Sue Hadjopoulos

Hadjopoulos was born in Flushing, New York to a musical family.[1] Her brother Chris Hadjopoulos is a drummer, and her brother Steve, who died in 1991, played flute, keyboards, and saxophone with the group Firefall from 1983 to 1988.[2]

Hadjopoulos studied classical flute for six years before switching to drums and percussion.[3] She graduated magna cum laude in anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University and did her graduate studies at Mannes School of Music in Manhattan.[4]

In 1977, Hadjopoulos began a two-year run as a founding member and timbalera of Latin Fever, a 14-piece female salsa band produced by Latin jazz pianist Larry Harlow.

In 1982, Hadjopoulos collaborated with British musician Joe Jackson to create his 1982 album Night and Day.[1][5] Hadjopoulos continued her collaboration with him on-and-off through 2012; during that time she also toured with Cyndi Lauper, Simple Minds, Enrique Iglesias, and Ricky Martin.[6]

Hadjopoulos co-wrote, co-produced and performed the song "Breakin' Up" in the 1994 film Bar Girls.[7] In the later 1990s and early 2000s, she also performed in theatre and off-Broadway shows such as Vicki: Behind The Beat with Vicki Sue Robinson in 1999. She also appeared in The Temptation of Saint Anthony world premiere at Ruhrtriennale festival in Duisburg, German and an off-Broadway production of Songs for a New World at Chernuchin Theater.[8]

In 1984, she was voted one of the top five percussionists in the Latin/Brazilian category of Modern Drummer's Readers’ Poll.[9]

With Hazel Scott

• Always (1979)

With Joe Jackson[10]

• Night And Day (1982)
• Mike's Murder (Soundtrack) (1983)
• Live 1980/86 (1988)
• Blaze of Glory (1989)
• Laughter & Lust (1991)
• Three of Hearts (Film Score) (1994)
• Heaven & Hell (1997)
• Symphony No.1 (1999)
• Night and Day II (2000)
• The Duke (2011)

With Simple Minds

• Once Upon A Time (1985)
• Live In The City of Light (1986)

With Laurie Anderson

• Strange Angels (1989)

With David Byrne

• David Byrne (1994)

With They Might Be Giants

• Factory Showroom (1996)

With Ricky Martin

• “I Count The Minutes” from Ricky Martin (1999)

With Michael Monroe

• Not Fakin’ It (1989)

• Official website