Today, The Draper Family Band has released their self-titled debut album via Looking Up Productions.
The Draper Family band consists of the father and son duo of Hammond B3, keyboardist Paul Draper, and his son, multi-instrumentalist and producer, and songwriter Brandon Draper.
Hammond B3 artist Paul Draper was signed to a label in Chicago his junior year of high school with the band the Impacts. The year was The band’s touring was cut short by one of the members becoming a parent. In the early 70s he was the only white member of Parliment-style funk band the Sham Pells. 1974-76 Paul lived in Worcester, Mass. where he was a regular at the brand new Long View Farms studio, later used by the Rolling Stones as a rehearsal studio.
Fast forward to 1981, Paul was called to audition for the Rolling Stones after doing studio work at Long View Farms. His son Brandon was approaching his second birthday and Paul declined the offer to stay home and raise his son. With a music studio in the home, Brandon was thumping his leg in the crib and began drum lessons at age 5, jamming daily with his dad in the home, he started sitting in with his dad's bands at 9, touring at 14, and while in high school he was an All-State Orchestral timpanist 3 years in a row.
Paul’s band Midnight Flyer gained regional success in the early 1980s and were inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2020. He joined international contemporary blues artist Jimmie Bratcher as his organist in 2001 and went on to play on 5 albums, multiple tours of the US and charted in Contemporary Blues international Radio multiple times.
After relocating from New Mexico to Kansas City in 2006, Brandon started jamming with his dad again. Now some 40 years later, they embark on the most important project of their careers, together.
Brandon’s extensive professional resume includes performances with both the New Mexico and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestras and the Kansas City Symphony. Draper has performed and/or recorded with Ottmar Liebert, DJ Logic, Donna Summer, Mary Wilson, Mose Allison, Steve Coleman, Dick Oatts, Mike Moreno, Bobby Watson, and Kevin Hays. He toured the U.S. with the live-tronica pioneers Particle and contributed work on their recent album “Accelerator.” In 2010 he performed on drums and contributed to the score of the critically acclaimed hip-hop musical "Venice" in Los Angeles.
Draper has taught at the University of New Mexico, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Johnson County Community College, East Mountain High School, Shawnee Mission West, and Kansas City Academy, led master classes at the PAS Day of Percussion in many states, and performed at P.A.S.I.C. multiple times. He has led workshops at Music Educators Association conferences in many states as well. With the Turkish-Jazz group Alaturka, Draper recorded, co-mixed and performed on the 2013 release Yalniz (4.5 Stars - Best albums of 2013 - Downbeat Magazine). He is the founder of the acclaimed children's interactive music program Drum Safari that has served children and families throughout the US since 2005.
Draper is a Professor in the School of Music at the University of Kansas where teaches jazz drums, world percussion, steel band, sound design, and is the director of Music Enterprise certificate combining music business and entrepreneurship. He holds a Bachelor degree in percussion performance from Bethany College, and a Masters of Music (cum laude) from the University of New Mexico. He is on the board of directors of the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.
Brandon endorses Zildjian, Vic Firth, Meinl, and Audix Microphones.
Paul performs on vintage Hammond organs with Leslie speakers and is currently the Hammond specialist teaching at the Mike Finnigan School of Music in Salina KS.
Tracklist:
Aim All Around
Baby Girl
Stars
Highest Ledge
Fall On Your Sword
It’s Not My Fault
River
Afraid
Get Myself Together
Angel
Sean Connery
That Cat
