TONY ROYSTER JR.

Born in 1984, Tony Royster Jr.’s fans have been calling him a prodigy for years. He started playing drums at just three years old. In 1995, he won Guitar Center’s National Drum-Off after just ten seconds; he was eleven years old. Four years later, he performed at the Grammy Awards. Modern Drummer named Tony the #1 Up and Coming Drummer in both 2000 and 2001.

In 2000, Tony worked with his mentor and favorite drummer, Dennis Chambers, on a drumming DVD called Common Ground. The video garnered international praise and, as a result, Tony and Dennis appeared together on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine. Tony went on to tour the world with top Asian musician Hikaru Utada in 2001.

In 2002, Tony joined the young band members of Imajin. The band signed a contract with Universal Records and Imajin Unreleased debuted in 2005. That same year, Tony released his second video, Pure Energy, which featured him and his band playing R&B, fusion, jazz, and rock. On the DVD, hip hop drumming phenomenon Nisan Stewart joined Tony for a series of side-by-side solos. Tony again worked with Dennis Chambers, recording Boston T Party in 2006. The next year, Tony toured with rap mogul Jay-Z. In 2008 Tony toured with Imajin.

In 2009, Tony received the honor of performing with Jay-Z at the main inaugural ball of the 44th president, Barack Obama. Dubbed by President Obama the "Neighborhood Ball," he called the event "... an inauguration for all Americans." Held at the Washington Convention center, the event featured webcasts and text messaging capabilities to link neighborhood all across the nation to the event and their new President.

Tony is competent in funk, R&B, Latin, rock, and jazz drumming. His accompaniments include Billy Cobham, Steve Smith, Sheila E., Chester Thompson, Branford Marsalis, Paul Shaffer, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. He is regularly invited to industry spectacles such as the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Modern Drummer Festival, Montréal Drum Fest, and the Florida Drum Expo. Tony performed on the David Letterman Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, the BET Awards, and on VH1. He also plays regularly with Lazyeye, Francisco Fattoruso, The Tony Royster Jr. Band and his newest project, ASAP.