Music Director for the Greater Saint Paul Baptist Church and owner of Tomcat Productions, Thomas McCree finds himself to be Oakland’s and East Bay area’s most sought after and renowned drummer and music director. Mr. McCree has been a professional drummer for over 10 years and finds his inspiration from such legendary drummers as, Dennis Chambers, Dave Weckl, and Billy Cobham, which makes his playing style and technique to be one of diversity and fluidity to include but not limited to funk, gospel, jazz, reggae, hip-hop, soul, and R&B.
Thomas McCree is not only skilled in his craft but is also an accomplished musician. He currently plays various groups such as, Wisdom Creations (hip-hop, reggae band), The Walter Earl Group (soul jazz), Serendipity Project (hip-hop, funk band), Fiji (Hawaiian Artist), and also ministers with Every Word Ministries (Seventh – Day Adventist Ministries) as primary drummer, and Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, where he is the Music Director.
His expertise is also featured in a Master Class and Shedding session that can both be found on the website, gospelchops.com, a website that provides a platform where some of Northern California’s best musicians are able to share ideas, teach lessons and introduce and highlight their craft and skills to the World. And to top off his list of successes, he is the newest addition to the world renowned Drummerworld.com website, dubbed as “The great gospel drummer” and one of America’s newest rising stars in the world of drumming.
Experienced, gifted, and a ”HIGH ACHEIVER” Mr. McCree has received various awards and accolades including “Drummer of the Year” award at the Gospel Academy Awards in 1997, “1st place drummer” in the Guitar Center annual drum off store finals in 1999, and was also awarded a scholarship to Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and the Berklee School of Music Camp in Los Angeles.
Thomas McCree’s Discography is well rounded. He has recorded with “Strictly Roots”, album titled The Next Generation (Touring with the same group in Hawaii in 2000), he is an active member of “The Gospel Music Workshop of America” (GMWA) and recorded with the GMWA in 2002, (Behind the Curtains). He has also completed projects with “Variable Unit” (VU): The Handbook for the Apocalypse (2002), Mayhem Mystics (2003), and Disciples of Peace (2004).
In being well rounded, diversified, and accomplished Thomas does many local tours in both Northern and Southern California. He has performed at the “Reggae on the River” concert in August 2004, opened for The Roots at Cal Palace in San Francisco, CA, Bennie Man at the Phoenix theater, with Split 50, Fred Hammond, Dorinda Clark – Cole, Hezekiah Walker, and Kurt Carr in Oakland, CA, also performed at the annual Earth Dance Festival with Steve Kimmock, the Trinity Tribal Stomp Festival with the Wisdom Creations Band, and periodically plays with the house band for the Warriors of Oakland, CA..
Thomas’s soul’s passion is music and is very excited about pursuing his music career.
