Australian Musician’s Greg Phillips had the pleasure of chatting with drummer extraordinaire Willie ‘Bam Bam’ Parker at NAMM 2019.
Willie Bam Bam Parker’s mother has said that at birth, her son came out swinging and she knew even then that he was going to be a drummer. At age 3 his love of drums was rewarded his with his first kit, a Smurf drum set. By age ten Willie was playing in a variety of different church groups, learning to jam with other musicians. While just two semesters into study at Berklee College, Willie got his first big break with a successful audition for the Faith Evans band, as part of the huge Usher 8701 tour. Willie’s career has continued to grow, featuring sessions and tours with high profile artists such as Salt & Peppa, Jaheim, Ginuwine, Lauryn Hill, Ashanti, and many others. Parker is also a founding member of the F.A.B. 5, whose mission is to visit inner cities across America and reach out to young men and women who have hope and dreams to become musicians and encourage them through clinics and one on one sessions on being professional musicians. Over Willie’s career he has played Yamaha drums, Crush Drums, Vic Firth sticks, TRX cymbals, Phatfoot and Kickport products.