" ...Man! He is an exceptional drummer of the new generation"- Joe Morello. Giuseppe "Peppe" Merolla was born in Naples, Italy on 12/2/1969. At the age of five years, he began his music career, accompanying his parents who were professional singers as a drummer. They traveled all over Italy, and as far as the United States and Canada, performing in theatres and festivals as the main act. After two years, Peppe embarked on his singing career, which lead him to make his first recording at the age of seven, where he sang and played drums as well. Eventually, his father decided to enroll him in the Conservatory of San Pietro A Majella in Naples, where he completed his masters in Classical Trumpet. Nevertheless, amongst his intense classical training, Peppe never abandoned his primary love, the drums. Hooking up with his first drum teachers, Antonio Golino and Walter Scotti, two nationally known Italian jazz drummers and percussionists, he secretly widened his music technique and perspective. It was in these years that he began to develop a strong appreciation of Jazz, and became widely exposed to all forms of commercial music.