Tony Royster Jr., also known as The Prodigy, was born on October 9th, 1984 in Nuremberg, Germany. Tony grew up in a family that all played instruments and appreciated music. He began playing the drums at 3 years old at one of his father’s band rehearsals and has shaped his talents to become one of the best drummers in the world. His drumming influences include Dennis Chambers and Billy Cobham.
At the age of 9 Tony won his first talent show and received his first pay day from drumming. In 1995 he won the Guitar Center National Drum-Off in Hollywood. This led him to play the National Association of Music Merchants show where he received a sponsorship with Pearl Drums. In 1997 he was invited to play at the Modern Drummer Festival alongside some of the world’s top drumming talent.
Tony was voted the number 1 “Up and Coming Drummer” of Modern Drummer Magazine in 2000 and 2001. He performed at the Grammy’s in the same year. This gig helped launch his professional music career. He has performed on tour for Jay-Z, Hikaru Utada, Joss Stone, Joe Jonas, and at president Barack Obama’s inauguration ball.
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