Drummer for Barry White, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Andy Gibb (Bee Gees).
José Sánchez Lianes, known as Pepe Sánchez, passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Las Rozas, surrounded by his family and closest friends. He was one of the most significant figures in Spanish music: a percussionist, pianist, composer and educator.
Pepe Sánchez was a major reference for drummers and percussionists around the world. Throughout his career, he performed alongside some of the finest American, European and Latin American drummers.
He received the Record World Award in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977. In 1980, Modern Drummers magazine named him one of the four best drummers in the world at the time. He also achieved Guinness World Record recognition with the Allen Star Drummers festival in 2000, 2002 and 2009.
Leading international percussion brands Ludwig and Zildjian presented him as one of their featured percussion artists, and he performed in Frankfurt, Los Angeles and numerous other cities throughout Spain, Europe and the United States.
As a drummer, he performed under some of the most prestigious conductors in symphonic and popular music, including Henry Mancini, Michel Legrand, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin and Paul Mauriat, among others.
In the recording industry and in live performance, he collaborated with major Spanish and international artists including Julio Iglesias, Joan Manuel Serrat, Nino Bravo, Rocío Jurado, Camilo Sesto, Dúo Dinámico, Raphael and Miguel Ríos, among many others. During his time in the United States, he recorded with Barry White, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Andy Gibb (Bee Gees) and other major international artists.
Pepe Sánchez was also the resident drummer at legendary Madrid jazz clubs such as Whisky Jazz. His students would go there to see him put into practice what he taught at his academy, where many of Spain’s finest drummers were trained.
As a composer, arranger and record producer, he wrote and recorded numerous works. His albums have been released and reissued in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, including Regresión, Signo de Cáncer, Callejón del Agua, Mis Raíces, Classic All Star, The All Star Blues Band and Libertad, among others.
Pepe Sánchez served as musical director of major television music programmes, including Gente Joven on TVE for 16 years, as well as programmes on Telecinco. He also conducted prestigious orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the RTVE Orchestra, the Manuel de Falla Orchestra, the Bética de Sevilla Orchestra and the Ciudad de Málaga Orchestra.
Today we say goodbye to a giant of music who was also a good man: generous, supportive and deeply committed to the defence and advancement of music.
As an outstanding educator, he worked tirelessly to promote the inclusion of pop, rock and popular music instruments within conservatory education and to ensure that they received the recognition they deserved.
He was also a committed advocate for the intellectual rights of performing artists and took part in campaigns and initiatives aimed at promoting Spanish music throughout the world.
At the time of his death, Pepe Sánchez was Secretary General of AIE and a founding and active member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Academy of Music, positions he held with dignity and distinction.
His passing leaves us with profound sadness, but also with gratitude for a musical and human legacy that will endure over time.
Today is a sad day, but that sadness is tempered by the certainty that his extraordinary legacy will serve future generations, allowing them to learn from and carry forward everything this remarkable man created for the enjoyment of us all.
His work, dedication, study and passion for music will never die.
