{{Short description|American musician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Robert Searight | image = Robert "Sput" Searight of Snarky Puppy playing at musig-im-pflegidach - crop1.jpg | caption = Searight in 2015 | image_upright = 1.2 | landscape = yes | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|03|18}} | birth_place = Dallas, Texas, United States | origin = Dallas | alias = Robert Searight II | instrument = Drums, piano, keyboards | label = Independent | genre = {{flatlist| *Jazz *fusion *R&B *gospel *funk *rock *pop }} | occupation = {{flatlist| *Musician *composer *producer }} | years_active = c. 1996–present | current_member_of = {{flatlist| *Snarky Puppy *Ghost-Note }} | past_member_of = Toto | website = }}
'''Robert''' "'''Sput'''" '''Searight''' (born March 18, 1975)<ref name="rs-allmusic" /> is an American drummer, composer and producer best known for his work with jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy and as co-founder of the percussion-based band Ghost-Note. His background spans several genres including jazz, funk, hip-hop and gospel. He has toured and recorded with a variety of artists including Kirk Franklin, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Erykah Badu and Toto. He has received a Grammy Award for his production work on the album ''God's Property''.
==Life and career==
Searight was born and raised in Dallas, Texas.<ref name="rs-md-2013" /> He grew up in a musical family with a variety of instruments in his childhood home.<ref name="rs-yousic-2020" /> His mother, Linda Searight, was an operatic singer and music teacher.<ref name="rs-sw-2018" /><ref name="rs-new-art" /> He received his first drum kit at the age of five and started playing drums. He grew up listening to gospel music exclusively, but that changed at age eight with access to a diverse library of vinyl albums. He started taking music lessons in junior high school and, later, attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts, where he played piano and received his first exposure to improvisation in the arts.<ref name="rs-yousic-2020" /><ref name="rs-sw-2018" /> He names gospel drummer Joel Smith as his biggest early influence.<ref name="rs-yousic-2020" />
In 1992, while in high school, Searight and his mother Linda founded the gospel choir God's Property.<ref name="rs-am-property" /> He studied jazz-piano and drums in junior college and then attended University of North Texas and majored in percussion.<ref name="rs-md-2013" /> Soon after, in 1997, God's Property and Kirk Franklin collaborated to produce the eponymous album ''God's Property,'' for which Searight won a Grammy award in the category Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album.<ref name="rs-am-property" /><ref name="rs-grammy" /> He started touring extensively in support of the album and settled in Los Angeles.<ref name="rs-sw-2018" /> There, he worked as a drummer and producer with a variety of artists, including Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar and Timbaland.<ref name="rs-md-2013" /><ref name="rs-sw-2018" />
In mid-2000s Searight moved back to Dallas and performed in the Dallas R&B-gospel music scene, working with Erykah Badu, Tamela Mann, The Clark Sisters and others.<ref name="rs-sw-2018" /><ref name="rs-md-2015" /> In weekly jam sessions he met members of the jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy, at the time a Dallas-based band.<ref name="rs-md-2013" /><ref name="rs-yousic-2020" /> Around 2006, he joined Snarky Puppy, first as a keyboardist and then as a drummer.<ref name="rs-md-2015" /><ref name="rs-yousic-2020" /> He has received three Grammys with the ensemble.<ref name="rs-grammy-snarky" />{{efn|name=sp-grammys}} In 2014, Searight and Snarky Puppy percussionist Nate Werth founded Ghost-Note, a percussion-based funk-hip hop-jazz band. He has released three albums with Ghost-Note, ''Fortified'' in 2015, ''Swagism'' in 2018, and ''Mustard n' Onions'' in 2024.<ref name="rs-am-ghostnote" /> From 2020 to 2023, he joined Toto as the band's drummer and toured with the band.<ref name="rs-toto-2020" />
==Discography==
'''God's Property''' * ''God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation'' (1997)
'''Ghost-Note''' * ''Fortified'' (2015) * ''Swagism'' (2018) * ''Mustard n' Onions'' (2024)
'''With Snarky Puppy''' *''Bring Us the Bright'' (2008) *''Tell Your Friends'' (2010) *''GroundUP'' (2012) *''Family Dinner – Volume 1'' (2013) *''Sylva'' with Metropole Orkest (2015) *''Family Dinner – Volume 2'' (2016) *''Culcha Vulcha'' (2016)
'''With Toto''' *''With a Little Help from My Friends'' (2021)
'''With others''' * ''Live in Concert'' (2001) with '''Kim Burrell''' * ''Dorinda Clark Cole'' (2002) with '''Dorinda Clark-Cole''' * ''Out the Box'' (2004) with '''Tonéx'''
'''Session and production credits''' <small>''selected works''<ref name="rs-am-credits" /></small> {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Artist ! class="unsortable"|Album |- |Kirk Franklin | *''The Flight of My Life'' (2007) *''Hello Fear'' (2011) *''Losing My Religion'' (2015) |- |Kendrick Lamar | *''To Pimp a Butterfly'' (2015) |- |Shaun Martin | *''7 Summers'' (2015) *''Focus'' (2018) |- |Bill Laurance | *''Aftersun'' (2016) |- |Terrace Martin | *''Velvet Portraits'' (2016) *''Drones'' (2021) |- |Kamasi Washington | *''Heaven & Earth'' (2018) |- |Myron Butler & Levi | *''Set Me Free'' (2005) *''Stronger'' (2007) *''Revealed'' (2010) |- |Tamela Mann | *''Gotta Keep Movin'' (2005) *''The Live Experience'' (2007) *''The Master Plan'' (2009) *''Best Days'' (2012) |- |Marvin Sapp | *''You Shall Live'' (2015) *''Close'' (2017) |- |Ted Winn | *''Stand in Awe'' (2017) |- |}
==Notes== {{notelist|30em|refs= {{efn|name=sp-grammys|Searight is credited for Grammy Awards for the song "Something" and albums ''Sylva'' and ''Culcha Vulcha''.}} }}
