Drummer Joel “Jay-Ray” Anderson went from his brother’s lap at six years old to the drum chair on The Wiz national tour, and he says it all comes down to one thing: networking.
Joel “Jay-Ray” Anderson is a drummer who was recently touring with The Wiz. I caught up with him mid-tour for this episode of Broadway Drumming 101. We talked about growing up in a musical family in Fort Lauderdale, learning drums from YouTube and his oldest brother, coming up through the Dillard High School drumline, studying music at Broward College and Florida Memorial University, landing his first tour (Pretty Woman) the week after graduation, and transitioning to The Wiz through a network built one relationship at a time.
In this episode:
Growing up in a house full of musicians in Fort Lauderdale
Teaching himself drums on YouTube starting at age six
Coming up through the Dillard Center for the Arts drumline
Gospel drumming history and the lineage behind his influences
Studying at Broward College and Florida Memorial University
Landing his first national tour (Pretty Woman) a week after graduation
Running click tracks and Ableton on the road
A month spent touring Japan
The relationships that led to landing The Wiz
Why networking, not just chops, is what actually opens doors
INSTAGRAM: (https://www.instagram.com/jay.ray04/)
Email: joel.r.anderson04@gmail.com
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WANT THE FULL ROADMAP? If this episode has you thinking about your own path to a career in theater, my book has the full breakdown. Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career is out now at broadwayboundbook.com.
It’s everything I wish someone had handed me when I was starting out, how the industry actually works, how to build relationships that lead to real work, and how to make the leap from student to working musician.