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This business is a most peculiar one. To have sustained myself
(albeit sometimes marginally!) exclusively thus far with it is nothing
short of miraculous. I don’t fool myself into thinking
that I am God’s gift to drumming…nothing could be farther
from the truth. I know guys that can play circles around me
that just haven’t had the same opportunities and you may never
hear of them. This is unfortunate but it’s reality.
I say this as a reminder of how very blessed we as working drummers
are.
This whole concept of ‘impact for money’ is a bit whacko
for starters. I certainly had no idea as a small boy that it
would develop into anything. I just thought it fun, and still
do. I suppose I’ve just never grown out of it though I
think my mom still secretly thinks there’s a chance.
After being inspired as a young boy by hearing Joe Morello’s
solo in ‘Take Five’ by the Brubeck Quartet I started like
most everyone else I should imagine… sticks, practice pad and
the book of rudiments. I was fortunate, though didn’t think
so at the time that I didn’t have a full kit to begin on.
I think that as young kids we all want to be drummers because of the
GEAR. We think, hey, I can do that!!! (I know a few pros that still
say it and believe it). We see the massive kits with all the cool
shiny bits. Who wouldn’t be attracted, right? We sit down
behind it all and start flailing! We flail and we flail, then
the flailing gets tiresome and if we’re one of the lucky ones,
start to realize that there’s more. It’s also at this
point that we realize there just might be some work involved.
Like anything of substance, it’s gonna take some time.
You’ve gotta play tennis for quite some time before you become
proficient at it. I mean it’s ‘homerun central’
for months before you learn the technique necessary to keep the ball
in play. Drumming is no different. Learning the language
(rudiments) of drums is tough and oftentimes tedious. Independence,
though easier for some than others, can be a real struggle.
Some of my very first lessons in patience were learned behind the
old practice pad. The practice pad, given time, ALWAYS separates
the drummers from the wanna-bes.
While grafting away at the rudiments I started piece-mealing a kit
together. It was a slow process but again, the lesson of working
toward something another blessing in disguise. Please don’t
think for an instant that any of this was carefully planned.
Such was not the case. It just seemed a natural progression
so I defer any credit. I, with the help of my amazing
mom procured a kick drum, snare, hat and ride cymbal. I worked
with these for several months before adding to the kit. It gave
me the time to learn slowly without being overwhelmed with more gear
than I knew what to do with. Truth is I couldn’t afford
to pay attention or the kit would have grown bigger sooner.
To this day some of the most amazing players I have heard have been
on small, minimalist kits. It’s kinda like racing a bicycle…it’s
not the bike but the motor.
I am self-taught. I don’t say this boastfully as it wasn’t
out of choice. In hindsight, I should have done the drum corps
thing but thought I was too cool. Couldn’t get on with
the silly hats but I paid later and still do. There wasn’t a
teacher locally that I thought was up to the task. There I go
thinking again. I’ll explain as we go along.
I learned, essentially by listening to records…Beatles, Hendrix,
Cream and later on Zep. I often get the form question of ‘who
were my influences’ and I must say that, truthfully, I don’t
really play like anyone I listened to when I was coming up.
I don’t think I was influenced by any as much as inspired by
many. I started playing double bass very early on.
Not because of any particular drummer but because I heard parts in
my tiny little noggin that I just couldn’t execute with one.
Not to take anything away from Bonham (thank God he only played one)
or any single bass drummer but there’s really no way you can
play on one what can be played with two (or w/a double pedal).
It’s simply an obvious matter of physics. If you could
then sticks would come one (1) to the bag, right? Any drummer that
discounts the value of two bass drums (or two sticks) is doing himself
a great disservice.
I started out playing in little clubs, at frat parties and the like.
You know…all the places you hated. I was playing in a bar
in south FL when I received a call from an old friend, Dave Smith
who was a sound guy who had just started working for an up and coming
band that was looking for a drummer. I flew up to Memphis, auditioned
and somehow got the gig. I knew some of the other drummers there
and I also knew that there were more accomplished drummers present
than yours truly. Just luck, chance, circumstance? God
only knows…
I toured worldwide and constantly with that band. I was not
at all crazy about the music but it was a means to an end. I
was trying to establish a name for myself. This all worked out
quite well until I decided it was time to move on. I was
about to learn my first lesson in the so-called ‘Big Time’
music biz.
I won’t go into all the ridiculous details but suffice it to
say that it took about a year to unencumber myself legally.
I had never experienced anything like that. My experience had
always been that if you didn’t want to be in a particular situation
or didn’t want to work with so and so, no prob. See ya…don’t
let the door hitcha where the good Lord splitcha. Once all the
legal machinations were finalized and my VERY expensive lesson had
been learned, it was time to move on. I didn’t know it
at the time but God was just prepping me for the life ahead.
I began a several year stint with Pat Travers, which was a real blast.
We were essentially starting from scratch but the music was perfect
drum music and he and Mars Cowling were cool. The trio format
was interesting in theory. Some of my favorite bands, Hendrix,
Cream, had been 3-piece. We learned early on however that Pats’
music didn’t quite lend itself to the format and Pat Thrall was
added. Pat’s an amazing guy and an equally amazing guitarist.
