Chuck Ruff, drummer for the Edgar Winter Group and Sammy Hagar among others, hailed from Reno, Nevada.



He joined the band Sawbuck at age 17. It was in 1972 that Chuck became a founding member of the Edgar Winter Group, where he gained fame.



In 1973, the group released an album that is considered one of hard rock’s greatest, 'They Only Come Out at Night'. This album reached #3 in the Billboard charts and produced two great singles, Frankenstein (reached #1) and Free Ride (reached #14).



It was Chuck Ruff who named their #1 hit, Frankenstein. The song by its nature induced jam sessions during the recording sessions. The only way to produce it into a song fit for release was to make massive cuts and edit the pieces together, hence the name Frankenstein.



Chuck Ruff went on to record four more albums with the Edgar Winter Group, including one with rocker Rick Derringer and another with Edgar’s brother, Johnny Winter.



In 1977, Chuck Ruff became the drummer for Sammy Hagar.



Over the years, he also played with the groups Sawbuck, The Michael Furlong Band, The Max Volume Band and Adam Bomb. Chuck eventually formed his own band, the Chuck Ruff Group, based out of Reno.