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="rs-md-2013">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/april-2013-snarky-puppys-robert-sput-searight/|title=Snarky Puppy's Robert 'Sput' Searight|author=Ken Micallef|magazine=Modern Drummer|date=April 2013|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812043747/https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/april-2013-snarky-puppys-robert-sput-searight/|archive-date=August 12, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-md-2015">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/november-2015-robert-sput-searight/|title=Robert 'Sput' Searight|author=Ken Micallef|magazine=Modern Drummer|date=November 2015|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808095340/https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/november-2015-robert-sput-searight/|archive-date=August 8, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-sw-2018">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x57vGzrMv00|title=Interview: Robert 'Sput' Searight of Snarky Puppy|author=Nick D'Virgilio|publisher=Sweetwater|date=March 20, 2018|type=Video|time=7:25–9:00, 9:50–12:10, 14:47–15:25, 16:40–17:10|via=YouTube|access-date=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515202552/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x57vGzrMv00|archive-date=May 15, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-yousic-2020">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbXRwWE2JoI|title=Legendary Musician Opens Up About His Life Experiences (Robert 'Sput' Searight interview)|author=Alain Merville|publisher=Yousicplay.com|date=April 22, 2020|type=Video|time=1:15–2:12, 3:05–4:15, 7:55–9:15, 11:40–11:50, 23:45–26:20|via=YouTube|access-date=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515202527/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbXRwWE2JoI|archive-date=May 15, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-am-property">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gods-property-mn0000951187/biography|title=AllMusic: God's Property – biography|author=Steve Leggett|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501120204/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gods-property-mn0000951187/biography|archive-date=May 1, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-am-ghostnote">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ghost-note-mn0000700375/biography|title=AllMusic: Ghost-Note – biography|author=Matt Collar|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402015544/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ghost-note-mn0000700375/biography|archive-date=April 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-grammy">{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/robert-searight-ii/12461|title=Grammy Awards: Robert Searight II|publisher=grammy.com|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515202520/https://www.grammy.com/artists/robert-searight-ii/12461|archive-date=May 15, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-grammy-snarky">{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/snarky-puppy/18240|title=Grammy Awards: Snarky Puppy|publisher=grammy.com|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505014536/https://www.grammy.com/artists/snarky-puppy/18240|archive-date=May 5, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-new-art">{{cite web|url=https://www.newartssix.org/the-ensemble.html|title=New Arts Six – The Ensemble|publisher=newartssix.org|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331110607/https://www.newartssix.org/the-ensemble.html|archive-date=March 31, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-am-credits">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-sput-searight-mn0000663103/credits|title=AllMusic: Robert 'Sput' Searight – credits|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518010646/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-sput-searight-mn0000663103/credits|archive-date=May 18, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="rs-toto-2020">Toto 2020 to 2023: *{{cite news|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/2020/10/20/toto-adds-dallas-drummer-robert-sput-searight-to-its-lineup/|title=Toto adds Dallas drummer Robert 'Sput' Searight to its lineup|author=Jeremy Hallock|work=The Dallas Morning News|date=October 20, 2020|accessdate=May 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118194739/https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/2020/10/20/toto-adds-dallas-drummer-robert-sput-searight-to-its-lineup/|archive-date=November 18, 2021|url-status=live}} *{{cite web|url=https://themusicuniverse.com/toto-announces-dogz-oz-world-tour-2022/|title=TOTO announces Dogz of Oz World Tour 2022|author=Buddy Iahn|website=themusicuniverse|date=November 30, 2021|accessdate=May 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202003438/https://themusicuniverse.com/toto-announces-dogz-oz-world-tour-2022/|archive-date=December 2, 2021|url-status=live}} *{{cite web|url=https://www.connectsavannah.com/music-and-clubs/toto-back-together-for-tour-grateful-for-new-fans-19885983|title=TOTO: Back together for tour, grateful for new fans|author=Alan Sculley |website=connectsavannah|date=February 7, 2023|accessdate=May 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516010047/https://www.connectsavannah.com/music-and-clubs/toto-back-together-for-tour-grateful-for-new-fans-19885983|archive-date=May 16, 2024|url-status=live}} </ref>
<ref name="rs-allmusic">{{Cite web |title=Robert "Sput" Searight Songs, Albums, Reviews,... |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-sput-searight-mn0000663103 |access-date=October 21, 2024 |website=AllMusic |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203043418/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-sput-searight-mn0000663103|archive-date=December 3, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
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==External links== *{{Twitter|sputacular}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20200807214000/https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/september-2016-snarkypuppys-holy-trinity/ Snarky Puppy drummers: Interview and gear], ''Modern Drummer'' magazine, 2016
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Searight, Robert}} Category:American jazz drummers Category:American funk drummers Category:Rhythm and blues drummers Category:American session musicians Category:American male drummers Category:Songwriters from Texas Category:Drummers from Dallas Category:21st-century American drummers Category:21st-century American male musicians Category:American male songwriters Category:African-American drummers Category:Living people Category:Year of birth unknown Category:1970s births