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I was born in Memphis, Tennessee and I've been playing the drums since I was 4 years old. My favorite music to play is Blues, R&B, Funk and Soul music, but I've been known to thrown down a Country two-step on occasion. I graduated from Watkins Overton in Memphis in 1986, a
creative & performing arts high school, where I studied music theory with the late-great Lulah Hedgeman, sang
2nd tenor in her concert choir and played drums for the award-winning Gospel
choir, which made a tour of France, in 1985. Post-graduation, at 19, I went on the road with legendary blues guitarist, Albert King, which
was an honor and opened many doors allowing me to become a full-time musician. Growing up in this hotbed of legendary Soul, I've had the priviledge of sharing the stage with many notables, including Charlie Wood, Billy Gibson, BB King and Rufus
Thomas. Having caught the West coast bug, I moved to San Diego, California in 1991 and quickly got involved in the wonderful local music scene there. I met and played drums with Sha Na
Na for almost two years, touring the US and Japan and I'm drumming on: Sha Na Na Live in Japan, (Sony Japan). In late 2000, I began a three-year stint with the fantastic organist Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars) and his group the 20th
Congress, touring all over North America and I am playing on Giving up the Ghost, (Magnatude Records). In 2003, I began drumming with North Florida’s own JJ Grey and MOFRO with whom I spent nearly five years touring North America, Europe and Australia, and I'm on three of their CDs: Blackwater, Lochloosa and Country Ghetto (all
on Alligator Records). In 2006, I was fortunate to have teamed with Soul singer Ruthie Foster and recorded her critically acclaimed CD, The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, (Blue Corn
Records) produced by Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welhbourne, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Blues chart. Working alongside music and film producer Scott Bomar (Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan) we completed the movie score for Gospel Hill, which was released in
the spring of ’08 and stars Giancarlo Esposito, Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Julia Stiles and Samuel L. Jackson. Currently, I reside in both Memphis and Los Angeles and I try to keep an active schedule recording and touring with an amazing bunch of folks like The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and my funky organ trio, the City Champs.
Recording Credits:
The Cat Mary, Her High, Lonesome Days (Orchard Music Group)
The Cat
Mary, Rubbing On The Belly Of The Buddha
Bodiless, At Most Fear
(OMG)
Jennifer Terran, Cruel (Grizelda Records)
San Diego Acoustic
Variations
Rollo, Rah-Low
Robin Henkel, ’94
Robin Henkel,
Highway
Michael Hunter, World Gone Mad
Judith Owen,
Emotions On A Postcard (Dram Records)
Soundtrack, As Good As It
Gets (Sony)
Billy Watson, Billy Watson and the International Silver
String Submarine Band
Billy Watson, Little Snick Meets Junior
Mint
Billy Watson, Absolutely Live At The Rhythm Café
Billy
Watson, Madcap Extravaganza
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Money
Shot (Fog City Records)
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Giving Up The
Ghost (Magnatude Records)
MOFRO, Blackwater (Alligator
Records)
MOFRO, Lochloosa (Alligator Records)
JJ GREY & MOFRO,
Country Ghetto (Alligator Records)
Maquiladora, The Lost Works of
Eunice Phelps (Tectonic Records)
A Tiki Compilation, I’ve Seen You
Naked (Tiki Records)
Gary Jules, Trading Snake Oil For Wolftickets
(Down Up Down)
George Pajon Jr., Fried Plantain’s (Kufala
Records)
Sha Na Na, Live In Japan (Sony)
Sha Na Na, Rockin’
Christmas (The Gold Label)
MC Paul Barman, Paullelujah! (Coup
D'Etat Records)
Fareed Haque, The Three Of Us
Will Conner, Southern Hemisphere (Pony Canyon)
The Grip, Grab This Thing (Archer Records)
The City Champs, The Safecracker (Electraphonic Recordings)
The City Champs, The Set-Up (Electraphonic Recordings)
On-Stage Performances:
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Galactic, Sha Na Na, Fred Wesley, Charlie
Hunter, Mike Dillon, Karl Denson, MOFRO, Papa Mali, The BoKeys, Skerik, BB King, Albert
King, Rufus Thomas, Marvell Thomas, George Jackson, Billy Watson, Robin Henkel,
Earl Thomas, Eric Lieberman, The Juke Stompers, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash,
Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs, Fareed Haque, Neal Sugarman, Melvin Sparks,
Rollo, Unsteady, The cat Mary, Vinyl, Nathan James , Joey Jazdzewski, James
Harman, Adrian Demain, Robbie Eason, Smith’s Ranch Boys, James Intveld, Pinetop
Perkins, Chris Isaak, George Pajon, Jr., E.J. Rodriguez, Jonny Viau Allstars,
Billy Seward, Ross Rice, John Ellis, Steve Chopek, Chris Lovejoy, Soulive, Dave
Ellis, Seventh Day Buskers, Joy Eden Harrison, Gatemouth Brown, Joe Krown, Brian
Seeger, Casandra Faulconer, Eric Lindell, Steven Bernstein, Bobby Broom, The Bobbettes, William Bell, Paul Shaffer and many others!
Touring Experience:
1985 Overton Gospel Choir...Tour of France
1986 Albert King...Tour of the
United States
1987-91 The Crime, Big Fish...Tours of the South Eastern United
States
1996 The cat Mary...Tour of the United States
1997-98 Billy Bacon and
the Forbidden Pigs...Tours of the United States
1998 Smith's Ranch Boys...Tour of
the United States
1998-99 Sha Na Na...Tours of the United States and
Japan
1999-02 Robert Walter’s 20th Congress...Tours of the United States and
Canada
2002 MOFRO...Tour of the United States
2002 Melvin Sparks...Tours of
the United States
2003-2008 JJ Grey & MOFRO...Tours of the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia
2009 Jimbo Mathus...Tour of the United States
2009 Delta Highway...Tour of the United States
2009 Nathan James Trio...Tour of the United States
2010 The City Champs...Tours of the United States
2010 Amy LaVere...Tour of the United States
2011 Chris Robinson Brotherhood...Tours of the United States
Equipment/Endorsements:
My kit is a vintage 1965 Rogers in blue onyx finish, thanks to my big brother, Darrell.
I happily play and
endorse Istanbul Agop cymbals,
I use Rogers, Craviotto and Bleifuss Handcrafted snare drums ...
carry my drums in Beato
Bags ...
I am a proud endorsee of Vater drumsticks ...
and I rest my tookus on a Soundseat !
Much love, appreciation & respect to all my reps for their continued, unyeilding support; Scott Liken at Istanbul Agop Cymbals, Chad Brandolini at Vater, Johnny Craviotto and Joe Kenny at Craviotto Drum Co, Fred Beato at Beato Bags, Nancy Gold at Tough Traveler, J.R. Baker at Soundseat, Gregg Keplinger at Keplinger Drums and the late, great drum master, Paul Bleifuss...may you rest in peace my brother, my friend. You are truly missed!
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