Wayne Du

WAYNE WAS BORN IN CHICAGO IN OCT. OF 1966 TO A FAMILY OF MUSIC LOVING PARENTS. HE STARTED PLAYING PIANO AT THE AGE OF 8 BECAUSE HE SAW MANNFORD MANN'S EARTH BAND PERFORM ON THE "MIDNIGHT SPECIAL". ALTHOUGH HE WANTED TO PLAY BIG MASSIVE KEYS HIS MOTHER INSISTED THE YOUNG CHAP START ON PIANO. HATED IT! THOUGH HE STUCK WITH IT FOR TEN YEARS THE ONLY WAY OUT OF IT WAS THE FAMILY RELOCATING TO OKLAHOMA CITY IN 1978. HIS FATHER BOUGHT HIM A PRACTICE PAD AND STICKS OUT OF THE BLUE FOR ONE CHRISTMAS AND IT STARTED HIM ON HIS JOURNEY WITH DRUMS. HE WAS 10 YEARS OLD. HE STARTED PLAYING TO HIS FATHERS RECORDS OF MILES DAVIS, LOU RAWLS, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, NANCY WILSON AND THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND ALONG WITH COUNTLESS MUSICALS LIKE PORGY AND BESS AND THE WIZ. LATER HE WOULD VENTURE OUT ON HIS OWN LISTENINGS OF THE JACKSONS, HEATWAVE, THE ISLEY BROTHERS AND WHATEVER WAS ON THE RADIO. THEN ONE DAY A DEAR FRIEND LET HIM HEAR MOVING PICTURES FROM RUSH AND CONTINUED A MUSICAL JOURNEY THAT LIVES TO THIS DAY. AFTER THAT, HE VENTURED INTO METAL BANDS SUCH AS OZZY OSBOURNE, IRON MAIDEN AND ACCEPT. THEN IT WAS ON TO HARDER FASTER BANDS LIKE SLAYER, MEGADEATH, METALLICA AND HELLOWEEN. "ALL THOSE INFLUENCES GAVE ME "MAD SPEED" CHOPS." FROM THERE HE STARTED LISTENING TO MORE PROGRESSIVE ARTISTS LIKE YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, MARTY FRIEDMAN, JASON BECKER, TONY MACALPINE AND JENS JOHANNSON. AFTER GETTING SOMEWHAT BORED WITH ALL OF THIS AND NOT FEELING A SENSE GROWTH HE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO START LISTENING TO JAZZ ARTISTS LIKE THE GRP ALL-STARS, DAVE WECKL, SIMON PHILLIPS, RIPPINGTONS, SPYRO GYRA, WEATHER REPORT, YELLOWJACKETS, MILES DAVIS, CHARLIE PARKER, T.MONK AND OTHERS . TODAY HE IS ONE OF THE MOST WELL ROUNDED DRUMMERS SOUGHT IN THE OKLAHOMA CITY MUSIC SCENE. WITH COUNTRY, ROCK,REGGAE,BLUES AND THE LIKE THERE IS NOTHING THIS "CAT" CAN'T PLAY. "MUSIC IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, NEVER LIMIT YOURSELF TO ONE STYLE OF MUSIC, EMBRACE IT ALL."