Eddie Bayers - Drum Solo Artist

Eddie Bayers

Eddie Bayers was born in Pautaxant River, Maryland. Eddie's father, a naval fighter pilot during World War Two, is credited with the longest dogfight in that war. He also fought at Iwo Jima, in the Marshall Islands, the Coral Sea and the infamous Battle of Midway. He spent 30 years in the Navy as a fighter pilot, commanded a helicopter squadron during the Korean War, and was also a jet test pilot for the Navy. Being the son of a military man, Eddie grew up in various parts of the US, and spent 4 years of his life in North Africa.
Trained as a classical pianist, it was during his college years in California that his musical interests took a turn. "I loved playing the music...but I was in an interpretive mode. In the collegiate years you are subject to interpreting the music exactly the way the professors think you should. To me, it was more fun feeling it the way I wanted to feel it. Not to demean the original composer, but I was starting to see there was a creative part of music."
Eddie began jamming with local musicians, including Jerry Garcia and Tom and John Fogerty (of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame) and through Tom he became involved with studio work. Soon, he began hearing good reports about the Nashville music community. "Capabilities for being a session player were diminishing in the West Coast because of self contained bands, the overdubs - things like that", Eddie says.

"You could still do well in the movie soundtrack end, but for the commercial side of music, it looked like Nashville was the place where it was going to happen." After moving to Nashville, he auditioned at a club as a piano player, and the drummer for the quartet was none other than the infamous Larrie Londin. Larrie inspired Eddie to play drums professionally.

Establishing himself in Nashville as one of the top studio drummers, Eddie has since worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Vince Gill, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Steve Winwood, Peter Frampton, Bob Seger, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Uncle Kracker......well the list goes on and on. Playing on hundreds of gold and platinum albums and numerous movie soundtracks, he has received the Academy of Country Music Drummer of the Year Award for 11 straight years, something that no artist or musician has yet accomplished within the academy's history. Recently, Eddie won his 12th award for 2004. He won the "Top Ten" award in Music Row magazine, which is given to musicians who play on the most top ten Country albums in Billboard magazine so many times, that he still has played drums on the most top ten albums in country for the past 12 years. He was put into the Honor Roll for Modern Drummer Magazine for winning the readers poll 5 years consecutively.

Eddie was elected to the NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) Board of Governors in 1992 thru 1994, again in 1997 thru 1999, and yet again from 1999 thru 2001. He serves on the NARAS Educational Committee, as well as on the board for Music Cares, a NARAS program to help industry people in need. He is a graduate of Leadership Music's first class in 1990. Leadership Music is an extensive course that educates candidates in all facets of the entertainment industry.

In a nutshell, Eddie is Nashville's first-call session drummer and certainly one of the busiest musicians in the world. His calendar is booked months in advance to provide the beat behind country music's biggest stars, as well as pop icons like Mark Knopfler, Lyle Lovett and Sting.