# Andy Anderson (drummer) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Andy_Anderson_(drummer) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Andy_Anderson_(drummer).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Anderson_(drummer) > Source revision: 1349327456 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British drummer (1951–2019) For other people named Andy Anderson, see [Andy Anderson (disambiguation)](/source/Andy_Anderson_(disambiguation)). Andy Anderson Born Clifford Leon Anderson (1951-01-30)30 January 1951 Origin West Ham, Essex, England Died 26 February 2019(2019-02-26) (aged 68) Chelmsford, Essex, England Genres Progressive rock, funk rock, space rock, gothic rock, post-punk, punk rock, alternative rock Occupation Musician Instruments Drums, percussion Years active 1978–2019 Formerly of Steve Hillage, The Cure, The Glove, Jimmy Somerville, Jimmy Pursey, Isaac Hayes, Midge Ure, Iggy Pop, Hawkwind, The Last Poets, Jason Donovan, The Rock & Roll Gypsies, Peter Gabriel Musical artist **Clifford Leon "Andy" Anderson** (30 January 1951 – 26 February 2019) was a British drummer, best known for his work with [the Cure](/source/The_Cure) and [Steve Hillage](/source/Steve_Hillage), as well as a lengthy session career. ## Biography Anderson was born to an [Anglo-Caribbean](/source/Commonwealth_Caribbean) family and was raised in [London](/source/London). His father was a part-time jazz drummer, and he first gained work as a drummer in recording sessions for television commercial jingles.[1] He played live with a variety of [space rock](/source/Space_rock) and [progressive rock](/source/Progressive_rock) bands starting in the mid-1970s, and his first studio album appearance was on *[Xitintoday](/source/Xitintoday)* by [Nik Turner's Sphynx](/source/Nik_Turner) in 1978 (under the name Android Anderson).[2] That album was produced by [Steve Hillage](/source/Steve_Hillage), who invited Anderson to perform on two of his own albums in 1979: *[Live Herald](/source/Live_Herald)* and *[Open](/source/Open_(Steve_Hillage_album))*. Anderson also worked as a session drummer for [Mother Gong](/source/Gong_(band)) and [Hawkwind](/source/Hawkwind).[1] In the early 1980s, Anderson expanded his palette by performing as a session and live drummer for a variety of [new wave](/source/New_wave_music) and [alternative rock](/source/Alternative_rock) acts, such as [M](/source/M_(band)) and [Techno Twins](/source/Techno_Twins).[1] In 1983 he was recruited by [Robert Smith](/source/Robert_Smith_(musician)) and [Steve Severin](/source/Steven_Severin) to play on the album *[Blue Sunshine](/source/Blue_Sunshine_(album))* by their side project [The Glove](/source/The_Glove).[3] Smith's main band [The Cure](/source/The_Cure) was in the midst of revamping its lineup, as incumbent drummer [Lol Tolhurst](/source/Lol_Tolhurst) had switched to keyboards. Smith invited Anderson to play on the Cure single "[The Love Cats](/source/The_Love_Cats_(song))", after which he became a full-time member of the band.[4] Anderson was the sole drummer on the 1984 album *[The Top](/source/The_Top_(album))*.[5] While touring with the Cure in France in 1984, Anderson was accosted by a security guard in a racially motivated incident, and then destroyed a hotel room out of frustration. His behavior became increasingly erratic as the world tour progressed, culminating in an altercation with his bandmates and their road crew after a show in Japan. Anderson was fired from the Cure in October 1984.[1] Anderson then returned to session drumming and enjoyed a successful career as an in-demand collaborator for acts including [Iggy Pop](/source/Iggy_Pop), [Peter Gabriel](/source/Peter_Gabriel), [Edwyn Collins](/source/Edwyn_Collins), [Isaac Hayes](/source/Isaac_Hayes), and [Mike Oldfield](/source/Mike_Oldfield).[5] He also explored electronic music in a project called Prime Data, and another called Front and Centre.[6] In 2012, he was briefly a member of [The Cureheads](/source/The_Cureheads), a tribute band to The Cure[7], and also made a guest appearance with [Levinhurst](/source/Levinhurst), fronted by his former Cure bandmate Lol Tolhurst. [1] Anderson died from cancer at the age of 68 on 26 February 2019,[5][8] after which he received many accolades from former bandmates and collaborators.