Ramon Sampson
Over the years, the city of Memphis has produced a great lineage of drummers, from Stax linchpin Al Jackson Jr. to Hi Records timekeeper Howard Grimes to Big Star beater Jody Stephens. Another name may soon be added to that roll call with the arrival of up-and-comer Ramon Sampson.
Earlier this month, the 19-year-old Cordova resident beat out nearly 5,000 contestants from across the country to win Guitar Center’s annual “Drum-Off” competition.
Ramon Sampson
Sampson capped a four-month journey through local, district and regional competitions with a national finals performance at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater on Jan. 8.
His skills, displayed during a 5-minute solo turn, impressed a panel of judges that included celebrity trapsmen like Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, and Kenny Aronoff of John Mellencamp fame.
For Sampson, the spectacle of being in room packed with some of the world’s greatest drummers left him wide-eyed. “I met Michael Jackson’s drummer, I met Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I met Tommy Lee. It was insane. It was amazing, it was outrageous and mind-blowing,” said Sampson.
“It was a dream come true for me to even be in the same arena as all the people I’ve been watching all my life and to play for them.”
Sampson’s win earned him a prize pack worth over $40,000, and includes multiple endorsement deals and a feature in Modern Drummer magazine.
A South African native, Sampson has been a rising star in the drum world since his family emigrated to the U.S. in 2007.
Sampson began playing at the age of 2, alongside his father, Jacques, a multi-instrumentalist and Christian music performer, and mother Sharon, a singer. The younger Sampson was soon leading his own jazz group while attending South Africa’s National School of the Arts.
Last year, while still a senior at Cordova High School, Sampson made it all the way the Drum-Off finals representing the southern region, though he fell short of the title. Since his victorious return to the “Drum-Off” this month, Sampson’s been busy traveling and meeting with the companies and vendors that he’s endorsing.
Though he plans on attending college at some point, “the way things are shaping up now,” said Sampson, “I have to jump straight into the career.”
He hopes his “Drum-Off” victory will serve as a launching pad for a musical career; recent winners have included Tony Royster Jr. and Cora “CC” Dunham who’ve gone on to play with the likes of Jay-Z and Prince.
“I want to show what I can do in all different styles of music,” said Sampson. “I’m definitely being patient, but I’m in the process of getting things started hopefully.”
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