Jazz drum star Tate dies at 85

JAZZ DRUMMING legend Grady Tate died Sunday at his Upper East Side home. He was 85.

NPR reported his death was confirmed by the Jazz Foundation of America.

The veteran percussionist and vocalist was featured behind the kit on hundreds of recordings with the likes of Jimmy Smith, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, Lena Horne and Peggy Lee — in addition to his own significant solo career.

His selftaught skills made Tate (inset) a go-to rhythm machine for some of the top names in jazz in the 1960s and ’70s and landed him a spot as the drummer on “The Tonight Show” from 1968 to 1974.

But his natural talents as a singer helped catapult him into the nexus of the jazz and R&B worlds, earning the North Carolina native two Grammy nominations.

His voluminous body of work included vocals on the soundtrack for the popular children’s series “Schoolhouse Rock,” drumming for the likes of Paul Simon and Bette Midler and his hypnotic rhythm work for David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.”

“Farewell to Grady Tate, one of the most swingin’ drummers who also had one of the most distinct beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. RIP, maestro,” drummer E.J. Strickland tweeted.