[3] ## Partial discography **Nik Turner's Sphynx** - *[Xitintoday](/source/Xitintoday)* (1978) **[Steve Hillage](/source/Steve_Hillage)** - *[Live Herald](/source/Live_Herald)* (1979) - *[Open](/source/Open_(Steve_Hillage_album))* (1979) - *[Green](/source/Green_(Steve_Hillage_album))* (2007 edition, appears on two bonus tracks) **The Glove** - *[Blue Sunshine](/source/Blue_Sunshine_(album))* (1983) **The Cure** - *[Japanese Whispers](/source/Japanese_Whispers)* (1983) - *[The Top](/source/The_Top_(album))* (1984) - *[Concert](/source/Concert_(album))* (1984) - *[The Cure Live In Japan](/source/The_Cure_Live_In_Japan)* (1984) VHS - *[Standing on a Beach](/source/Standing_on_a_Beach)* (1986) - *[Greatest Hits](/source/Greatest_Hits_(The_Cure_album))* (2001) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_1-4) Price, Simon (2023). *Curepedia: An A-Z of The Cure*. New York: [William Morrow](/source/William_Morrow_and_Company). pp. 12–15. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-06-306864-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-06-306864-3). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Thompson, Dave. ["Nik Turner: Xitintoday"](http://www.allmusic.com/album/xitintoday-mw0000561619). *AllMusic*. Retrieved 11 April 2014. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_3-1) Aubrey, Elizabeth (27 February 2019). ["The Cure and Iggy Pop pay tribute after death of ex-drummer Andy Anderson"](https://www.nme.com/news/music/former-cure-drummer-andy-anderson-reportedly-passed-away-aged-68-2454464). *NME*. Retrieved 11 February 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Uncut, ed. (2016). "The Cure". *The Ultimate Music Guide*. pp. 53–57. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_5-2) Jon Blistein (26 February 2019). ["Andy Anderson, Drummer for the Cure, Iggy Pop, Dead at 68"](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/andy-anderson-the-cure-iggy-pop-drummer-dead-at-68-800587/). *[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)*. Retrieved 27 February 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Voir le sujet - Interview Andy Anderson"](http://www.apinkdream.org/viewtopic.php?t=15338). *Apinkdream.org*. Retrieved 1 October 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Chain Of Flowers: Andy Anderson joins The Cureheads"](http://craigjparker.blogspot.com/2012/09/andy-anderson-joins-cureheads.html). *Craigparker.blogspot.com*. 22 September 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Roisin O'Connor (27 February 2019). ["Andy Anderson death: Former drummer for The Cure and Iggy Pop dies, aged 68"](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/andy-anderson-death-cause-age-cure-drummer-iggy-pop-cancer-tributes-a8798761.html). *The Independent*. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/andy-anderson-death-cause-age-cure-drummer-iggy-pop-cancer-tributes-a8798761.html) from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2019. v t e The Cure Robert Smith Simon Gallup Roger O'Donnell Jason Cooper Reeves Gabrels Andy Anderson Perry Bamonte Michael Dempsey Matthieu Hartley Pearl Thompson Phil Thornalley Lol Tolhurst Boris Williams Studio albums Three Imaginary Boys Seventeen Seconds Faith Pornography The Top The Head on the Door Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me Disintegration Wish Wild Mood Swings Bloodflowers The Cure 4:13 Dream Songs of a Lost World Live albums Concert: The Cure Live Entreat Show Paris Bestival Live 2011 Compilations Boys Don't Cry Japanese Whispers Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea Galore Greatest Hits Join the Dots Remix albums Mixed Up Torn Down Mixes of a Lost World Extended plays The Peel Sessions Festival 2005 Hypnagogic States EP Video releases The Cure in Orange Trilogy Festival 2005 Tours The Cure: 'Reflections' Shows of a Lost World Related articles Discography Songs Band members Perfect as Cats: A Tribute to the Cure Babacar COGASM Fools Dance The Glove Levinhurst The Magazine Spies Presence Shelleyan Orphan Siouxsie and the Banshees Nocturne Hyæna Category v t e The Glove Steven Severin Robert Smith Jeanette Landray Andy Anderson Martin McCarrick Studio albums Blue Sunshine Singles "Like an Animal" "Punish Me with Kisses" Related articles Siouxsie and the Banshees The Cure v t e Steve Hillage Studio albums Space Shanty Fish Rising L Motivation Radio Green Rainbow Dome Musick Open For To Next Live albums Live Herald BBC Radio 1 Live Associated acts Uriel Khan Gong The Orb System 7 Jean-Philippe Rykiel Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND National Czech Republic Artists MusicBrainz People Deutsche Biographie --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Andy Anderson (drummer)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Anderson_(drummer)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Anderson_(drummer)?action=history)). 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