Starting at age six I was doing well enough to take my own private lessons. I loved the drums and I was a natural! Every year from first through eighth grade I played for my classmates at the school talent shows. In the 1970’s, girl drummers were few and far between so everyone went crazy for the “little drummer girl”!

I continued to take private lessons until the age of 17. By that time I was playing on the snare line in the Alta High marching band. What a great experience that was! I played with the marching band for two years and then joined my first rock band, “The Underground”.

I played with “The Underground” for about three years. I will never forget setting up for a show and hearing a comment from someone in the audience “a girl drummer I’ll bet she can’t even hit the drums”. After the show was over that same guy came up to me and told me “you rock! I never knew a girl could play the drums like that!”. I guess I showed him!

Getting married, having a career and becoming a mom put things on hold for awhile. Even though I wasn’t playing, I never lost the desire to play and thought about it all the time. After I got divorced I decided it was time to pick up my sticks again!!

I have always been proud to be a female drummer! I am especially grateful that I can be a roll model for other girls that want to play the drums!!

See the “Sneez & Sherrie story” for the continuation.