Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr. of the legendary Batiste family has died, according to his family. Batiste—well known as the engine powering The Funky Meters down the tracks alongside George Porter, Jr., and a regular in the Joe Krown Trio—was 57-years-old. Batiste also played in Porter’s band, The Runnin’ Pardners. Batiste was known for being one of the busiest drummers in the local business,  at one point boasting performing some of the highest number of gigs per day.

The late John Swenson wrote of Batiste’s jam-packed schedule in 2000:

“That kind of load would be more than enough for most players, but not Batiste, who boasts one of the highest GPO (gigs per day) ratios of any player this side of the Bourbon Street all-night joints. Batiste is the drummer in the family band, the Batiste Brothers. That was him in Bonearam[a] playing the awesome take of Led Zeppelin’s drum-solo showcase ‘Moby Dick’ at Jazz Fest. Monday nights at the Old Point in Algiers that’s Batiste throwing down with Papa Gros Funk. He’s even been heard slugging it out heavy metal-style behind MuleBone upon occasion.”

The late Russell Batiste started playing drums at the age of four. He also learned to play keyboards, saxophone, guitar and bass, and started to play in the family band when he was seven. He has worked with international stars such as Harry Connick, Jr.and PHISH but preferred to perform locally with such acts as the late Walter Wolfman Washington.

This is a developing story and OffBeat will continue to post updates.