John Blackwell

Prince, Nik West, Patty Labelle, Justin Timberlake, P Diddy

It was a tragic day on July 4th, 2017 when John Blackwell left this world and moved on to the next. John is truly missed, and it was an incredible honor to have had the chance to work with him. Below is his bio from when he first signed on with us.

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John Blackwell has played with a laundry list of top artists over the past 2 decades and continues to tour with top musicians around the world. He is best known for his 12 year stint with Prince as well has his two instructional DVD's. John tried out several Hendrix snares and fell in love with our stave constructed Archetype Series drums. He particularly enjoyed the bright resonant tone, piercing attack, and sensitivity of African Padauk. We designed his signature snare with that drum in mind and it can now be heard wherever John is performing.

Lester Estelle Jr.

Kelly Clarkson

Lester has several Hendrix Drums snares, but his snare of choice on the road with Kelly Clarkson is our 14x8 Heritage Oak series. It has a stave constructed shell made from 75 year old aged oak and a satin black finish. Lester is a monster behind the kit and when he isn't touring with Kelly he is busy recording in studios around Nashville as well as performing with his long time band Pillar and backing up many other great performers.

Rob Mitzner

Independent

Brooklyn-based session drummer Rob Mitzner has appeared on over 30 commercially available recordings and film soundtracks, and was recently featured in Modern Drummer magazine. His latest credits include the album, Action Moves People United, which entered the Billboard charts at #8, as well as Outside Mullinger (Broadway), a performance for then President Obama in his hometown of Washington D.C. and a show a Lincoln Center. He also regularly performs with Woodhead, The Michael Gallant Trio, Jann Klose, Skulk The Hulking, The Depth & The Whisper, Aurical, and Svoy, and was recently featured on DrumTalk TV. Rob holds a B.A. in Music and Political Science from Brown University, where he received the William H. Westin award for Outstanding Musical Performance, and is a Hendrix Drums snare endorser. His now go-to snare is a 14x6.5 walnut snare with a satin black fade finish.

Jimmy Meier

The Dives

An educated musician, graduating from Bloomfield College in New Jersey focusing on music production, Jimmy is currently drumming for The Dives, an up and coming rock band based out of New York City. They've shared the stage with bands such as KISS, Whitford St. Holmes, The Dead Daisies, Enuff Z'Nuff and Kings X, and have been seen in just about every club on the island of Manhattan. Jimmy's drum of choice is of drum is a Hendrix 14" x 8" Black Oak Archetype snare drum. It is perfect for high energy, rock drumming as it has a lot of body without compromising any attack!

Dominique Austin

Kurt Carr, Anita Wilson, Eric Roberson and others..

Dominique Austin is a rock solid player coming out of the DC area. He is known for his incredible groove and precision timing and can throw down some chops with the best of them! He has a large FB following with hundreds of thousands of views on his collection of videos featuring unique re-arrangements of today's hit music. He plays a Walnut/Cherry Hybrid Archetype Series 14x6 snare drum as his main snare, and uses a 14x8 Custom Maple Archetype Series as his side snare.

Wendell Holmes Jr.

Ryan Follese, Tab Benoit, and others

Wendell Holmes Jr. infuses different textures and tones on the drums and cymbals to produce colorful imagery; telling a story his listener inevitably 'gets' and demonstrates agreement with every single head-bob. Wendell matured his craft by becoming an innovative drummer with versatility in playing various genres of music such as jazz, fusion, gospel, R&B, funk, blues, country, rock, blue grass, and reggae. He has also produced two own solo albums, entitled "Lewis Ave," and "Above It All." Wendell uses a 14x7 Walnut/Cherry hybrid Archetype Series snare in our gloss finish.

Steve-o Evans

Smokey Robinson, Bobby McFerrin, and others

Steve-o is a well studied drummer and clinician hailing from the nation’s capital with an impressive social media following, and notable resume. He has played for global artists such as Smokey Robinson, Bobby McFerrin and Ledisi, His expertise and creative ideas combined with his resume and love for quality made instruments, made him a perfect fit for the Hendrix Drums family of artists. Steve-o is known for his technique, unique style, and killer chops. His Hendrix snare of choice is the John Blackwell Signature series.

Josh Baker AKA JBake

Mariah Carey

JBake is an incredible artist coming out of the Atlanta area. He plays a walnut Archetype Series stave kit backing up the most successful female artist of all time, Mariah Carey. He also uses a custom burned 14x6 African Padauk Archetype Series snare in our satin finish.

Nick Baglio

The Foreign Exchange, The Hot at Nights, Laura Reed and others..

