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Drummer and back-up vocalist for the progressive rock group, Dream Theater, Mike Portnoy was born on April 20, 1967, and raised in Long Beach, New York. He became interested in music at a very young age; Portnoy said it himself, "It was inevitable that I'd become a musician.", and so he taught himself with only the help of music theory classes in high school. Around this time he bagan playing in local bands such as Intruder, Rising Power and Inner Sanctum, which actually released an album! But soon after recieving a scholarship for music, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where then he met the friends whom he would form a bond with that would lead to the arrangement of the progressive metal group known as Dream Theater (UK: Dream Theatre).  Portnoy is well known for his speed and endurance, winning many awards, including the Modern Drummers Award, which he said himself was his dream come true, and that he is living his dream. In many ways, he is better than the well-known Neil Peart of Rush. While Neil Peart is an amazing drummer, he is more the influence in this case, because Mike Portnoy by far surpasses the skills that Neil Peart has ever brought forth. Portnoy is also (or has also been) the drummer in other bands quite similar to that of Dream Theater, such as Liquid Tension Experiment, TransAtlantic, O.S.I. (Office of Strategic Influence), and few more, including a Rush tribute performance. He has not only played along side his fellow Dream Theater members John Petrucci, John Myung, James LaBrie, and Jordan Rudess, (with past member's who've come and gone), but as well as many other musicians in his past, such as Maggie Estep, Kevin Shirley, Doug Oberkircher, and Jay Beckenstein.

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