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Jimmy Hobson
Drums are as fascinating to me now as in my first ten years of life - Unable to look away from the Sears catalog drum page under my bed covers & to this day catching myself staring at the drums on stage or in the studio.
My first snare drum arrived Christmas day 1965... seven days later the neighbors gave me a practice pad to keep the noise down.
As a beginner I had great difficulty with the rules, grammar and logic of "How to play drums" which in my childhood A.D.D. state put a limitation on my creative spirit. Questions like "Why does the dominate hand have to hit the ride cymbal? Can't I hit any drum whenever I want as long as the time keeps flowing? Fortunately this incomprehension was a lucky youthful gift - Unconsciousnessly I kept pretty good linear time with my movements around the drums connecting to a groove.
Career Highlights playing drums in Performance and or Recording:
- 1971 / 72 - Original "Hair" Rock Musical - Paris, France
- 1976 - Dorothy Morrison "Oh Happy Day"
- 1977 - Matthew Larkin Cassell "Pieces", "Matt The Cat"
1978 / 1990 - Residing in Los Angeles, CA: Billy Preston; Michael Sims; The Limeliters; Justo Almario; Billy Childs; Tom & Walt & Bruce Fowler; Judy Collins; Ofra Haza; Lee Musiker; Al Aarons, Dick Slyde Hyde, Geoff Stradling, Charles Meeks, Regie McBride,
1991 to present Residing NYC & SF Bay Area: The Sundogs; Hall & Oates; Maria Muldaur; Evelyn Champagne King; Celine Dion; Jerry Garcia Band (with Melvin Seals); Lorn Leber; Taylor Dayne; Noel Jewkes; Dick Conte.
Awards
Multi-Platnum / Platnum / Gold Record Award(s) for Celine Dion's self titled Celine Dion; Gold Record Award for Hall & Oates' Change Of Season and Gold Record Award for Taylor Dayne's Soul Dancing.
Gear
Gretsch USA Custom Bop; Yamaha Maple Custom; Yamaha Recording Custom.
Tags
Bohemian, native Californian, and GMS Drums endorser Jimmy Hobson
personifies the phrase "variety is the spice of life."
..."I was influenced by who my father listened to—
Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk—and espe-
cially Art Blakey."
...Hobson has logged in hours of experience in many various situations.
In the early 1970s he landed the drummer's seat in the European
touring company of the musical Hair...