NRBQ's Tom Ardolino, RIP

TOM ARDOLINO, who spent three decades as the drummer for NRBQ, died on Jan. 6 in Springfield, MA. The 56-year-old musician had been in poor health for some time. Born in Springfield on Jan. 12, 1955, Ardolino was a fan of NRBQ (short for New Rhythm and Blues Quartet) before he became a member at 19, five years after the group released its first album on Columbia. From that point until 2004, when NRBQ stopped performing after keyboardist/founding member Terry Adams became ill, Ardolino anchored the virtuosic, wildly eclectic cult band, whose fans include Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt. Ardolino is survived by his estranged wife, Keiko, and a brother, Richard. Here’s NRBQ rocking out in typically idiosyncratic fashion on the rockabilly staple “I Got a Rocket in My Pocket” back in 1980. (1/17a)