The Moonwalk. The rhinestone glove. The “Smooth Criminal” lean. 

Underneath every single one of those iconic Michael Jackson moments—every gravity-defying spin, every hip thrust, every perfectly choreographed performance, every track that made your parents lose their minds—was the same drummer. And most of us have never heard his name.

He’s Jonathan “Sugarfoot” Moffett, and over the past four decades, he’s been the live drummer for Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elton John, George Michael, and Janet Jackson. For those counting at home, that’s 23 world tours in all. He’s also something of an Internet darling: a clip of him performing “Smooth Criminal” has been watched more than 72 million times online. And most of the people sharing it still can’t name the man behind the drum kit.

If you’re thinking, ‘How have I never heard of this guy?’ Trust us, you’re not alone. 

A nine-year-old in New Orleans night clubs

Moffett was born in 1954 in New Orleans, the youngest of three brothers in a musical family. His older siblings played guitar and bass; his father nudged him toward the drums. By age eight, he had a scrappy full drum kit and was playing school dances and neighborhood parties with his brothers’ band, The Cavaliers. By nine, he was playing local nightclubs, snuck in through the back door, rocking the full set, then falling asleep across his brothers’ laps in the back seat of the car on the ride home. He’d wake up the next morning and go to school. 

The sweet nickname came a few years later, when a new band told him every member needed one.........

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