Age, Biography and Wiki

Pete La Roca (Peter Sims) was born on 7 April, 1938 in Harlem, New York, United States, is an American drummer. Discover Pete La Roca's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 74 years old?

Popular As Peter Sims
Occupation Drummer
Age 74 years old
Zodiac Sign Aries
Born 7 April 1938
Birthday 7 April
Birthplace Harlem, New York, United States
Date of death November 20, 2012
Died Place N/A
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 7 April. He is a member of famous artist with the age 74 years old group.

Pete La Roca Height, Weight & Measurements

At 74 years old, Pete La Roca height not available right now. We will update Pete La Roca's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

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Pete La Roca Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Pete La Roca worth at the age of 74 years old? Pete La Roca’s income source is mostly from being a successful artist. He is from United States. We have estimated Pete La Roca's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income artist

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Timeline

1938

Pete "La Roca" Sims (born Peter Sims; April 7, 1938 – November 20, 2012, known as Pete La Roca from 1957 until 1968) was an American jazz drummer and attorney.

Born and raised in Harlem by a pianist mother and a stepfather who played trumpet, he was introduced to jazz by his uncle Kenneth Bright, a major shareholder in Circle Records and the manager of rehearsal spaces above the Lafayette Theater.

Sims studied percussion at the High School of Music and Art and at the City College of New York, where he played tympani in the CCNY Orchestra.

He adopted the name La Roca early in his musical career, when he played timbales for six years in Latin bands.

1950

Between the end of the 1950s and 1968, he also played with Slide Hampton, the John Coltrane Quartet, Marian McPartland, Art Farmer, Freddie Hubbard, Mose Allison, and Charles Lloyd, among others.

During this period, he led his own group and worked as the house drummer at the Jazz Workshop in Boston, Massachusetts.

1957

In 1957, Max Roach became aware of him while jamming at Birdland and recommended him to Sonny Rollins.

As drummer of Rollins' trio on the afternoon set at the Village Vanguard on November 3 he became part of the important record A Night at the Village Vanguard. (Only one of five recorded tracks with La Roca was included on the original single LP release of the album).

1959

In 1959 he recorded with Jackie McLean (New Soil) and in a quartet with Tony Scott, Bill Evans and Jimmy Garrison.

Besides Garrison he often joined with bassists who played in the Bill Evans Trio, especially Scott LaFaro and Steve Swallow, and also accompanied pianists like Steve Kuhn, Don Friedman and Paul Bley.

1960

He recorded two albums as a leader during the mid-1960s, Basra (Blue Note, 1965) and Turkish Women at the Bath (Douglas, 1967).

By this time he was already earning most of his income by driving a taxi cab in New York City, a job he held for five years during the 1960s.

1968

In 1968, with the market for acoustic jazz in decline, Sims decided to enroll in law school.

1970

In the 1970s, during a hiatus from jazz performance, he resumed using his original surname.

When he returned to jazz in the late 1970s, he usually inserted "La Roca" into his name in quotation marks to help audiences familiar with his early work identify him.

Sims became a lawyer in the early 1970s, and was still practicing at the time of a 1997 radio interview with WNYC's Steve Sullivan.

When his second album as leader, Turkish Women at the Bath, was released under Chick Corea's name without his consent, Sims filed and argued a lawsuit against Douglas Records, and the erroneously-labeled records were recalled.

1979

He returned to jazz part-time in 1979, and recorded one new album as a leader, Swing Time (Blue Note, 1997).

He died in New York of lung cancer at the age of 74.

With Anamari

With Paul Bley

With Rocky Boyd

With Jaki Byard

With Ted Curson

With Art Farmer

With the Don Friedman Trio

With Joe Henderson

With Freddie Hubbard

With the Steve Kuhn Trio

With Jackie McLean

With J.R. Monterose

1982

He told The New York Times in 1982 that he did so only out of necessity:

"I can't deny that I once played under the name La Roca, but I have to insist that my name is Peter Sims with La Roca in brackets or in quotes. For 16 or 17 years, when I have not been playing the music, people have known me as Sims....When I was 14 or 15, I thought ['La Roca'] was clever; right now, it's an embarrassment. I thought that it would be something that people would probably remember - boy, was I ever right on that one! I can't make my conversion."