Drummer Corky (Gordon) Laing has had a long and distinguished career in the music industry. He was born in 1948 in Montreal, Canada, the youngest of five siblings. Some of his earliest musical memories are of his mother playing Cuban and Latin music on their record player. These early musical experiences cemented his interest in percussion playing, which he began pursuing at 13 years old. He was 14 when he got his first big “break,” playing drum set for The Ink Spots during their performance at a country club in Montreal.

That one gig led to others, which later turned into membership in the Felix Pappalardi (of Cream fame) produced group Energy. Energy never put out a record, but Pappalardi’s influence led to Laing taking over for drummer N. D. Smart in the hard rock group Mountain in 1969. He joined Mountain shortly after the band played at Woodstock, and has the distinction of being the only Canadian in the Long Island-based group. Mountain released three albums. Their most famous song “Mississippi Queen”—which Laing claims to have written—is stilled played on Classic rock stations.

The constant touring and fast-living lifestyle led to Mountain’s multiple breakups. During their first breakup from 1972-1974, Laing formed the group West, Bruce, and Laing. West, Bruce, and Laing released two studio and one live album before Mountain’s first reunion in 1974. Mountain was only together for about two years before breaking up again. They then got back together in 1985, but without bassist and producer Felix Pappalardi who was shot and killed by his wife, Gail Collins, in 1983.

The consummate performer, Laing has worked on a large variety of projects in the last couple of decades. In the early 2000s he wrote a humorous memoir titled “Stick It,” and then produced a narrated version. He has lectured for the University of Western Ontario and other universities in Canada, the UK, and Finland. He has also run his own radio show called “Under the Rock,” and in 2012 wrote and performed the rock opera “Playing God.” He is currently on tour around the United States and the United Kingdom performing his show “Corky Laing Plays Mountain” with his Mountain off-shoot group.

For someone who has had such an eclectic career, it is not surprising that Laing’s style straddles many boundaries. His drumming was made famous by his addition of the cow’s bell to the intro of “Mississippi Queen.” Laing has experience with the restrained drumming style of jazz, as well as the more in-your-face hard rock technique. His eclectic style has led to collaborations with such musical luminaries as Bo Diddley, Mahogany Rush, John Lennon, Bobby Keys, Ten Years After, David Rea, Mylon LeFevre, and Meat Loaf.