Drums

Chris Wright recalls hearing the drummer play in the famous British instrumental band, The Shadows. From that moment on all he wanted was a drum kit. His dear dad brought home a used drum for him one day and as they say, his life was never the same! Chris loved playing drums and also helping his...
Willie Bam Bam Parker’s mother has said that at birth, her son came out swinging and she knew even then that he was going to be a drummer. At age 3 his love of drums was rewarded his with his first kit, a Smurf drum set. By age ten Willie was playing in a variety of different church groups,...
Carmine Appice looked up to drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich as he honed his talent and became an extremely successful rock drummer. Working with names like Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Rod Stewart to name a few, Carmine has served as a drum and percussion inspiration to a generation of rock...
Dave Black is the Editor-in-Chief, School Method Strategy (formally Editor-in-Chief, School & Pop Publications) of Alfred Music. He was heavily influenced by his junior high band director who provided the perspective of how being in a band would not only help in the development of various...
Neil Larrivee was just four years old when he began playing drums. His father was a manager for rock bands and music was all around Neil as he grew up. He served in the Drum and Bugle Corps when he was 11 and soon embraced orchestral music and the timpani. He landed a job with Vic Firth, just as...
Glenn Noyes and his brother caught the music bug from their father who was a professional trumpeter. Glenn started on guitar but switched with his brother who was playing drums. In 1976, their band played in the North County Battle of the Bands in San Diego county. They won first prize. It was a...
Jamie Oldaker sat down in his living room in Tulsa, Oklahoma for his riveting and inspiring NAMM Oral History interview in December 2018. He opened up about his background in music and how his drive and passion led to a series of gigs, including the Silver Bullet Band and Eric Clapton. He recorded...
Mat Donaldson set out to create an encouraging and exciting lesson program when he opened his own shop, Drum World, in 1990. He opened the store, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the idea that selling drums would be a small part of what he offered his customers. With that, he recalled taking music...
Jeff Hamilton is right at home at the drum kit of a big band. While he has had great success and enjoys trios, Jeff considers himself a big band drummer. One key approach to his drumming is to keep the tempo while bringing out the talents of the other musicians in the band. Throughout his career,...
Matthew Nelson always knew he wanted to be a musician and follow in the footsteps of his famous father and grandparents. Ozzie and Harriet were a famous television couple; however, they first came to fame in the 1930s with a big band. His father, Ricky Nelson, was an early rock and roll recording...

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