Grammy Award Winner, Yonrico Scott, began his
musical career at the age of seven, and was playing professionally with several
gospel groups in Detroit, Michigan – primarily, as a direct result of the
unwavering encouragement and support of his late mother, Ruth Scott, a
talented gospel vocalist and performer. By age fourteen, Yonrico began
private study with Motown drummer, George Hamilton. His musical
accomplishments continued throughout college, and during his freshman year at Kentucky
State University, he was voted, 'Drummer of the Year.' He later
transferred to the University of Kentucky to study with Dave
Davenport, Professor of Percussion and Principal Timpanist of the Lexington
Philharmonic, where he received a B.A. in Performance Percussion in 1978.
In 1979, Yonrico accepted an Artist in Residency
assignment in Atlanta, GA, with The Neighborhood Arts Center’s Department
of Cultural Affairs. It wasn’t long afterwards that Yonrico became one of
Atlanta's most sought-after studio drummers. Since 1995, Yonrico has been
touring the world as a member of the Derek Trucks Band (dTb). (The dTb
is a Sony Music Entertainment artist with recent television appearances
on the CBS Early Show, the Conan O’Brien Show, & A&E’s
Breakfast in the Arts, among several others.) Their self-titled debut CD
was released on Landslide Records in October 1997. Since then, the band
has released six additional recordings: Out of the Madness, Joyful
Noise, Soul Serenade, Live at the Georgia Theatre, Songlines,
and most recently, Already Free (2009), which won the Grammy for Best
Contemporary Blues Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards
in Los Angeles, CA.
The dTb has headlined the popular Blues Cruise and Jam
Cruise, and completed multiple tours of Japan & Europe. They’ve
opened for and performed with artists such as: BB King, Eric Clapton,
Santana, Buddy Guy, Joe Satriani, John Popper, Clarence
Gatemouth Brown, Gregg Allman and Friends, Gov’t
Mule, Leftover Salmon, Taj Mahal, Little Milton, Mavis
Staples, and Otis Rush. Yonrico also collaborates & tours
internationally with Grammy Award Winner, Earl Klugh, and his own
band, the Yonrico Scott Band (YSB), which often includes Kofi Burbridge,
Keys/Flute, and Todd Smallie, Bass, and other notable music
artists. YSB’s debut release, Turning the Corner, was
released in January, 2004. YSB plan to release a second record in 2010.
Throughout his musical career, Yonrico has recorded and/or
performed with a Who’s Who list of well-known artists. Most recently, he
has collaborated with The Ying Yang Twins and Outkast. Other major
artists include Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Peabo Bryson,
Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Chuck
Berry, George Howard, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Joshua
Redman, George Benson, Anita Baker, Tinsley Ellis, The
Allman Brothers Band, Susan Tedeschi, Kansas, John
Scofield, Bruce Hampton, Cecil Bridgewater, Alvin Batiste,
Gary Burton, Fiji Mariners, Andrew White, Gregg Allman,
John Denver, Ben E. King, The 3 Degrees, The Supremes,
Widespread Panic, Phil Lesh, The Lexington Philharmonic,
and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Yonrico's Broadway tour performances include The Wiz,
5 Guys Named Moe, and Dream Girls.
Yonrico’s endorsements include Pearl Drums, Ziljian
Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, LP Percussion, and Everyone's
Drumming.
