041 – Pat McDonald: Charlie Daniel’s Drummer, Fusion Chops in Country Music

Pat McDonald is best known as the drummer the legendary Charlie Daniels and has been touring and recording with Charlie for over 16 years. With around a 105 dates a year and many Grand Ole Opry dates, Pat stays very busy with Charlie.

When Pat moved to Nashville in 1997, he was at the forefront of a budding community of rock/fusion drummers that were showcasing their style and ability to “fuse” multiple styles in country music. Pat’s reputation as a monster drummer that brought this dynamic to the country world served him well in opening up many doors for him during his time in Nashville.

Pat has worked with many artists including Tanya Tucker, Victor Wooten, Leon Russell, Reese Wynans, Jimmy Hall, Kip Winger, Jim Horn and many others.

After attending Georgia Southern College, Pat attended Boston’s Berkley College of Music and while there studied with the legendary Gary Chaffee.

Pat will be one of the performers at the Nashville Drummer’s Jam 7 at the Exit In in Nashville December 14th, 2015. This NDJ7 will be a tribute to Alex Van Halen.

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This interview was recorded November 12th, 2015