As a very young child before he was even able to speak, Gary Edwards was already banging on pots, pans and boxes. His mother and father would have classic rock radio playing in their house quite often. Edwards would use his hands, spoons, and almost anything else around him to tap out beats. Gary would try his best to play along with what he heard. It was apparent that Edwards had a natural sense of rhythm even at such a young age.
At the age of 15, Gary heard Motley Crue at a house party and right then and there something inside him clicked. He knew he wanted to become a musician and be in a band. Shortly after that while passing a local music store, Edwards saw a sign for music instrument lessons and decided to go in and inquire. At this point he still wasn’t sure what instrument to play but was leaning towards the drums. Gary felt there were a zillion guitar and bass players out there. He didn’t want to be just another guitar player. Being in that music store made Edwards realize it was the drums he knew he was meant to play. So he started taking drum lessons ASAP. From almost the first time sitting at the drums, Gary knew he wanted to become a famous professional drummer. Through his drum instructor Edwards was made aware of several great drummers Tommy Lee, John Bonham, Alex Van Halen, Neil Pert and Buddy Rich to name a few. But it was Gary’s drum instructor Mark Edwards (no relation) who became his main influence and was responsible for further increasing his development and abilities as a drummer.
Gary Edwards’s hard hitting “In the pocket” style of drumming, comes from a combination of excellent rhythm, the ability to keep time and putting the right fills in the right spots. “I keep my drum fills short, sweet and to the point. I don’t feel it’s necessary to overdo it with too many unneeded fills,” says Edwards. Gary’s “right to the point,” no nonsense style of drumming provides a solid foundation for the guitar, bass and vocals to build upon.
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