This photo was from the Manchester High School Battle of the Bands – circa 1982 or 1983.
Back during this time, I swore I was the black Neil Peart. Neil was the drummer of the rock band Rush. He’s on almost everyone’s top 10 list of greatest rock drummers of all time. I never really knew much about him when I was growing up because I was deep into funk bands who were popular at the time – Cameo, Slave, and The Time. Although my musical influences varied and consisted of pop, early rap, and the heavy funk in rotation on radio in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rush was not on my radar.
My cousin, the guitar player on the right in this photo, introduced me to heavy metal when I was in my early high school years. I remember listening to hard rock while growing up in Connecticut, mainly due to my older sister being into bands like Kiss, Aerosmith, and Elton John. The classic rock played on FM radio stations was also an influence. Still, when I heard newer, faster, and heavier music that was a bit more complex than I was accustomed to, I fell in love.
I was busy learning how to play ‘in-the-pocket’ drumming along to Barry White, Parliament, and Cameo records. Eventually, I was led down a different path by my Gibson Les Paul playing cousin. Rush, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, and Judas Priest were part of a new diet of sounds I was ingesting.
When I heard Neil Peart, I lost my marbles. The first song I listened to from Rush was probably Tom Sawyer. I might have been drawn to it due to the fact the song grooves pretty hard. It’s somewhat funky, yet it is progressive rock – especially when the song veers into the time signature of 7/8. The drum solo that is featured at the climax is still one of the greatest in recorded history. I quickly devoured Rush’s 1981 masterpiece LP “Moving Pictures” and found myself digging deep into their back catalog.
All of the various drumming styles I heard over the years were all part of the ingredients that make up my drumming style. I’ve been fortunate to be capable of grabbing a recipe from that cookbook of music whenever necessary to include a particular spice to a groove. Knowing the language of funk, metal, pop, and fusion has allowed me to play with several different bands. Believe it or not, this has helped me over the past 20 years of playing in modern Broadway musicals.
Why do I say this? If I didn’t have the knowledge and feel for rock, I wouldn’t have the skill set to be a good drum sub for Jeff Potter at Rent in the 2000s. I also found myself at ease with the song “And The Money Kept Rolling In” while I subbed for Bill Lanham at “Evita” in 2012. That song is primarily in 7/8. I thought about how easy it was for me to play since I had mastered Tom Sawyer – well, almost mastered. That song is still tough to play!
I had quite an experience related to the song Tom Sawyer when I was playing at the Battle Of The Bands back in 1982. From what I remember, I played in two back-to-back contests. The band I was playing within the above photo was the first. I decided to take the challenge again the following year. I teamed up with my Gibson guitar-playing cousin, and we collaborated with two new incredible musicians. They elevated our game to another level.
The second-year we played in the battle, we called ourselves “Prowler.” Yikes. What an awful name. We rented an extensive PA system for our performance thinking it would help us sound great. It helped, but we needed a lot more than just a good system that year.
We played the best metal and rock tunes of the day. Most of the songs we performed were covers of the heavy metal I learned the previous year. I thought we were a damn good band. We knew what we were doing and learned how to perform complex music properly. The four of us had proper musical chemistry. We were confident and positive we’d win first place.
Unfortunately, we came in second.
The first-place winner, without a doubt, were some of my good friends. They didn’t bring the big sound system or use any pyrotechnics like we were thinking of employing. The only thing they did was set up their equipment right in front of the stage next to the audience, and kicked our ass!
Their lead singer opened their set by jumping OVER the band and into the audience. In contrast, the band played a funkier intro of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” The original groove of Tom Sawer was already semi-funky, but my friends turned up the funk-o-meter to 11. It was clear how good they were, and how we were destined to lose as soon as they began. They played the intro of the song, then decided to switch gears and break out into “Let’s Groove” by Earth Wind & Fire. My friends turned into instant foes. They finished their set by rocking the crowd with the best pop/soul/funk songs of the early ’80s.
Ugh!
They beat us at our own game.
They had a slight advantage. My friends were somewhat seasoned vets. They were used to performing in nightclubs for several years and were also incredibly talented. It was ok. We understood how bad of an ass-whooping we took. They stole the crowd and were much better entertainers.
That didn’t slow down my love for Neil Peart and progressive rock. I spent the next few years discovering new music – jazz fusion, hardcore bands, and heavy metal bands. It expanded my drumming vocabulary and also increased my hand speed. I loved playing double bass drums as well. Surrounding myself with so many drums was a thrill. Having all of that equipment was fun back then. It was fun until I realized that I no longer needed that amount of drums to get people dancing and having a good time.
The older I got, the less likely I was going to carry drums around. I remembered the lesson at the Battle Of The Bands. When I moved to New York City in 1993, I quickly learned that the more a drummer could get the crowd dancing, tapping their toes or singing along, the more work I got.
I still love playing heavy rock music and find it thrilling to sit behind a massive kit. It often brings me back to the Battle Of The Band days.
One day I’m going to get the band back together so we can play 2112 from beginning to the end – with no mistakes!
Clayton Craddock is an independent thinker, father of two beautiful children in New York City. He is the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University’s School of Business and is a 25 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. He has played drums in a number of hit broadway and off-broadway musicals including “Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical and Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill. In addition, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.
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