George F. Haley Jr.

 Born- Nov. 11, 1954 in Los Angeles, CA.  The third child of a family of 7.  Raised in a small community called Watts. Jordan Downs Projects Latter 108th Street.

5th Grade- First real introduction to music.  I played trombone horn at 102nd Street School.

7th Grade- Basic Music, Markham Jr. High School. Beginning Band playing Trombone.

8th Grade- Switch to Baritone Horn because of the desire to play a horn with valves.  I became one of the best Baritone players during my attendance.  I was so smooth I was invited and played with the Sr. Orchestra.

During Summer School I experimented with a variety of other instruments including the Flute, Sax, Trumpet, and Drums.

1968 and 1969- I was invited to participate in a summer school elite band called the Honor Band at Lott High School conducted by Mr. Dusten and Mr. Persley.

1969- I was also a member of the L.A.P.D. Marching Band.

1969- I was introduced to the conga drum at a Watts festival celebration.  I soon began to play in my hood called Fudge Town with a group of friends who represented the 103rd Street Will Rodgers Park Set.

Inspired by Drummers Luther Moore, Lawrence Williams, John Mac, Author Mac, Footie, and  Babby Roy.

1973- I Joined the U.S. Navy and started a band called the "After Engine Room Band" where I performed with a now life long friend Danny Goree.

Japan, Korea, Los Angeles, Fresno, Coalinga, San Francisco, Hanford, Oakhurst, and North Fork, CA.  are some of the places I've played at, drumming for a World Family, for Love, for Peace, and for Happiness.

George. 

 


 Travis Lee Andrews Jr.

The Day of Drums

I look back to the good old days, when I waited for the ice cream truck, seated on the porch, playing music on cooking pots and cans.  But as time passed, I was introduced to a pair of congas.  It came to be a long season for drums.  I had to familiarize myself with different rhythms and beats.  My friends, Claude and Congo, taught me the beats and encouraged me to learn from various masterpieces.

I, along with other drummers, played at the Watts Fair every year in Los Angeles, CA.  Over the years, I continued to play my drums as I moved from Los Angeles to San Jose and then to Coalinga, CA.  In Coalinga, I met George from Hanford. Together, we gave birth to the "Drumagic- African American Drummers," which has become a "rainbow of color" drummers.

Drumming was brought forth through years of historical story telling, rhythms and rhymes, and ancient rituals; which has been transported from our ancestors in Africa to America.  Drumagic continues to spread the love of our drumming through California.

                                    God Bless You All,
                                                   T.

 


Jesse Andrews

 I have known about drums since I was a little boy.  My uncles would come by on holidays or weekends and would have a drum circle at my grandmother's house.  I really got into drums when I came to live with my uncle Travis in 2000.  From then on, he's taught me everything there is to playing various drums.

by: Jesse Andrews

 
 


Lauretta Brooks

 My name is Lauretta Brooks. I started playing percussion 4 years ago or more.  You feel the rythym and beats in your head.  When you sat down and listen to different beats you hear so much; different percussion beats played, counts of rythym, the saxophone, the piano, etc.
 


Dave Cicoletti

Dave, a native of the Bay Area, started drumming on the couches around the T.V. room probably around the age of 4. From there, he went through a 12 year regimen of hitting the books at strict Catholic schools and didn’t discover his “rhythmic self” again until he was an anthropology student at U.C. Berkeley in the early 90’s. On the way to class to study for a big, worthless exam of some sort, he heard beats reverberating out of lower Sproul Plaza. From there, he was hooked and started going to the flea markets, street sessions and plaza jams around Oakland and Berkeley to learn the way of the drum. One day he met George Haley in a drum store in Fresno and they started talking in drums. After many zoo gigs, private jams, and educational rhythm sessions around the Central Valley, Dave was ordained into world famous Drumagic. Currently, Dave teaches writing and drum classes in the little sierra mountain town of North Fork and believes that music is the way to invoke peace, harmony, joy, love, brotherhood, sisterhood and everything else good the world has to offer.

 

 


Felasha Porsche

             Bonjour Je m' appelle Felasha Porsche or Sakpse as we say when we greet in Haiti.  That's where my Paternal family originated from, therefore I we speak Creole.  I had to adjust to their way of life when I visited my dad's family but I was born and raised in Detroit Michigan, home of Motown and Motor Vehicles.  There I listened to Motown a lot but I have a love for New Orleans Jazz. I'm also crazy about conscious music, Reggae and Drum Circles.
           I just celebrated a birthday yesterday Cest le vingt-neuf aout that August the 29th for the non-French speakers.  My church discovered I had vocal abilities when I was five years old.  I sang in the choir obnoxiously loud.  I laughed so hard at the beginning of the movie "What's Love Got to Do With It." because a young Tina Turner was singing in the church choir the same exact way I did back then.  Still today I have no fear of a live audience.  As a matter of fact its my joy and pleasure to entertain and put on a great show.
        I've been with "Drumagic" for 3 fun years and every practice and performance has been colorfully energetic.  Especially when we interact with our audience.  I know you will be satisfied with us when you become a member of our audience.

                                    A plus tard - see ya later.
                                              Au Revoir