Background and career
Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer and co-founder of the band Phish, which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo credit.
Fishman was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Syracuse, New York. Fishman had a passion for the drums from an early age and emulated John Bonham, the drummer for Led Zeppelin, Bill Bruford of Yes and King Crimson, along with Keith Moon of The Who. He went to Jamesville-Dewitt High School in a suburb of Syracuse. After graduation in 1983, he attended the University of Vermont to study engineering. Shortly after his arrival, he met Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio and founded the band Phish. Deciding against engineering, he and Anastasio transferred to Goddard College.
The band Phish was named after him (he is commonly referred to as "Fish" among many other nicknames), though other explanations for the name have been given. In addition to drumming, he also sings back-up vocals and occasionally lead-vocals (usually on cover songs, most of them humorous – the best examples are Prince's "Purple Rain", Syd Barrett’s "Love You", and "Terrapin", Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie", Will Smith's song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd's "Bike"). Worthy of note are his more serious vocal efforts, including lead vocals on Phish's cover of the Talking Heads song "Crosseyed and Painless", and his vocal duties on the Phish originals, "The Moma Dance", "Taste", and "Ghost". He is well known on tour for his Electrolux vacuum cleaner solos and playing while wearing a donut-printed muumuu dress. He has admitted to taking acid before playing early in the band's career. Fishman regularly performs with Phish wearing a blue muumuu dress with a pattern of red annuli. In 2015, Phish filed to trademark the pattern on Fishman's dress, but the request was tentatively denied by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Fishman uses a variety of drums and cymbals on his kit; brands such as Noble & Cooley, Gretsch, Ludwig, Yamaha, Ayotte, Eames, Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, and Wuhan. He also uses Remo drum heads, Vic Firth drum sticks, and LP percussion accessories. His setup consists of:
22x14 AYOTTE round badge bass drum. 6x6 Noble & Cooley tom (in Black Finish) 8x7 Noble & Cooley tom 10x7 Noble & Cooley tom 12x8 Noble & Cooley tom 14x12 Gretsch Floor Tom 16x14 Gretsch Floor Tom 14x6.5 Ayotte 18-Ply Maple Snare (or 14x6.5 Precision 21-Ply Maple Snare w/ custom 3D phish logo). Cymbals include:
14" hi-hats (Zildjian K Light Hats) 13" Paiste Mega Cup Chime 15" Istanbul Agop Medium Thin Crash 8" Zildjian A Custom Splash 16" Zildjian K Thin Crash 17" Sabian Cymbals HH Crash 21" Sabian AA Dry Ride 20" Zildjian A Custom Flat Ride w/ rivets 18" Zildjian Oriental China Trash 22" Zildjian Pang He uses an LP Black Beauty cowbell, an LP Rock Ridge Rider cowbell, and a set of 4 LP temple blocks. He uses Vic Firth drum sticks. His preferred "perfect pair" is the Peter Erskine Ride Stick and the SD4 Combo. He uses TG12 Sticks for practice, Vic Firth and Regal Tip Brushes, and Vic Firth T1 Mallets. He uses Remo drum heads. His preferred setup:
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
