Mike Portnoy is the acclaimed drummer of Dream Theater as well as various side-projects such as Liquid Tension Experiment, TransAtlantic and O.S.I.

Mike is an American drummer primarily known for his work with the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Known for his drum prowess, Portnoy has won 23 awards from the Modern Drummer magazine.

He has co-produced the last five Dream Theater albums with John Petrucci, starting from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. From A Change of Seasons onwards, Portnoy has been writing a substantial amount of Dream Theater's lyrics, filling the void left by Kevin Moore, who left the band after the release of Awake. He is the second youngest person (after Neil Peart) to be inducted into the Modern Drummer's Hall of Fame (at 37 years of age).

Portnoy names his biggest influences as Rush drummer Neil Peart, composer/guitarist Frank Zappa, and the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps. Other favorites include drummers Terry Bozzio, Vinnie Colaiuta, Peter Criss, Simon Phillips, John Bonham, Vinnie Paul, Carl Palmer, Keith Moon, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Bill Bruford, and bands such as Rush, The Beatles, Queen, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd, Tool, Pantera, Muse, Metallica, Megadeth, Jellyfish, Iron Maiden, KISS, Phish, Deep Purple, Radiohead, Umphrey's McGee, U2 and Jane's Addiction.

Portnoy has won 23 awards from Modern Drummer magazine, including "Best Up & Coming Talent" (one time), "Best Clinician" (two times), "Best Educational Video/DVD" (two times), "Best recorded performance" (6 times) and "Best Progressive Rock Drummer" (for 12 consecutive years), and is also the youngest person (at 37 years of age) to be inducted into their Rock Drummer Hall of Fame since Neil Peart was inducted in 1983 (at 31 years of age).

Portions of this bio have been excerpted from wikipedia.org