Jeff Plate

 


Jeff Plate (born March 26, 1962) is an American professional hard rock/heavy metal drummer. He currently plays with the group Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He is best known as drummer for American heavy metal band Savatage on their albums since Japan Live '94, and was also a member of Metal Church from 2006 to their break up in 2009 and again from their reunion in 2012 to 2017. Plate was born in Montour Falls, New York, and grew up on a farm in Horseheads, New York. As a youth, he dreamed of becoming a pitcher for the New York Yankees, but this dream took a bad turn when his hip popped out of joint at the age of 12. On crutches for 4 months, he was advised to give up playing sports for two years in order for the hip to heal properly. After watching Kiss perform on The Midnight Special, he began taking drum lessons in school and privately. Jeff moved to Tampa, Florida in 1981, but soon returned New York, before moving once again to the Boston area. There, while working in a cover band with some hometown friends, he met Boston guitarist Matt Leff. Leff had been playing in a band Wicked Witch, whose lead vocalist was Zak Stevens. Wicked Witch went through a few lineup changes and had broken up at the time Matt and Jeff started playing together. Zak returned from his home in SC to Boston to reform a 2nd version of Wicked Witch.