Nick “Nickybagz” Baglio is a born and raised Newyorker, currently living in Raleigh, NC. Growing up on Long Island, he studied with the best private instructors around starting at age 5. He continued his music career by attending the infamous University of Miami on a full music Scholarship. Nick is known for his slick groove and unique mix of styles that show so clearly in his playing. You can catch him in his past work with Nile Rodgers, and currently with Grammy nominated artists, The Foreign Exchange, The Hot at Nights, Laura Reed, Jean Morisson & Boulevards. He proudly endorses VicFirth drumsticks, Dream Cymbals, Bigfatsnaredrum accessories, and of course Hendrix drums! Nick Swears by his trusty 14x7’’ Walnut stave snare, in the studio and in live situations. For more info, visit www.NickBaglio.com

Nick Potters

Chevonne and The Fuzz

Nick Potters is a New Jersey based session musician, live performer, drum instructor and producer. He is the drummer for Chevonne and The Fuzz, a powerhouse rock band from Jersey that has shared the stage with artists such as Neon Trees, SMALLPOOLS, The Last Internacionale, The Belle Brigade and more. Earning his B.M. in sound engineering from William Paterson University, Nick integrates his background as a pianist and his acute musical ear into his drumming; playing with impeccable feel, timing and musicality. He also plays for an ever-growing list of groups around NYC and NJ, whose styles include rock, funk, blues, fusion, R&B, ska, and progressive rock. Nick uses his 14x7 walnut stave snare everywhere, both live and in-studio, for its ability to beautifully blend with any style of music.

Jasper Huang

Vivienne's Verdict

Jasper “Carnivore” Huang is Hendrix Drums' only international artist. He is a Singapore based drummer, currently playing in the Hard Rock band Vivienne’s Verdict. His ideal snare drum sound is “full-bodied with a cutting bite”, and he found exactly that in our 14” x 6” African Padauk Archetype snare drum. Besides being known for his hard-hitting, groove-driven style of playing, which earned him the “Best Drummer Award” in a prestigious Asian band competition, he also enjoys a wide variety of genres and frequently sits in with other artists around Singapore.

Jamale Hopkins

Recording artist: Jennifer Hudson, Melissa Ethridge

Jamale Hopkins was born in Queens New York and started playing drums at the age of 2. He spends most of his time in the studio as the main drummer for Jerry Wonda at Platinum Sounds Studio. He has recording credits with with the likes of Melisa Ethridge, Tank, Jennifer Hudson, Miguel, Bj the Chicago Kid, and many more. He also recently toured with jazz bassist Avishai Cohen. He studied at the Drummers Collective School of Music with professor Guy Lacata and some of his main drumming influences are Calvin Rodgers, Dave Weckl, and Buddy Rich. Jamale says it’s important for him to put God before everything that he does and he plans to one day start his own drum school. He is currently using a 14x7 Archetype Stave Series snare built from African Bubinga.

Kevin Garcia

The Steel Wheels, Broadway

Kevin lives in Brooklyn, New York and does it all when it comes to drumming. From Broadway Musicals to live tours with his band The Steel Wheels to NYU as a dance accompanist. Kevin's mix of eclectic sounds and his ability to sit comfortably in a vast array of styles keeps him busy in the New York drumming scene. Kevin found the sound that he wanted to be the center of his vast array of gigs in a 14x7 Archetype Stave Series Mahogany snare drum. He had us build two identical snares so he could have one for touring and one for his local work After having such a great experience with his Hendrix snares, he recently became a full kit artist and is using a custom shop Walnut Perfect Ply drum kit.

Miguel Pumarol

Independent

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Miguel is a drummer, producer and songwriter. With a focus on the Latin pop/rock market, he has had several songs leading the charts in his native Dominican Republic as well as Venezuela, Colombia, New York City and Spain. His album was recognized by Billboard Magazine as the best Latin Album in 1998, and Best Hispanic Pop/Rock Album by Billboard Magazine that same year. In addition to his albums, he also is a prolific producer in his own studio for international brands such as Taco Bell, KFC, Jeep, Heineken, Pepsi, Verizon, Coca Cola, Frito Lay, Budweiser, Orange, 7up, Nissan, Toyota, Infiniti, Mazda, and Audi to name a few. He fell in love with Hendrix Drums at the NAMM 2018, admiring the unique shell construction and high quality finishes, and most importantly the amazing sound. His wood of choice is Walnut and he currently uses Perfect Ply Series kit and an Archetype Stave Series Custom kit in his studio. His snares are a 13x6 in Tiger Wood, and a 14x5.5 in Cherry.

Justin Holder

Fame Studios

Justin Holder is a freelance session drummer at FAME studios and other surrounding studios in Muscle Shoals, Al. He has a reputation in this musically historical town for having great drum tones and creating a deep pocket for anything he plays on. He has performed live or recorded with KRISS KRISTOFFERSON, DELBERT McCLINTON, FOY VANCE, KEB MO, ALOE BLACC, DARRYL WORLEY, JASON ISBELL, JOHN PAUL WHITE, RICK HALL, NORBERT PUTMAN, JIMMY HALL, JIM GAINES, MARTY RAYBON, DONNIE FRITTS and the SWAMPERS from muscle shoals. Justin plays live with Kelvin Holly (little Richard) and Will McFarlane (Bonnie Raitt) in the band Fathers and Sons. Justin is currently using a 14x6.5 Curly Maple Archetype Stave series snare.