Bill Ring

Drummer/Founder

After a professional career playing and singing in numerous original East Coast bands, Bill decided to put his own cover band together and that was the genesis of The Rhythm Rebels.

Bill began playing piano at 5, progressive jazz at 13 and then picked up the sticks to play his dad's 1956 WFL Ludwig kit. His dad, of course, insisted on Bill taking lessons to learn the "proper" way to play. He took only one from legendary local teacher, Hy Frank and then, impatient to begin playing, decided to learn on his own.

Self-taught and unconventional, he has been playing in bands throughout his life as well as having experience as an East Coast session drummer. His bands have opened for numerous artists including Blood, Sweat and Tears and Bill Champlin and he has performed and recorded with artists on a variety of labels including Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Frank Stallone, Steve Burgh (Billy Joel, Gladys Knight, John Prine, David Bromberg), Ian Bruce-Douglas (Ultimate Spinach), Phoebe Snow, power pop mastermind Tom Marolda (The Toms) and The Van Eaton Brothers (signed to Apple Records by Beatle George Harrison).

Bill's very first band was with TJ Tindall who went on to be a featured guitarist in MFSB and many Gamble/Huff records including The Trammps' Disco Inferno. Bill identifies with this quote by TJ: "I am just lucky that it's not all about technique- 99% of guys out there can play circles around me technically- thank God that is not the only criteria! It's about the attitude- sometimes limited vocabularies can say the most because you don't rely solely on technique- play from the heart...fills should always compliment the lines they follow-remember you are part of a team- listen and contribute- it ain't about you!"

Bill appeared as an acapella street-corner singer in 1976's Oscar-winning “ROCKY” with the other members of his band, Valentine and was on screen with Frank Stallone, Cynthia Rhodes, John Travolta and Richie Sambora as the drummer in the band in the sequel to "Saturday Night Fever", “STAYING ALIVE”, shot at NYC's legendary CBGBs.

He has also appeared with Valentine on television on Burt Sugarman’s ground-breaking TV concert format, “Midnight Special”, The Mike Douglas Show, The Dinah Shore Show, The Jim Nabors Show and others.

Bill was music supervisor for the cult classic animated film ,"The Transformers: The Movie" (1986) and produced the soundtrack LP on Scotti Bros. Records.

Bill has always enjoyed playing danceable rhythm and blues and soul music and is happy to have found a home for it in The Rhythm Rebels.