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'Carter Beauford' (born November 2, 1957 in Charlottesville, Virginia) is a drummer and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). He is known for his ability to mix together countless percussion styles, and is highly regarded for his open hand drumming style, where his left hand leads on the hi-hat and ride cymbal in a conventional right-handed drumset set-up.

Contents

Background

Secrets, DMB

Personal life

Other collaboration

Trivia

External links

Background

Beauford was exposed to drumming at the age of three. At the time, his father had bought tickets to a Buddy Rich concert and could not find someone to watch his son, so he took young Carter along to the show. After that show, Carter's father bought his son a tin set with paper heads since Carter showed much interest in learning the instrument. He began playing his first professional gigs when he was nine.

Secrets, DMB

Eventually, he joined Secrets, a Richmond-based band. Other members include saxophonist LeRoi Moore, trumpeter John D'Earth, vocalist Dawn Thompson, keyboardist Butch Taylor, and guitarist Tim Reynolds. Secrets would perform throughout Virginia, often at ''Miller's'', the bar in Charlottesville where Dave Matthews worked as a bartender. Carter also played in Blue Indigo with LeRoi Moore, Sal Soghoian, and George Melvin. A driving Jazz band, Blue Indigo performed regularly at Tokyo Rose and Millers, and was featured at the Delaware Water Gap Jazz Festival. Eventually, Dave approached both Carter and Leroi regarding some music he had written that he wished to record. Upon listening, Beauford agreed, thus establishing his permanent status as DMB drummer.

Personal life

Has a daughter named Brianna Simone from his first marriage.
With his second wife, Karen, he has two children: a daughter, Nadja Angelique Beauford born October 5th 2001 and a son Marcus Carrington Beauford born in December 2004.

Other collaboration

Beauford has also contributed to other artists on side projects including work with Vertical Horizon, Carlos Santana, John Popper (Blues Traveler), and bass virtuoso Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones).

Trivia

★ Carter Beauford is a student pilot. He discusses this briefly on The Gorge DVD in the special features section, during which the band flies in a helicopter over the Gorge Ampitheater.

★ Carter explains his unique playing style in his instructional video "Under The Table & Drumming", attributing his use of left-hand-lead on a right-handed kit to playing his own kit in front of a mirror as a child in an attempt to emulate his favorite drummers like Buddy Rich. Young Carter unknowingly set up his drums in reverse of whichever performer & set he had in mind in an attempt to make the mirrored image of himself match that of the audience perspetive, as he had seen it on stage & tv. This helped him to become completely ambidextrious at a very early age, albeit by accident.

External links

★

★ Carter Beauford at Drummerworld

★ Carter's drum kit and equipment list

★ Official Dave Matthews Band website