Chris Whitten

The Dire Straits Experience / Circles and Ellipses / Independent / Studio

Chris Whitten made a name for himself providing drums for the classic 80's hits 'What I Am' by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians and 'The Whole Of The Moon' by the Waterboys. He went on to appear on Paul McCartney's critically acclaimed 'Flowers In The Dirt' album and the 1989/90 record-breaking world tour. Two years later Chris embarked on the mammoth, 18 month long ‘On Every Street’ world tour with Dire Straits.
In the 1990's Chris started collaborating with record producer Peter Henderson (Supertramp, Rush and McCartney) on several drum sample libraries, notably 'Superior Custom & Vintage’ for Toontrack in Sweden, then 'EZX Vintage Rock' and 'EZX The Classic’ and ‘EZX Kicks and Snares’ also for Toontrack. In 2017 they recorded at Real World and Rockfield Studios to produce an extensive sample library for Roland’s flagship hybrid drum module, the TM-6 Pro.
Since 2016 Chris has occasionally appeared as a special guest drumming with The Dire Straits Experience, filling stadiums and arenas around Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Chris' extensive studio credits include three Paul McCartney albums, two albums with Swing Out Sister, a James Bond soundtrack (The Living Daylights) with The Pretenders, sessions with World Party, ABC, Holly Johnson, Hipsway, Tom Jones and Johnny Cash, plus more recently, two acclaimed albums by soulful newcomers ‘The Beauty Room’.

CURRENT SETUP
Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis Ride 21 Mel Lewis Signature Mel Lewis Ride
Dark and warm buttery, with a woody stic...
Istanbul Agop Traditional Thin Crash Traditional Traditional Thin Crash
Responds quickly. Low and dark character...
Istanbul Agop Traditional Dark Crash Traditional Traditional Dark Crash
Dark and punchy. Answers quickly with fe...
Istanbul Agop Traditional Medium Hi Hats Traditional Traditional Medium Hi-Hats
Full bodied sticking soft and warm quali...
Istanbul Agop 22" Mantra Ride Cymbal Mantra Signature Mantra Ride
A musical, well defined ping but with pl...
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