Photo: Bill Gordon / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Anton Fig is the definition of a musician's musician, and that's why I rate him so highly. As the longtime drummer for Paul Shaffer's band on David Letterman's late-night shows, he was the engine behind countless performances most viewers never thought twice about, which is its own kind of mastery. Letterman nicknaming him "Buddy Rich Jr." says plenty. Add his session work with Kiss, Ace Frehley, and Joe Bonamassa, and you've got a South African-born player who quietly became one of the most dependable hands in American music. I love these behind-the-scenes pros who make everyone else sound better.
Overview
Anton Fig (born 8 August 1952) is a South African session drummer perhaps best known as the drummer and second-in-command for Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band. David Letterman, for whom the band served as house band on his late-night talk shows, often called Fig "Anton Zip" or "Buddy Rich Jr." Fig is also known for his work with Kiss, Ace Frehley, and Joe Bonamassa.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Anton Fig
- Name (Japanese)
- アントン・フィグ
- Reading
- あんとん・ふぃぐ
- Born
- August 8, 1952 (age 73)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dragon
- Origin
- Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- drummer / musician / session musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Drummer — see all → · Musician — see all → · More people from South Africa →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.