Ben Gramm

Born and raised in Rochester New York Ben studied drums with Rochester jazz legend Vinnie Ruggerio and with John McNeill, principal snare drummer in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He was accepted at Berklee College of Music in Boston and while working toward his performance degree studied drums with the great drumset guru Gary Chaffee ... Upon completing his studies Ben moved to New York City where his drumming was soon heard both live and on record behind renowned artists Edgar Winter, Peter Frampton, Rupert Holmes, Peter Allen, Yoko Ono, Guilda Radner, Deborah Gibson and Donna Summer to name a few. He toured the world several times with some of these artists, performing in major concert halls, stadiums and arenas and appeared multiple times on all the major entertainment and talk shows of the day. He also played drums on his brother Lou Gramm's (lead singer of Foreigner) solo albums, "Ready Or Not" and "Long Hard Look" on Atlantic Records, which included the hit singles "Midnight Blue" and "Just Between You And Me" and toured with him to support these releases ... As a session drummer he has played on radio and television commercials for major advertisers including Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Chrysler Corporation, General Motors, ABC, HBO, Visa, Pizza Hut, and many more, some of which are currently being aired nationally and internationally ... he also played in the Broadway “pit” in such shows as “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”, “Street Corner Symphony”, and held the drum chair for a road tour of The Who’s “Tommy” ... For the last three summers he has been doing spot shows with his brother Lou both here and abroad and recording a new album with him as well as performing in a variety of musical situations in and around Manhattan ... !!! BEN IS NOW ACCEPTING STUDENTS !!! "MY STATUS AS A PERFORMANCE MUSICIAN ENABLES ME TO STAY ATTUNED TO TODAY’S MUSIC, MUSIC BUSINESS AND WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN WHILE AFFORDING ME THE FLEXIBILITY TO DEDICATE TIME TO TEACHING THE DRUMS, EITHER ON A PRIVATE BASIS, AS A CLINICIAN, OR AS AN ADJUNCT STAFF MEMBER OF A SCHOOL ... I STRONGLY FEEL THAT MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF MUSICAL PERFORMANCE CAN GREATLY BENEFIT ANY STUDENT IN A PRACTICAL WAY. IF HE OR SHE IS SERIOUS AND SEES MUSIC AS A WAY OF LIFE OR EVEN A CAREER, I CAN INSTRUCT, GUIDE AND MENTOR. IF A STUDENT’S ONLY MUSICAL ASPIRATION IS TO JAM WITH A GARAGE BAND, WE CAN ACHIEVE THAT TOO, AND QUICKLY ... MY INSTRUCTION STEMS FROM THE BASIC PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CONCEPTS OF ERGONOMIC FORM AT THE DRUM SET AND A RATIONAL APPROACH TO TIME KEEPING, FEEL AND IMPROVISATION, BASED ON AN UNDERSTANDING OF ONES ROLE AS A DRUMMER AND EXPRESSIVE MUSICIAN. IT IS ALSO MY PERSONAL GOAL TO INSTILL A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF MUSIC AS A LIVE-ACTION ART FORM, AT A TIME WHEN MUCH OF THE MUSIC WE HEAR AND RELATE TO IS PROGRAMMED AND PIECED TOGETHER IN A COMPUTER." ... [email protected]