For more information on Vince, visit milesdavis.com.
Vince Wilburn, Jr., was born in Chicago. At age 5, Vince began drumming on pots and pans. He was cast as the Little Drummer Boy in his kindergarten play. Vince dreamed of owning one of the drum kits he saw in catalogs and magazines.
When Miles Davis, who happens to be Vince's uncle, came to Chicago, Vince was always fascinated by Tony (Williams), Jack (De Johnette), Al (Foster), or whoever had the drum throne. At the tender age of 9, at the Plugg Nickel in old town Chicago, Miles had Vince sit in on a set with his band… Chick, Jack, Wayne Shorter, and Dave Holland.
Vince founded and played in various Chicago bands through high school. Most notably, he was in a band called AL7, which caught Miles' attention. Via phone, Miles would listen to AL7 rehearse in Vince's mom basement. That band became the catalyst for The Man with the Horn, Miles' 1981 comeback album. The album was recorded in NY using AL7's core rhythm section.
After that project, AL7 recorded a couple of records with Ramsey Lewis. Vince also worked with Oscar Brown, Jr.
In 1983, Vince joined Cameo. In 1984, he went to Copenhagen to co-produce and record Miles' GRAMMY award-winning album AURA for Columbia Records. Vince played additional drums on the album. Later, Vince co-produced Decoy, which featured Al Foster on drums.
In the summer of 1984, Vince began to live his dream. He co-produced and shared the drum chair with his idol, Al Foster, on Miles's record You're Under Arrest. Once the record was completed, Miles added Vince to his band by annointing him to the coveted drum throne. Vince toured the world with Miles while he held the drum chair from 1984 through 1987.
Vince relocated to Los Angeles in 1989. After writing, producing, and touring with several artists, Vince founded NEFDRUM, his production company. Based on Vince's talent and relationships, NEFDRUM recordings feature all-star performances by music icons such as Billy Preston, Darryl Jones, Charley Drayton, Ivan Neville, Ray Parker, Jr., Wah Wah Watson, Freddie Washington, Randy Hall, and Phil Upchurch.
In addition to heading NEFDRUM, Vince and his cousins, Cheryl and Erin, oversee Miles Davis Properties, LLC. Vince is currently assembling a remix, hip-hop tribute album to Miles. The album expects to feature the likes of Nas, Dr. Dre, Q- tip, Mike Elizondo, Charley Drayton, Pat Thrall, Carlos Santana, and some surprise guests. Vince is Executive Producer on a Miles bio pic featuring Don Cheadle as Miles Davis. Vince will also serve as executive producer on the soundtrack.
