John Thomakos

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, John Thomakos began playing drums at age six. Hegraduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts as a Percussion/Music Major with ascholarship award to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He holds aCertificate with Honors and an award for Best Funk Drummer from the MusiciansInstitute, Percussion Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, California.John has since continued a successful professional career as a freelance drummer,author, and teacher. He has written two drumset method books: Drum Back-BeatsEncyclopedia, published by Alfred Publications, and The Drumset Styles Encyclopedia,published by Mel Bay Publications. He has also written instructional material for Vic Firthand Modern Drummer Magazine.John’s musicianship and versatility isreflected in his demanding performanceschedule. He has played for a wide variety ofextraordinary artists ranging from New Orleansguitar superman John Mooney, to the BaltimoreSymphony Orchestra. His recording discographyalso shows his versatility in a wide range ofstyles with a variety of exceptional artistsincluding Carl Filipiak and Billy Kemp. He hasrecorded music for a variety of radio andtelevision commercials as well as music fortelevision shows including Brooklyn South,That’s Life, Homicide, and The Young and theRestless. He has also played on sound tracks forthe Discovery Channel and for various moviesincluding The Smokers, About Sarah, and TheGirl Next Door.