Ralf Gustke was born in Heidelberg/Germany. At the age of 10, Ralf was already gaining experience on the snare drum in a marching band. At the age of 16, he got his first drum set and began playing along to music from the American radio station AFN, which at the time featured R&B, funk, rock, jazz and soul music.

His love for drums never left him – constantly driven by development,
virtuosity and curiosity to play the groove for each style.

Drum lessons, participation in drumming competitions, and live performances with various bands in clubs led to his first major tours
with Chaka Khan and his band Zebra, as well as with German Rocker
Wolf Maahn.

Over time, Ralf became a sought-after studio and live drummer. To date, he has contributed to recordings on more than 200 albums.

He played with, amongst others, Georg Danzer, Gianna Nannini,
Rio Reiser, Six was Nine, Culture Beat, Culture Cross, Sabrina Setlur, Edo Zanki, Glashaus, Moses Pelham, De Phazz, Katie Melua,
Schiller, Nena, RZA (Wutang Clan), Tarja, Kevin Coyne, Ünlü, Wirtz,
Söhne Mannheims Jazz Department,
Uli Brodersen Jazz, Ali Neander Organ Quartet, Söhne Mannheims, Barclay James Harvest, Xavier Naidoo.

Stilistically, Ralf moves confidently across many genres and is certainly
one of the most versatile drummers in Germany.

In 2017, Ralf released his first solo album, Flying Days, featuring bassist
Claus Fischer, keyboardist Jesse Milliner, and trumpeter Joo Kraus.

He has also given regular drum workshops as a solo artist in past and present.

Ralf also worked on Philipp Rehm’s Bassbook, Bass Matrix / Alfred Music

Current Activities:
– Lecturer at Music College Regensburg
– Studio and recording work
– Live touring with Ali Neander Organ Quartet
– Live touring with Söhne Mannheims and Söhne Mannheims Jazz Dep.
– Live touring with Xavier Naidoo

Ralf is appearing in association with Gretsch, Vic Firth and Sabian.