An In Depth Interview with Yonrico Scott
Yonrico Scott’s professional career began at age seven. With the encouragement of his late mother Ruth Scott, a talented gospel vocalist, he began performing with several gospel groups in Detroit Michigan. When he was 14, Yonrico began private study with Motown drummer George Hamilton. During his freshman year at Kentucky State University, he was voted, ‘Drummer of the Year.’ He transferred to the University of Kentucky to study with Dave Davenport, Professor of Percussion and Principal Timpanist of the Lexington Philharmonic. Yonrico’s musical accomplishments continued throughout college, and he received a B.A. in Performance Percussion in 1978.
In 1979, Yonrico accepted an Artist in Residency assignment in Atlanta, GA, with The Neighborhood Arts Center’s Department of Cultural Affairs. He soon became one of Atlanta’s most sought-after studio drummers. Since 1995, Yonrico has been touring with the Derek Trucks Band (DTB) – a Sony Music Entertainment artist with recent television appearances on prominent television shows. Since their self-titled debut CD was released on Landslide Records in October 1997, the band has released six additional recordings. The DTB has headlined the popular ‘Blues Cruise’ and ‘Jam Cruise,’ and completed multiple tours in Japan & Europe. They’ve opened for and performed with artists BB King, Eric Clapton, Santana, Buddy Guy, Joe Satriani, John Popper, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Gregg Allman and Friends, Gov’t Mule, Leftover Salmon, Taj Mahal, Little Milton, Mavis Staples, and Otis Rush.
Throughout his musical career, Yonrico has recorded and/or performed with a Who’s Who list of well-known artists. Most recently, he has collaborated with The Ying Yang Twins and Outkast. Other notable artists include Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Peabo Bryson, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Chuck Berry, George Howard, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Joshua Redman, George Benson, Anita Baker, Tinsley Ellis, The Allman Brothers Band, Susan Tedeschi, Kansas, John Scofield, Bruce Hampton, Cecil Bridgewater, Alvin Batiste, Gary Burton, Fiji Mariners, Andrew White, Gregg Allman, John Denver, Ben E. King, The 3 Degrees, The Supremes, Widespread Panic, Phil Lesh, The Lexington Philharmonic, and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Yonrico’s Broadway tour performances include The Wiz, 5 Guys Named Moe, and Dream Girls. Yonrico’s endorsements include Pearl Drums, Ziljian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, LP Percussion, and Everyone’s Drumming.
Since the 1980’s to the Present, Yonrico has enjoyed working with composers and arrangers for a multitude of commercial recordings for advertising/ commercials, jingles, and individual songs. Composers have included Bill Meyers, Jim Ellis, Jack Turner, and Steve Holts. One of the more important recordings of this nature, was working with Producer, Tim McCabe, to collaborate with Ray Charles to re-record Georgia’s State Song, “Georgia On My Mind.”
