Mentored by EWF’S RALPH JOHNSON and Motown Funk Brother URIEL JONES, drummer DREW SCHULTZ is one of soul music’s finest percussionists. For five years he was drummer in the road band of THE FOUR TOPS and he’s also worked with the likes of THE TEMPTATIONS, ARETHA FRANKLIN, THE DRAMATICS, THE CONTOURS, THE MIRACLES, THE CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD and HAROLD MELVIN’S BLUENOTES.
DREW has just released his first solo album. Called ‘Back To Class’, he describes it as his love letter to soul music and to those who make it. The 17 tracker encompasses a variety of soul styles from Motown pastiches through to sweet balladry and on to hard core, bass-happy funk. What’s more, to flesh out his ideas DREW has been able to draft in a whole host of soul “names” old and new. Amongst the guests on ‘Back To Class’ are SPYDER TURNER, DENNIS COFFEY, MELVIN DAVIS, McKINLEY JACKSON, JAMES JAMERSON JR and DREW’S old employers, THE FOUR TOPS. THE TOPS add their vocal magic to two cuts – ‘Crying In A Whisper’ and ‘What I’d Do For You’ and they sound as good as ever. If that’s not enough, some of Motown’s original FUNK BROTHERS offer their reminiscences over the instrumental track that gives the album its title.
To make the album even more special DREW is donating half of all the profits from the project to the music programmes in the Detroit Publics Schools so that the pupils can continue to create and celebrate classic soul.
Watch out for an upcoming album review and interview with DREW here @ SJF… in the meantime you can find out more about DREW SCHULTZ, his album and this worthy project @ www.DSdrums.com
