~AJ Bio~

• Born Anthony Jude Pero in October 1959 in,
  Staten Island NY, A.J. epitomizes the saying
  "born with the sticks in his hands".
  A.J. received his first drum kit at the age of 3,
  when his Mom and Dad realized that the kid
  had a way with the pots and pans. A.J.
  proceeded to destroy that drum set rather
  quickly, and received his first "real" drum set,
  a red sparkle Ludwig at the age of 4.
  
  He began to take lessons and studied with a
  local jazz musician, and with jazz great Gene
  Krupa. A.J. played at family and
  neighborhood functions at this young age, and
  other professionals in his community quickly
  recognized his talent. Because of this, A.J.
  was invited to perform as a solo artist on the
  Mike Douglas show at age seven, and he brought
  the house down! At 10, he played the Jerry Lewis
  Telethon with two other talented young
  performers,covering songs from jazz icons
  Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck.
  
  By the age of 11, A.J. was fully versed in
  reading and writing music. A.J. continued to
  perform in local events and was part of his
  school drum corps, always under the watchful
  eye of his music teachers and others in the
  musical community. When the drummer for a
  college band broke his leg, A.J. was asked to
  join the band to perform a 3 week tour of
  Europe. This was a defining moment for A.J.,
  and he quickly accepted the offer. During this
  tour he won 3 gold medals at the Paris Jazz
  Festival for the best performance as a
  drummer, winning the honors over musicians
  more than twice his age!
  
  Returning with greater confidence and belief in
  his ability, he continued to play at every
  opportunity, further refining his technique that
  defines him as the masterful, ferocious,
  powerhouse drummer that we see in A.J. today.
  His high school years found A.J. a well rounded
  rock-fusion drummer when the music world
  was turning its attention to rock bands such
  as Black Sabbath, Emerson Lake and Palmer,
  Yes, and other progressive heavy metal bands.
  A.J. had found his niche! He continued to
  play everyday, whether in his local "garage"
  band, pit bands, or in the high school drum
  corps. During this time, A.J developed his
  "technique" which A.J. describes as allowing
  yourself to go with the flow, be in the moment,
  an "effortless mastery".
  
  After high school, A.J. was offered the
  opportunityto join a well-known Tri-State area
  band. Theband was blown away by his style and
  prowess and hired him on the spot. The band
  was Twisted Sister. During his tenure with
  Twisted Sister from 1982-1987, A.J. recorded
  6 albums and embarked on 4 world tours. His
  drumming style is the driving force behind the
  band and he has been recognized as one of the
  industry's most prominent drummers. As the
  drummer for Twisted Sister, A.J earned 32 gold
  , silver, and platinum albums and singles,
  most notably the triple platinum album
  "Stay Hungry" which spawned two gold singles.
  In 2001,Twisted Sister found themselves
  together again as a result of the tragic
  events of September 11th. The band reformed
  to host a charity showwith other NY area
  musicians. The event, "NY STEEL", was
  a benefit for the families of the
  uniformed men and women who lost their lives
  on that day.
  
  Although they had not anticipated
  it, Twisted Sister continues to tour today,
  headlining sold out arena and festival shows
  around the world. In 2004, A.J. went back in
  the studio with Twisted to re-record the
  "Stay Hungry" album, entitled "Still Hungry".
  This album completely showcases A.J. talents
  as the rhythm backbone of that band.
  Currently, Twisted Sister and A.J.'s version of
  "Born to Be Wild" can be heard as the official
  theme song for Robbie Kneivel's A&E realty
  show,"Kneivel's Wild Ride".
  
  While continuing to tour and record, A.J.
  has will be hosting drum clinics with Tama
  drums, holding classes and seminars, and
  completing an instructional DVD. A.J.
  is also in the beginning stages of writing a
  book on his life's journeys and lessons.
  
  A.J. studied with Maestro Larry Laurenzano,
  whom he considers not only a great teacher
  and mentor, but "a great friend who had
  more confidence in me, then I did in myself".
  Mike Sqroi, "a great drummer who started me
  and taught me well" and Nino Morreale who
  "made me realize who and what I was as a
  musician/drummer." And of course, "my Dad
  who in his own right was a great Sax player
  who never persued it, but saw in me his dream.
  THANK YOU GENTLEMEN!!!!"
  
  
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