Carmine Appice (b. December 15, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rock drummer of Italian ancestry. He is brother to Vinny Appice, who also plays drums professionally. Appice first came to prominence as the flamboyant percussionist with the late 1960s psychedelic foursome Vanilla Fudge. Appice and bassist Tim Bogert contributed distinctive background harmonies to the group's high-decibel sonic assault. After five albums, Appice and Bogert left Vanilla Fudge to form the blues-rock quartet Cactus