Broadway Drumming 101 - The Podcast

Joel “Jay-Ray” Anderson is a drummer that was recently touring with The Wiz.
I caught up with him mid-tour. We talked about growing up in a musical family in Fort Lauderdale, learning drums from YouTube and his oldest brother, coming up through the Dillard High School drumline, studying music at Broward College and Florida Memorial University, landing his first tour (Pretty Woman) the week after graduation, and transitioning to The Wiz through a network built one relationship at a time. We got into gospel drumming history, drumline battles, a month spent touring Japan, and why networking, not just chops, is what actually opens doors.
Jay-Ray comes from a house full of musicians. His father plays guitar and sings; his oldest brother plays drums and keys; another brother sings, plays drums, and plays saxophone; and a third brother plays bass, guitar, and keys while producing. Jay-Ray’s own introduction to the drums came at six years old, when his oldest brother sat him down in front of a kit for the first time. By twelve, he had his own Sonor drum set, a gift from that same brother, and was already teaching himself by copying drumming videos on YouTube.
Jay-Ray attended Dillard Center for the Arts, where he played in two jazz bands, marched snare in the wind orchestra and drumline, and got pulled onto snare drum as a freshman after impressing section leader Javon with a string of paradiddles. He talks about the discipline instilled by band directors Christopher Dorsey and Dr. Sheldon McClain, learning traditional grip for the first time, and the intensity of real drumline battles.
Jay-Ray studied at Broward College (Associate’s in Music Performance) before transferring to Florida Memorial University for his bachelor’s degree, where he played under percussion director Taurus Lovely, a 25-year Broadway touring veteran (including Tina Turner: The Musical) who would later become the person who got Jay-Ray his first tour. Jay-Ray’s first trip to New York came in 2018, when Dillard’s jazz band won the Essentially Ellington competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the same trip where he first saw a Broadway show, Ain’t Too Proud.
The day after Jay-Ray graduated from Florida Memorial in May 2023, Taurus Lovely called with an audition opportunity for the Pretty Woman national tour. Jay-Ray recorded four songs from the show, landed the gig, and was in rehearsals in Syracuse, New York within months. He talks candidly about the learning curve of running click tracks and Ableton on the road, getting walked through the system by original drummer Kevin Maynard, and the parts of touring nobody warns you about, like setting up and breaking down your own kit on travel days. Over roughly two years with the show, he toured extensively across the U.S. and spent a month performing in Japan (Shinjuku, Tachikawa, Kyoto, and Osaka).
Jay-Ray’s move to The Wiz came through his network: Sammy Merandino and Quentin “Q” Robinson recommended him, and MD Michael Aarons brought him in. Jay-Ray left Pretty Woman in Wichita and, within a week, was in New York starting rehearsals, spending his off-hours studying original drummer Trevor Holder’s book and comparing the Broadway cast recording to the touring arrangement. He also shares how he first met Q Robinson years earlier, showing up at Hamilton’s closing show in Fort Lauderdale just to introduce himself.
Asked what he’d tell a high school or college drummer chasing a career like his, Jay-Ray’s answer is simple: networking. Every opportunity in his career, from Pretty Woman to The Wiz to this very podcast episode, traces back to a relationship someone else made on his behalf.
Where to Find Jay-Ray
* Instagram & TikTok: @jay.ray04
* Facebook: Joel Anderson
* Email: joel.r.anderson04@gmail.com
Resources
* Free: How to Land a Broadway Gig Roadmap — subscribe to Broadway Drumming 101 (free or paid) and grab it at broadwayboundbook.com/roadmap
* The Broadway Sub Playbook ($7.99) — available at signaturebrandworks.com
* Broadway Drumming 101 merch (backpacks, tees, hats, mugs, and more) — signaturebrandworks.com
* Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career by Clayton Craddock — out now
Clayton Craddock was most recently the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.
His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.
Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.
www.claytoncraddock.com


Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe

The Adam Wolfe Interview — Now on Video
This is the video version of a Broadway Drumming 101 classic, first published back in 2022.
Adam Wolfe made his Broadway debut on Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland after playing its out-of-town tryout at Houston’s Alley Theatre. From there he built one of the most versatile résumés in the city, subbing on Rent, Evita, Matilda, Cats, Hello Dolly, Anastasia, The Prom, West Side Story, and more, plus chairs on Bandstand, Jerry Springer the Opera, and Clueless the Musical. A classically trained percussionist with serious drum set chops, Adam is the kind of hybrid player who can walk into almost any pit and hold it down.
In this conversation, Adam talks about what it actually took to build that career: the prep, the trust-building, and the versatility that keeps the calls coming.
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If you want the roadmap for building a career like this, grab a copy of Broadway Bound and Beyond. It’s the book I wish I had when I started, and it lays out the actual sequence: how to build the reputation, the relationships, and the readiness that get you in the pit and keep you there. Get it at broadwayboundbook.com.
And if you’re already working toward sub gigs, check out The Broadway Sub Playbook. It’s a short, direct four-week guide covering pit prep, etiquette, and the habits that get you called back. Get it at signaturebrandworks.com.
Watch the full interview, then go get both. Nobody hands you a career in this business. You build it.
Clayton Craddock was most recently the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.
His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.
Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.
www.claytoncraddock.com


Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe

This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Based in NYC since 2011, Adam came to New York by way of Houston, TX, where he completed his Master’s Degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music (2008). Adam grew up in Northeast Ohio, where he attended Cleveland State University (2006). Formally studying classical percussion throughout his education, Adam also actively performed as a freelancer on drum set — his classical background combined with his drum set skills gave him a unique blend that turned out to be very well-suited for musical theater.
After playing its out-of-town tryout at Houston’s Alley Theatre, Adam had his Broadway debut as the drummer on Frank Wildhorn’s WONDERLAND when it transferred to Broadway (Spring 2011). OBCR on Sony Masterworks.
With his foot in the door from his first Broadway show, Adam set about the work of subbing and building a reputation in and around the city. Subbing on NYC productions as diverse as RENT, EVITA, MATILDA the Musical, AVENUE Q, CATS, HELLO DOLLY, ANASTASIA, THE PROM, WEST SIDE STORY, COME FROM AWAY, and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS — and many more — Adam routinely demonstrates a wide-ranging versatility. A unique hybrid player, Adam is equally at home on drum set and percussion, excelling in situations that demand both contemporary drum set styles and legit classical/orchestral sensibilities.
Adam’s most recent NYC chairs include 2017’s BANDSTAND on Broadway (TONY Nomination for Best Orchestrations, TONY WINNER for Best Choreography), Jerry Springer the Opera, and Between the Lines with acclaimed writers Samsel & Anderson — where Adam not only played drums and percussion but helped create the percussive mix elements. Adam is often found developing new works in NYC’s rehearsal studios, working with established and new writing teams whenever possible. Most recently, Adam subbed on CATS: The Jellicle Ball.
Adam has supported many of NYC’s finest singers, including Caroline Bowman, Austin Colby, Jordan Dobson, Natalie Weiss, Justin Guarini, Sierra Boggess, Laura Osnes, Josh Young, Orfeh, Andy Karl, Patti LuPone, Jeremy Jordan, Ben Fankhauser, Brian Justin Crumm, Jenna Ushkowitz, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Kacey Velazquez, Loren Allred, Andy Mientus, and Crystal Monee Hall, among many others.
When not in the theater, Adam is often found in NYC recording studios playing for singer/songwriters and composers like Desi Oakley, The Jack Mosbacher Band, Michael Mott, and David Mallamud — playing cabaret spots like Feinstein’s 54 Below, performing at Lincoln Center, and downtown venues such as Rockwood Music Hall, Piano’s, and The Bitter End. Adam also records drum tracks and produces at his studio in Midtown Manhattan.
Recordings Adam Has Played On:
* Between the Lines Original Cast Recording
* BANDSTAND Original Broadway Cast Recording
* Desi Oakley, “Repeat”
* Michael Mott, “Abandoned Heart” (Released on Broadway Records, September 15, 2017)
* A Rockin’ Midsummer Night’s Dream – World Premiere Recording
* You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2016 Off-Broadway Cast Recording) — available on iTunes, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Collaborators featured on these recordings include David Mallamud, Nat Zegree, The Jack Mosbacher Band, and Desi Oakley.
Connect with Adam:Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Contact form for bookings and inquiries.Site: home | about | media | recording/programming
Clayton Craddock was most recently the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.
His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.
Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.
www.claytoncraddock.com


Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Inch is one of the busiest drummers in the tri-state area and has been doing it the right way for a long time. He’s currently on the Water for Elephants national tour, and how he got there is a masterclass in how this business actually works.
What we covered:
* How his drum teacher in Norwalk, Connecticut — a musical theater pit musician himself — shaped everything about the way Spencer approaches charts, styles, and preparation
* Going from a classical undergrad at Penn State to a jazz grad program at UM Frost and feeling completely out of his league — and why that was the best thing that ever happened to him
* What cruise ships actually teach you that school never will: making people dance, reading a room, and playing polka music with no internet and no prep time
* How his first connection into the New York theater world came from a drummer he barely knew who shared a rehearsal space in Williamsburg — that drummer went on to play with Billie Eilish
* The real reality of life on a rock tour — the routine of it, the grind of load-in and load-out, and why it felt more like going to work than living a dream
The advice he got on a cruise ship about playing polkas at the Blue Note — and why Wynton Marsalis walking in the door shouldn’t change anything about how you play.
The throughline in Spencer’s story isn’t talent. It’s relationships, saying yes, and taking every single gig seriously — no matter what it is. The polka gig. The Les Mis at a children’s theater. All of it.


Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe

In 2018, Mariana Ramirez walked into the pit at Once On This Island as a sub and made history. She became the first female Mexican percussionist to ever perform on a Broadway show.
Nobody handed her that moment. She built it.
I first published this conversation in March of 2022, and it remains one of my favorites. Most of you weren’t subscribed back then, so I’m bringing it back — the story is too good to leave in the archive.
Who is Mariana Ramirez?
Mariana is an NYC-based freelance percussionist who began her music studies at the National Conservatory of Mexico in Mexico City before earning her Bachelor of Music in Percussion at Rutgers University.
That first Broadway sub gig at Once On This Island opened doors. She went on to sub Head Over Heels and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, then hit the road holding the drums/percussion chair on the Once On This Island national tour. Off-Broadway, her credits include Merrily We Roll Along and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, among many others. Today, she is one of just two female Mexican drummer/percussionists performing on Broadway.
But her career stretches far beyond the pit.
She has performed across Europe, Asia, and Mexico with Mexican traditional music bands, symphonic ensembles, chamber orchestras, and pop bands. You may have caught her on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in the series Mozart in the Jungle, or at the NBC Universal Upfronts at Radio City Music Hall.
She also founded Percussion Quartet Excelsis, which Jonathan Haas, head of the NYU Percussion Department, praised as one of the most innovative and exciting percussion ensembles of this era of chamber music. Excelsis has performed twice on NPR’s From the Top, at the Percussive Arts Society New York Weekend of Percussion, Brooklyn Bound with Sō Percussion, Zeltsman Marimba Festival, and Tippet Rise Music Festival in Montana. The group is endorsed by Sabian Cymbals.
As a symphonic percussionist, she has performed with the National Symphony of Mexico, Orquesta de Minería, the first all-women orchestra of Mexico, Dartmouth Symphony, South Florida Symphony, New England Ensemble, Fairfield Orchestra, and most recently with The Dessoff Choir, premiering works for choir and orchestra at Alice Tully Hall.
Traditional Mexican music. Broadway pits. Symphony halls. Chamber ensembles. Television. That range is not an accident — it’s the career.
In this conversation, we talk about:
* The Santana concert in Mexico City that made an 11-year-old girl decide, on the spot, what she wanted to do with her life
* Her path from the National Conservatory of Mexico to Rutgers to New York
* What it took to break into Broadway subbing — and what it meant to be the first
* How versatility across genres and settings keeps a freelance career alive

And when you’re done with this one, keep an eye on your inbox. Up next on the podcast: Spencer Inch. You won’t want to miss that conversation.

For the complete roadmap to building a career in theater, grab Broadway Bound and Beyond at broadwayboundbook.com.
Broadway Bound and Beyond isn’t theory. It’s twenty-six years on Broadway broken down into what actually works: how auditions really get decided, how reputation gets built or destroyed, how money works in this business, why versatility keeps you employed, and what it takes to last decades instead of one season. If you want the full career picture, the hardcover is at broadwayboundbook.com.
If subbing is specifically your way in, the book gets you the mindset and the etiquette, but the Broadway Sub Playbook goes further. It’s the actual system: the four-week prep formula, the show-day routine, how to take notes that stick, how to handle a pit you’ve never sat in before. It’s built for one job — getting you ready for that call when it comes — and it’s the resource a lot of working subs wish they’d had before their first one.
Grab both at signaturebrandworks.com.
Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.
His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.
Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.
www.claytoncraddock.com


Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe