About Clayton Craddock
The career took time. The lessons came with it.
I’m Clayton Craddock. Musician, author, educator, podcaster, speaker and entrepreneur. I’ve been playing drums since 1974. My work spans Broadway, touring, recording, television, teaching and writing.
I help musicians on any instrument navigate the business of making a living in music, from college students preparing for their first professional opportunities to working players considering their next move.
I believe in doing the work, telling the truth and building something you own.
Work with Clayton
The path
From Connecticut to Howard to New York
I was born in Hartford and raised in Manchester, Connecticut. At Howard University, I studied business and became a section leader in the marching band.
I played in Washington, D.C., before moving to New York in 1993. My earlier work in financial services and tax preparation also shaped how I think about a musician’s financial life. Making music and making a living are connected.
Sixteen years before the first Broadway chair
My musical theater career began with Footloose at the Rio in Las Vegas in 2000. An 11-month national tour followed, then tick, tick... BOOM! Off-Broadway.
Memphis became my first Broadway chair in 2009. That was 16 years after I moved to New York. The path was built through preparation, relationships and work that led to more work.
Selected credits
Experience behind the advice.
Broadway: Memphis: The Musical · Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill · Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations · Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
Off-Broadway: tick, tick... BOOM! · Altar Boyz.
Additional work: The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical · The Gospel at Colonus at Little Island, NYC, summer 2025.
Touring: Footloose · Hadestown · The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight.
Television: The View · Good Morning America · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon · The Today Show · the Tony Awards.
I also recorded the Cats: The Jellicle Ball Original Broadway Cast Album at Power Station at BerkleeNYC in August 2026. I’m an Innovative Percussion artist.
Explore the workLas Vegas and beyond
Now based in Las Vegas
After 33 years in New York as a working musician, I moved to Las Vegas in late summer 2026. I’m working locally and travel for performance and education, including in-person masterclasses in New York.
Teaching what surrounds the notes
Musicians need more than playing ability. They need to prepare, communicate, build trust and stay financially steady between gigs.
Broadway Bound and Beyond brings those lessons together through writing, the podcast, books, resources and education. Its three pillars are relationships, versatility and financial resilience.
Explore Broadway Bound and BeyondSpeaking programsThe companies behind the work
Clayton Craddock Music LLC handles my performance work, private lessons, coaching and consultations.
C.R.A.D. Global Ventures LLC holds the products and intellectual property, including Broadway Bound and Beyond, Signature Brandworks and the Cincopated Publishing imprint.
Personal writing
My personal publication, Clayton Craddock, explores music, culture, history and the questions behind the stories we are told.
Read my personal writing