He filled things out nicely.
We did a few records/tours and had a really great time. I meet
so many people today that compliment the band and the music.
We made some mistakes but I think it was, for the most part, time
well spent.
After leaving Travers I moved to England for a time. I had always
liked London and wanted to try working there for a while. I
looked up Rod McSween an old agent friend of mine and he offered his
place. His kindness helped me through this period of transition.
I started working with Gary Moore at this time. We did a couple
albums and a short tour. I enjoyed working with Gary immensely.
He is an amazing guitarist with a great work ethic. It was during
these rehearsals that Ozzy and Randy came down. After meeting
Randy and hearing him play I was anxious to work with him though my
commitments wouldn’t allow this until later. We went out
that night in London and got to know one another. He was one
of the most courteous people I’ve had the privilege of knowing.
I miss his playing terribly but miss him even more as a friend.
It wasn’t until I returned to America that I got the call from
Ozzy about working together. Well, the call was actually from
Sharon who had just become his manager. This call started
one of the most adventurous periods of my career. As I look
back I think it was like LIVING the ‘Diary of a Madman’:o)
Working with Randy has been the highlight of my career. His
playing inspired the best of whoever was in the band. He made
us all better musicians. The funny thing is was that he had
no idea. He was so humble, almost self-effacing. When
I told him for the first time how great of a pleasure it was to be
working with him he became actually embarrassed, red-faced.
This was Randy. He had no idea just how very cool he was.
We had quite an exciting run and I don’t have enough time here
to go into detail…maybe someday. Suffice it to say that
after Randy’s death the fire was gone. I tried as best
I could to help Ozzy/Sharon with the daunting task of finding a replacement
for Randy but how do you replace the irreplaceable?
It was around this time that Rudy Sarzo and I started toying with
taking a shot at putting something together. He had just finished
up with Quiet Riot and we were both feeling bold. We started
auditioning guitarists and singers in LA. After a few months
of this our enthusiasm started to wane. There seems to
be a large pool of ‘journeyman’ musicians whose lot in life
seems to be applying at auditions. We seem to keep seeing and
hearing the same guys. We even resorted to flying people in.
We were becoming more discouraged with every passing day. We
did manage to come across Tony MacAlpine and did a couple records
with him but it ended up being a project…not the band that we
were hoping to build.
During this time I was hanging out with John Sykes. He and Dave
Coverdale were in town looking for a rhythm section and Rudy and I
were looking for a guitarist and singer. I actually met with
them to discuss possibilities but they had decided on a bass player
and at that point were only interested in my services. I cannot
say it wasn’t tempting but Rudy and I had a commitment and I
am nothing if not loyal. I suppose I made the right decision
as we were both asked to join later though it would have been a real
blast to have played on that ’87 record. Not that I could
have done a better job than Ansley Dunbar, mind you. His drumming
is stellar on that record and seriously question that it could be
improved upon. I speak mostly to the opportunity missed.
Sometimes you get the bear…sometimes the bear gets you:o)
I must say that my years with WhiteSnake have been the most exciting.
Every show was sold out. We were getting so much exposure on
MTV that we sometimes felt what it must be like to be a film star.
I had experienced fan appreciation before but this was at a different
level. It was a privilege and blessing to be part it.
I am thankful for the preceding years as they prepared me for all
the silliness that was part and parcel to this success. Though
we had a good run, nothing lasts forever and it was time again to
move on.
It wasn’t long after the last WhiteSnake tour that I began pursuing
freelance possibilities. It was something that I had been thinking
about for some time. Necessity has a way of bringing things
to fruition. I played on a couple of records during this period
but have never had the motivation nor vocabulary to do the session
thing. I was kinda torn. I felt I wanted to try freelance
but was reticent to give up the security of the band concept.
It was a leap of faith though I didn’t realize it at the time.
I have been working on a freelance basis to this day. I sometimes
miss the camaraderie and the ‘equal billing’ a band association
affords but in life we must take the good with the bad. Anyhoo…I’d
be just miserable if I didn’t have something to be miserable
about:o)
Though only a brief summary of my career it brings us up to the here
and now. You are not going to hear me complain too loudly.
This business has, for the most part, been very kind to me.
I’ve enjoyed (and still do) a long career in a business that
is notorious for cutting them short. Even elite athletes usually
experience longer careers than musicians in my genre. I feel
so very blessed by God to be, among many other things, healthy and
busier than ever. I feel a debt of gratitude to you, the fans.
Without you guys I’d still be sitting around somewhere trying
to figure what the heck to do with my life:o)
Would I recommend a career in drumming? For me it has
been the vehicle by which I have traveled the world, met a host of
incredible, amazingly talented people, and has gratified me in more
ways than anyone could ever deserve. I thank God daily for His
provision in my life for without Him and the Son I am nothing.
I appreciate your years of support and continued interest. Thanks
for taking the time to read this and I'll see you on the road!!!
Tommy
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