Which drummer co-founded The Meters and was nicknamed Zigaboo?

The drummer who co-founded The Meters and was nicknamed Zigaboo is Joseph Modeliste.

Born Joseph Modeliste in New Orleans in 1948, he became known professionally as Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste and, especially, Zigaboo Modeliste. He was a founding member and drummer of The Meters, the New Orleans group whose compact grooves helped define funk in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Modeliste received the nickname Zigaboo when he was about ten years old, and it remained with him through his career. His drumming drew on New Orleans second-line traditions and the city’s influential drummers, creating syncopated patterns that often made the drums feel like a lead instrument rather than simple timekeeping.

The Meters began in 1965 and worked closely with producer and songwriter Allen Toussaint. They served as a studio and backing band for artists including Lee Dorsey and Dr. John, later touring with the Rolling Stones. Modeliste’s grooves, particularly on songs such as “Cissy Strut” and “Look-Ka Py Py,” became heavily sampled in hip-hop and remain central examples of New Orleans funk.