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Eddie Bayers was born in Pautaxant, Maryland on January 28, 1949 and has lived in various locations, including 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."
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, and Bob Seger - playing on more than 150 gold and platinum albums and numerous movie soundtracks. He received the Academy of Country Music Drummer of the Year Award for eight straight years, and has three times won the Nashville Music Awards Drummer of the Year.
Talking with Eddie:
What made music your life?
"That started when I was very young and it was just something that was natural. When I was four or five years old, I'd go to a piano and start picking out melodies. My father kept nurturing it. He knew that's what was in me and kept it going."
Musical Philosophy?
"My first dream has always been to have 'world music.' There have always been stereotypes and stigmas. I like to break those down because people are people and they are diverse listeners. The days of us [the musicians] trying to control a specific genre is going out the window. We're random people. Someone may have a Shania Twain or Dixie Chicks album, but I bet if you go into their CD library you'll also find a Sting album, Phil Collins - even a classical album."
The Players Album?
"This is a chance to be able to say, 'Here's what when we go in on our own project to be our own writers, our own artists and our own producers. To me, it just heightens the awareness of the musician. I wish I could have all my peers on this album but by raising the consciousness of whom we are, it will give respect to the whole musical community as a group."
"...you'll be excited by what you hear - by the chemistry of the group, the oneness of some of the parts are really moving. I've sat listening to John, Paul, Brent and Michael - astounded as these people let out their musical capabilities."
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