John Henry "Jabo" Starks (October 26, 1938 – May 1, 2018) was an American funk and blues drummer best known for playing with James Brown.

Career

Starks played on many of Brown's biggest hits, either as the sole drummer or in tandem with Clyde Stubblefield, including "The Payback", "Sex Machine", "Super Bad", and "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing". He also backed many of the artists produced or managed by Brown, most notably Lyn Collins, The JBs, and Bobby Byrd. Along with his colleague Stubblefield, Starks ranks as one of the most sampled drummers on contemporary hip hop and R&B recordings.

In his long career, Starks played with a number of major figures of the blues, including Bobby Blue Bland and B.B. King. Starks appeared on some of Bland's most successful records, among them "I Pity the Fool" (1961), "Turn On Your Love Light" and "Stormy Monday Blues". With Stubblefield, he recorded an instructional video.

Starks lived in Mobile, Alabama and performed in Grayton Beach, Florida. When not touring or recording, he performed five nights a week at the Picolo Restaurant and Red Bar, a local restaurant.

On December 22, 2007, Starks, Stubblefield, and Bootsy Collins performed in Covington, Kentucky for the first tribute concert remembering James Brown.

Starks died on May 1, 2018, at his home in Mobile, Alabama, at the age of 79.

Selected discography

• Superbad (Lakeshore Records, 2007)

With Johnny J. Blair

• Fire (CJAM Productions, 2000)

With The Funkmasters

• Find The Groove (Funkmasters, 2001)
• Come Get Summa This (Funkmasters, 2006)

With Fred Wesley

• Funk For Your Ass (Columbia Music Entertainment, 2008)