom Snow — Hungry Nights — Drums • 1983 — Don Felder — Airborne — Drums • 1984 — Fee Waybill — Read My Lips — Drums • 1984 — Original Soundtrack — Footloose — Drums • 1985 — Kenny Loggins — Vox Humana — Harmonica, Drums • 1986 — Stanley Clarke — Hideaway — Drums • 1986 — Neil Diamond — Headed for the Future — Drums, Background Vocals • 1986 — David Foster — David Foster — Drum Overdubs • 1986 — Howard Hewett — I Commit to Love — Drums • 1987 — Roger Daltrey — Can't Wait to See the Movie — Drum Overdubs • 1987 — Richard Marx — Richard Marx — Drums • 1987 — Original Soundtrack — St. Elmo's Fire — Drums • 1987 — Original Soundtrack — The Secret of My Success — Drum Overdubs • 1988 — Peter Cetera — One More Story — Hi Hat • 1988 — Neil Diamond — Best Years of Our Lives — Drums • 1988 — Girls — That's What Dreams Are For — Drums • 1988 — Julio Iglesias — Non Stop — Drum Programming • 1988 — Brian Wilson — Brian Wilson — Cymbals, Drums, Hi Hat • 1989 — Clare Fischer — Lembrancas — Drums • 1989 — Michael Paulo — One Passion — Percussion, Drums • 1990 — Steve Vai — Passion and Warfare — Drums • 1991 — Chicago — Twenty 1 — Drums • 1991 — Honk — Five Summer Stories — Composer, producer, Harmonica, Percussion, Drums, Vocals • 1991 — Honk — Coach House Live — Drums, producer • 1991 — Kenny Loggins — Leap of Faith — Drums • 1991 — Usual Suspects — Usual Suspects — Drums • 1992 — Firefall — Greatest Hits — Percussion, Drums • 1993 — Johnny Clegg & Savuka — Heat, Dust and Dreams — Drums • 1994 — Bill Champlin — Burn Down the Night — Drums • 1994 — Crosby, Stills & Nash — After the Storm — Drums • 1994 — Rosco Martinez — Aqui Estoy — Drums • 1994 — Michael Paulo — Save the Children — Drums • 1994 — Various Artists — Voice of the Homeless, Vol. 1 — Drums • 1995 — Cecilio & Kapono — Goodtimes Together — Drums • 1995 — Chicago — Night and Day: Big-Band — Harmonica, Drums • 1995 — Kalapana — Back in Your Heart Again — Drums • 1995 — Freddie Ravel — Sol to Soul — Drums • 1995 — Ricardo Silveira — Storyteller — Drums • 1996 — Tamara Champlin — You Won't Get to Heaven Alive — Drums • 1996 — Neil Diamond — In My Lifetime — Musician • 1996 — Michael Paulo — My Heart and Soul — Drums • 1996 — Various Artists — Sheffield Pop Experience — Drums • 1997 — Chicago — Heart of Chicago 1967–1997 • 1997 — David Garfield & Friends — Tribute to Jeff — Drums • 1997 — Kenny Loggins — Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Greatest Hits — Percussion, Drums • 1997 — Kenny Loggins — Unimaginable Life — Drums • 1998 — Jeff Berlin — Crossroads — Drums • 1998 — Jeff Berlin — Pump It! — Drums • 1998 — Chicago — Heart of Chicago, Vol. 2: 1967–1998 • 1998 — Chicago — Chicago's First Christmas — Drums • 1998 — Chicago — Chicago 25: The Christmas Album — Drums • 1998 — Clare Fischer/Metropole Orchestra — Latin Side — Drums • 1998 — Gary Wright — Best of the Dream Weaver — Drums • 1998 — Original Soundtrack — Footloose [Expanded Edition] — Drums • 1999 — Chicago — Chicago XXVI – The Live Album • 1999 — Michael Paulo — Midnight Passion — Drums • 2000 — Steve Vai — 7th Song: Enchanting Guitar Melodies – Archive — Drums • 2001 — The Howland Imboden Project • 2001 — Freddie Ravel — Freddie Ravel — Drums, Drums • 2002 — Chicago — Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning — Harmonica, Drums • 2002 — Kalapana — Blue Album — Drums • 2002 — Holly Near — And Still We Sing: The Outspoken Collection — Drums • 2002 — Holly Near — Crushed! The Love Song Collection — Drums • 2002 — Rusty Wier — Black Hat Saloon/Stacked Deck — Drums • 2002 — Original Cast Recordings — Footloose [Australian Bonus Tracks] — Drums • 2002 — Various Artists — Movie Soundtracks — Drums • 2003 — Chicago — Chicago Story: The Complete Greatest Hits 1967–2002 — Harmonica, Drums • 2003 — Chicago — Chicago: The Box [Bonus DVD] — Harmonica, Drums • 2003 — Chicago — Christmas: What's It Gonna Be Santa — Arranger, Drums • 2003 — Robert Lamm — Subtlety & Passion — Harmonica, Drums cowriter of "It's Always Something" • 2003 — Steve Vai — Infinite Steve Vai: An Anthology — Drums • 2003 — David Foster — Best of Me — Drums • 2004 — Firefall — Break of Dawn/Mirror of the World — Drums, Guest Appearance • 2004 — Firefall — Undertow/Clouds Across the Sun — Drums, musician • 2007 — Larry Klimas — The Ledge — Drums • 2007 — Amy Hanai'alii Gilliom — Generation Hawai'i — Drums, percussion, and tahitian drums • 2008 — Chicago — Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus — Drums • 2011 — Chicago — O Christmas Three — Arranger, Drums • 2013 — Chicago — The Nashville Sessions — Drums • 2014 — Chicago — Chicago XXXVI: Now — Drums
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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