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4/25/2008
THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGEND
Media Contact:
Jeff Ivester
615-793-2050
Blues drummers. Their craft is often misunderstood or sometimes even ignored, because everybody knows that the guitar is the star when it comes to the blues. Yet behind nearly every legendary blues guitarist is a strong drummer. Someone who must be right in the pocket, night after night, anticipating the flow of the music, maintaining and controlling the tempo, reading the moves of every other player on stage. It’s a difficult craft and Mapex artist, Tony Coleman has redefined it while working for some of the best – include the best, B.B. King.
Coleman has been toured with the blues legend for over ten years. “Tony has always been a good drummer, says King. “That’s why I hired him in the first place.” After a few years off to develop his own band, Coleman has returned to tour once again with King this year.
Asked how Tony has changed over the years, King responds, “He seems to listen to me more and that's what I like. He also plays on the top for me — I don’t like it to drag. I like it right on top,” he says in a very punctuated manner.
Within that precision lies the secret to Coleman’s success, not only with B.B. King but with countless Blues legends, including Bobby “Blue” Bland. Coleman is able to get inside of the heads of these players and read their every nuance, picking up on subtle body movements, hand cues and the flow of the music itself. In a way, they bond together all of the individual performances.
“I have to bring my A-Game every night,” says Coleman. “I have to listen carefully to everyone on stage to be able to play the music and be musical. I keep my eye on B.B. at all times and give two hundred percent — every show.” Considering how that translates into 300 shows a year, that’s a lot of concentration, which Coleman has learned requires strict self-discipline.
“I’ve learned the importance of getting good sleep and eating healthy after shows. I play golf for relaxation when time permits and stay away from drugs or anything that can make you lose your focus, because the show must go on. If I ain’t doing my job, someone else will be in a heartbeat. B.B. is thirty years my senior and if he can do it, damn right I can do it. There’s no crying or whining allowed out here.”
As a youngster, Coleman showed promise right from the start. “When I was four-years-old, whenever I heard any type of music, I would clap my hands and move my feet to the rhythm. For me, it was a natural reaction to play drums,” says Coleman. “My father, King Coleman was a famous disc jockey and emcee for the Apollo Theater. He, with James Brown, made the “mashed potato” dance known around the world. You can hear him on James Brown’s Startime box set. My father was a dancer, singer and drummer, so I got my talent from his genes.”
When asked of his influences, Coleman naturally lists many of the soul and R&B greats. “As a kid, James Brown and the Famous Flames music and show is what made me know that I really wanted to be a drummer. Every band he had — from Bobby Byrd, Maceo, Fred Wesley, Bootsy, Jabo, Clyde, Cheese and all the other musicians in his bands — that is where my roots are. After that, Sly Stone, all the Motown music, Maurice White and Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Archie Bell and the Drells and Aretha. Anybody that played that good made me want to be a drummer. I am still like that today."
But one type of player especially intrigued Coleman. “Drummers that sang inspired me. There was Buddy Miles, Karen Carpenter, Rare Earth’s drummer (Peter Rivera), Levon Helm and Don Henley.”
The Tony Coleman Band sets up much differently than the traditional blues band. “With my own band, I have the drums right up front and center stage. I’m the lead vocalist and I am doing my band the way Buddy Miles did with his band, the Buddy Miles Express. It’s my tribute to all singing drummers who sit on the kit and sing. Lots of producers think it’s not cool, but to me it’s no different than a piano player who fronts a band.”
It’s no surprise that Coleman enjoys being center stage. As soon as you meet him, you instantly realize that he’s a natural born front man. His bright smile and witty personality, along with an innate ability to tell a story cannot be contained behind a dimly lit set of drums stuck near the rear of a stage.
Coleman enjoys his own band because it allows him to stretch his creative chops. “We play all genres — soul, funk, R&B, jazz, rock, country and, of course, the blues, which is the roots of all of it.” Still, the lessons he’s learned on the road with B.B. King are part of his performance mantra. “B.B. told me a long time ago, you don’t pay the audience. They pay you. You owe them your all.”
Working night after night with a living legend isn’t lost on Coleman. “The feeling I have working for Mr. King (‘The Boss’ as we call him) is amazing, to say the least. I am honored to work with him and I feel very lucky to be a part of his band and to be his friend.”
On this tour, Coleman plays a Saturn Studioease set and is also using the new Black Panther Flamed Maple Snare. “I really love this snare. It has a nice, warm, cracking sound with fullness. It doesn’t give a thin, hollow sound if I want to tighten the heads on it. With this snare, I can gat the snap, crack and pop out of it. In my snare drum arsenal, this one is on the top shelf. It’s a very special drum.”
And Tony Coleman is a special drummer that has been fortunate enough to work with a special talent in B.B. King. “He’s a good man who takes good care of us,” says Coleman. “I have to tell you, it’s not easy sometimes — to give two hundred percent every show. But B.B. has taught me that it’s required for a great performance. I’m sure that’s the reason he’s lasted so long in this business.”
He’s a giving man and I’m happy to be part of his team. I’ll be riding with the King as long as he wants me to. I’ve worked with most of the top blues and soul artists on the planet, but I have B.B. to thank for allowing me to travel around the world, playing my drums.”
King adds, “I like everyone to get along with each other. Tony knows that his father is a friend of mine so he’s like a son to me. He also knows that I’ll King on him. He wouldn’t like that. (laughs). Cole-Man is a good guy.”
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