RUSS MCKINNON to serve as percussion judge at the USBands National Champs For years, George Hopkins, has been a fan of Barry Manilow. As Hopkins explains “ I saw Barry at the Bijou in Philly when I was 18 and I have followed him ever since. Folks give me a hard time but he knows what is effective, he can work a crowd, and a night out at a Manilow concert is always a good date” About 10 or so years ago, George got a call and it was Russ McKinnon. Russ was the drummer for Barry and a past snare drummer with the 27th Lancers. When Russ was playing with 27th, Hopkins was a snare drummer in the Crossmen. Russ invited George to a show the two of them connected, and they have stayed in touch ever since. Over the years, Russ has done clinics for the Cadets, he has come to the DCI Champs a number of times ,and Hopkins and he have spent a few evenings at various pubs across the country. A few months ago, Hopkins asked Mr. McKinnon to come into NJ and judge the National Champs for USBands and he accepted and this weekend, Russ is heading to Newark, NJ from LAX for a day of marching band. Russ will be judging all 60 bands in the percussion caption. George Hopkins, CEO of Youth Education in the Arts said “ This is awesome! We are thrilled to have Russ on hand. I think the students and the staffs will get some great feedback from a pro!! and, he is one of us. He was in the band, he marched in corps, and he loves a great drum line today” Here is some detail regarding Russ ... Respected throughout the percussion world, in pop/rock circles as well as jazz and classical, Russ is one of the most inspiring and busiest working drummers in the music industry today Russ is probably best known for his 6 years of recording and touring with the legendary funky horn band, Tower of Power. His solid, intricate, syncopated grooves, which drove what many people call the funkiest band in the world led him to be honored 5 consecutive years as one of the winners of Modern Drummer Magazine�s prestigious Readers Poll Award In addition to his tenure with Tower of Power, Russ has assembled quite the diverse resume of artists with whom he has toured, performed and/or recorded with over the last 20+ years. Some of those artists include: Joe Cocker, Barry Manilow, Louis Miguel, Kenny G., David Foster, Bette Midler, The Gap Band, Melissa Manchester, The Fifth Dimension, Marie Osmond, Donna Summer, Connie Stevens, Nicolette Larson, Eric Marianthal, The Boston Pops,The Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra and The Fort Worth Symphony. Notably, Russ had the privilege to perform with Sir Elton John at his Windsor, England estate for the annual Elton Johns Aids Foundation Benefit. To date, his drumming has taken him to 40 foreign countries including such unique locations as Tunisia and Beruit, Lebanon. Among his favorites was performing inside the Kremlin in Moscow with Joe Cocker. In addition to being seen performing on numerous musical television specials, Russ has also appeared on television shows such as: American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBCs Today Show, Good Morning America, A & Es Music By Request, The View, The Martha Stewart Show, The Rachael Ray Show, The Tony Danza Show, The Rosie ODonnell Show, Into the Night with Rick Dees, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Fame and Roswell An active educator, Russ has become in demand as a drum set clinician. His informational and inspirational drum events have been well received by musicians across Europe, the U.K., Canada and the United States. His playing and interviews have been transcribed and featured in almost every major international drum publication. He has also acted as a contributing writer to Modern Drummer and Rhythm U.K. drum magazines. When not touring, Russ remains very active in the Los Angeles music, recording and club scene. His summers take him to Hawaii where he has taught marching percussion at Kamehameha High School in Honolulu for the past 20 years. He credits his own participation marching with the 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps as an important motivating and chop building experience for his music career. Russ is a native of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, graduated from The University of Tulsa and attended graduate school at North Texas State University in Denton. The USBands National Championships will be at MET LIFE STADIUM on Saturday, November 15th from 8 am — 11pm. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information go to yea.org/programs/usbands
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 00:27:04 +0000