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Celebrating A Double Anniversary

May 16, 2013

Any anniversary celebration is special. But when it’s a double anniversary, that’s extra-special. And when one of those anniversaries marks 130 years…well, that’s unique.

So it was with the Gretsch 130th Anniversary celebration, which was held this past May 4 at Randy Wood’s Pickin’ Parlor in Bloomingdale, Georgia. The location was appropriate, since Bloomingdale is just “down the road a bit” from Pooler, which is where my wife Dinah and I reside. And the Gretsch USA Custom Drums factory is located just across the river, in Ridgeland, South Carolina.

The setting for the event had a somewhat rural... Read More

Gretsch Welcomes J.D. Blair

February 22, 2012

In his 30 plus year career, J. D. Blair has developed a résumé that has found him reaching across the lines of musical genres as a performer, session player and touring drummer. Whether it is jazz, gospel, funk, pop, Contemporary Christian or country, Blair delivers the goods. Based in Nashville, it was inevitable that the country music world would come calling; he has performed behind some of the biggest names in country music, including Wynonna Judd, Lyle Lovett, Shelby Lynne, and one of the biggest names in music history, Shania Twain, earning him the title of “2000 Country Drummer of the Year” by Drum! Magazine. As a much sought after session player, Blair has recorded with India.Arie, Bootsy Collins, Tommy Emmanuel, Wynonna Judd, Lyle Lovett, Shelby Lynne, Yo-Yo Ma, Natalie MacMaster, Donnie McClurkin, Point Of Grace, Shania Twain, BeBe and CeCe Winans, and Victor Wooten just to name a few. In 2011, Blair and Wooten toured Europe as a jazz/funk duo on their 2 Minds 1 Groove tour.