Rich Redmond
It was 13 years ago that Del Davis (drummer for the band Little Texas) told me to keep an eye on the drummer in a new country band that was forming up: Rushlow.
That drummer, Rich Redmond, and I hit it off well, and for years one of my daughters wore an XL Rushlow shirt as a nightshirt.
Nashville, and the music it is famous for, has a unique class-system among professional musicians. There are the hard-working many, who tour behind the famous artists for hundreds of days each year, and the gifted few, who usually record the albums that these same artists release. It is very hard to break into the elite studio group, and it is rare for these two groups to mix.
Then there’s Rich Redmond.
When Rushlow the band broke up, Rich and two other members became the nucleus of Jason Aldean’s band—not just to tour, but to record the music as well. The band’s great sound and stage show powered Aldean through multiple platinum albums, #1 singles, music awards, and sold-out tours to the top of the music business.
That wasn’t enough: Rich and his bandmates formed New Voice Entertainment, a production company that writes, records, and produces for other acts as well.
Rich is also busy as a successful motivational speaker with his Crash Course for Success, which fires up corporate groups just as much as if fires up musicians.
Rich has gone beyond that, though— I’m not sure how he fits it all in— He has taken the best of his ongoing drum teaching career and written the book and DVD: FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids.
If it seems to you like he is doing everything at once, and on the way to running the entire world, you would be right: Next October he will host his third annual convention of drummers: the Crash Course With Rich Drummer Weekend in Nashville next October 30th.
When Rich fits in a run for President of the United States, my daughter’s T-shirt will become a collector’s item, if it isn’t already.
Listen to the Rich Redmond Podcast
Rich Redmond Playlist
Bennie and the Jets — Elton John
Album: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1974
Drums: Nigel Olsson
Just the Two of Us — Grover Washington, Jr.
Album: Winelight, 1981
Drums: Steve Gadd
Double Vision — Foreigner
Album: Double Vision, 1978
Drums: Dennis Elliot
So Lonely — The Police
Album: Outlandos D’Amour, 1978
Drums: Stewart Copeland
Rainbow in the Dark — Dio
Album: Holy Diver, 1983
Drums: Vinny Appice
Red Baron — Billy Cobham
Album: Spectrum, 1973
Drums: Billy Cobham
Bang A Gong — Power Station
Album: The Power Station, 1985
Drums: Tony Thompson
Small Town — John Cougar Mellencamp
Album: Scarecrow, 1985
Drums: Kenny Aronoff
I’m Losing You — Faces
Album: Every Picture Tells a Story, 1971
Drums: Kenny Jones
We Danced Anyway — Deanna Carter
Album: Did I Shave My Legs For This?, 1996
Drums: Greg Morrow
My Kinda Party — Jason Aldean
Album: My Kinda Party, 2010
Drums: Rich Redmond
Johnny Cash — Jason Aldean
Album: Relentless, 2007
Drums: Rich Redmond
