Since the spring of 1999, Jamie Oliver, a.k.a. The Naked Chef, has appeared on the BBC Food Network's high-rated show of the same name with his simplified approach to cuisine of "stripping back to the bare essentials."



Jamie Oliver is not only an accomplished chef but also an accomplished musician, and has been playing drums since age eleven. Oliver plays with his band, Scarlet Division since he was 13 and incorporates drum sessions with a Yamaha HipGig into his cooking program. Oliver:

"My cooking keeps me really busy, but I still manage to rehearse with my band at least once a month. I play and recorded the backing drum tracks on the custom CD that's out now. I started drumming on the show about a year ago. What I'm trying to do, more than anything is to not take the cooking so seriously—everything in cooking is about empowerment, so people can think, 'I can do this.' The drums help with that, and the young ones like it. It's really about having fun. And besides, I love the drums — the drums are a really wicked thing."

In addition to his numerous cook books on the market, Oliver released the CD "Jamie Oliver's Cookin: Music to Cook By" in 2001. It's a compilation that includes hisown band Scarlet Division, and other favorite British bands such as Fatboy Slim, Happy Mondays, Oasis and Duran Duran.



The Naked Chef also played drums on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno,' the first week of December 2002.