Gwen

Gwen has over 30 years of musical experience, covering a variety of musical instruments and styles, including classical, jazz, pop, country, rock, gospel, and blues. She has completed studies at the Nashville Jazz Institute, the National Guitar Summer Workshop, and has studied and performed with some wonderful musicians.....some famous, most not. Gwen is currently the drummer for the WAMA award-winning classic rockin all girl party band, Wicked Jezabel.
Fun Drum and Musical Facts:
Mother gave me my first drum at 2 years of age. Broke it shortly thereafter and started beating pots, pans, trash cans, and other siblings and relatives to keep the beat.
School band directors would not allow girls on the drum line, so I had to play the "Girlie" instruments (clarinet, bassoon, mallet percussion and hand traps, flag corps) through Jr. and Sr. High School. But….you can't keep a good drummer down.
Discovered at around 12 years of age that I could play an actual drumset, during a Jr. High School dance, when the live drummer there who played along with the DJ's music, let me play during his break. Before then, I only played an "imaginary" drumset in my bedroom along with the music on my stereo.
Played drums all through college and for 8 years afterwards for choirs, concerts and gospel recording sessions….wearing a dress and an apron to cover my..er…ah….umm….female parts. Many people in churches remarked how, upon first sight…that I was the prettiest "man" they had seen behind the drums.
I have shared the stage with many legendary and famous gospel stars. I would list them here, but most of you heathens would not know them because you have barely darkened the doors of any church lately…..huh…huh? Me neither.
Hung up the sticks and sold my drums when I moved from Atlanta to Nashville….got scared and intimidated away from the drums by all the session drummers and drum programmers there, and decided to concentrate on guitar , keyboards, and songwriting. During that time, I still always dreamed I was playing drums, sometimes either naked or wearing just my underwear.
After over 10 years, I bought a drum set on a whim for my birthday, with help from a gift certificate from a certain beloved band, and an awesome closeout sale at Guitar Center. My first song to play was "Honky Tonk Woman" while sitting in with Pauline and the Boys in June 2007. The drum passion reignited!!!