James Kottak

James Kottak (December 26, 1962 – January 9, 2024) was an American drummer, best known for his work with the German hard rock band Scorpions, which he joined in 1996. At the time of his firing from the band in 2016, he was their all-time longest-serving drummer, surpassing Herman Rarebell, who had spent 19 years in the band. Kottak was also an original member of Kingdom Come, of whom he was their drummer from 1987 to 1989 and again from 2018 to his death in 2024, and had his own band Kottak, formerly known as KrunK. His other stints as a drummer included Montrose, Warrant, Dio, the McAuley Schenker Group and Buster Brown.