When I arrived in New York City in March of 1993, I hit the road running. While I was working day jobs during the sunlight hours, I burned the candle at both ends by hanging out until late in the evening. I sought out other successful musicians and tried to do whatever they were doing. I wanted to be a full-time working musician, and nothing was going to stop me.
I remember getting the opportunity to meet the legendary Buddy Williams when he was playing at Showtime At The Apollo in the late '90s. My cousin worked for one of the producers, and he told me Buddy was free for a few minutes after a rehearsal. I had the chance to ask him a few things about the scene and where to meet other musicians. He was on his hand-held device at the time, and it might have been a PalmPilot. This was many years before the iPhone and Blackberry. The PalmPilot was great for getting contact info and putting in the information you needed for your schedule.
He said that it was a MUST to be organized.
I took that message to heart because when you start getting a lot of calls and work starts piling in, you have to make sure you arent double booking, you aren't late to a gig or a rehearsal, and you know where you are supposed to be at whatever time you're supposed to be there.
Look, if Buddy Williams, one of the most recorded drummers in music history, tells me I need to do something helpful, I'll try it.
It was perfect. I was somewhat organized before this, but the PalmPilot was a lifesaver, especially when I started to play in musicals. There is a lot of information thrown at you in a short period, and being organized helps tremendously.
When I transferred all of my contact info into my iPhone many years later, the notes section displays the information I put into my PalmPilot notes area. I've met so many people over the past 28 years, and I often joke with people about the exact place where we met for the first time. It's because I wrote it down and kept things orderly.
I later went on to sub for Buddy during the first production of The Color Purple on Broadway in 2005 and when he held the drum chair of Motown The Musical in 2013.
One way I knew I was doing something right was one evening after a show at Motown. One of the musicians in the orchestra came over to the drum booth to tell Buddy how great he sounded that night, but it happened to be me playing that particular show. I've tried to emulate Buddy for many, many years. Finally, it seems to have paid off!
If something works for other successful musicians, try it out and see if it helps. Chances are, it will.
Clayton Craddock, the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain't Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University's School of Business and is a 28 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene.Â
He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.
Follow him on Instagram, Twitter or read more on his website: claytoncraddock.com