Clayton Craddock’s drumming career spans decades and numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. Clayton has also held the drum chair and recorded the cast albums for the musicals Altar Boyz tick…tick… BOOM!, Memphis the Musical and Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill with Audra McDonald and Ain’t Too Proud-The Life AndTimes Of the Temptations.
After earning his bachelor’s in business administration from Howard University in Washington, Clayton stayed in the D.C. area, managing record stores by day and immersing himself in the local music scene by night as a drummer for blues and rock bands. In 1993, Clayton took a leap of faith and moved to New York City to pursue a career in music.
In this episode, Clayton talks about:
The development and upward trajectory of Ain’t Too Proud
The process of launching a musical from the conception and initial workshopping to the full production
Learning the vocabulary of choreographers to understand what they want from a drummer
Emulating Benny Benjamin and other drummers who were part of The Funk Brothers, Motown’s “Wrecking Crew.”
Taking low money for workshops and readings in hopes that you can get in on the ground floor of something big
The many shows he’s played for over the years, either on a permanent or sub basis
The role of the Musicians Union in New York and the musical theatre scene
His experience at Howard University in Washington DC
His white-collar career after college and making the leap to full time drumming
How building your network is constructing your own safety net
Listen to it HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/working-drummer/id957529466?i=1000440768693
Clayton Craddock hosts the Broadway Drumming 101 Podcast and Newsletter. He has held the drum chair in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill and Ain’t Too Proud.
The Broadway Drumming 101 Instagram page: Instagram
The Broadway Drumming 101 YouTube page: YouTube
For more about Clayton, click HERE
