Jon Whitlock

In the 7th grade I tried out for drums in the middle school band. They told me I was best suited for French Horn. So I told the band Director if he didn't put me on drums, I would transfer out of band and into shop class. They made me a drummer. After high school, still in Rudimental drumming mode, i joined the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps and spent three years in the snare line. From there I went to the University of TN Knoxville thinking I might get a degree in Education. Several years of teaching and writing for high school drum lines showed me that a life of band boosters and lunch duty was not where I wanted to be. So I switched to Percussion Performance, doctored my advisor slips so that I took only music courses, dropped out of college with 32 hours of General ED crap left, and joined my first rock band.

I played mostly congas, various other hand drums and percussion for the next ten years. I toured with the Kings of the Killerfish and Hannaward Pass and in between touring, I found work in musical theater and as a private drum instructor. Currently I teach at Forks Drum Closet and co-manage and tour with the southern swing band Christabel and the Jons. I live cheaply, Travel often, make music all day and I'm so very thankful that I didn’t end up a French Horn player or a welder. (not that there is any thing wrong with Welders that play French Horn)