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Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (born February 15, 1976) is the drummer of the Las Vegas based rock band The Killers.
Early life
Ronnie Vannucci Jr. was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 15, 1976. He is descended of half Italian and half german ancestry. Ronnie is 6’ ½’’ tall. As a kid, Vannucci claims to have banged on every object in his parents' house, even the vacuum cleaner. At age 6, he became the youngest musician to perform in a Las Vegas band; he played drums for "Play That Funky Music White Boy" at a lounge in Caesars Palace.
In fourth grade, Ronnie won his school's talent show for drumming. In junior high, Vannucci listened to punk rock and Britpop and wore white combat boots. He learned to play guitar from his father after quitting the junior high school jazz ensemble over "creative differences". Ronnie attended both Clark and Western High Schools and formed his first band, Purple Dirt.
Some of his favorite bands during this time included The Cure and Depeche Mode.
Career
Vannucci started teaching private lessons while drumming in a variety of bands that played everything and everywhere, from a desert show to weddings. He attended University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and studied percussion.
Previous bands Vannucci was the drummer for include Atta Boy Skip (ska-punk), Romance Fantasy, Expert on October and Free Food (cover-band plus some originals). Atta Boy Skip had a big underground following amongst Las Vegas high school students in the 1990s. Free Food was an oldies/classic rock band that played at local Las Vegas prisons and homeless shelters.
In the late '90s he joined the melodic indie/rock group Expert On October with The Killers' current touring backup guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Ted Sablay. His final band before joining the Killers was Romance Fantasy with Rodney E. Pardey a.k.a. Michael Valentine. Brandon Flowers penned the Killers song "The Ballad of Michael Valentine" after Vannucci convinced Flowers that it would make a good song subject.
He joined The Killers in 2002 alongside Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning. Later, it was Ronnie's idea to sneak The Killers into the Alta Ham Fine Arts Building on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus for practice. After an all-night practice, Ronnie typically headed off to his day job as a photographer at the Little Chapel of the Flowers. Before joining the Killers Ronnie and his roommate would allow aspiring musicians/bands to practice in their garage.
Personal life
Vanucci is married to his beautiful wife Lisa Vannucci. The two were married on May 2, 2003. They currently reside in Las Vegas and Park City, UT. Lisa Vannucci is a photographer by trade. He has also been compared to the leading character on the US television series “They Call Me Earl” for his fantastic handlebar moustache.
Awards
The Killers have been nominated for and received many awards. In 2009 The Killers won “best international band” at the NME Awards. Ronnie Vannucci Jr. was featured on the cover of Drummer Magazine (June 2009).
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