Richard Robert Woolstenhulme Jr. (born September 20, 1979) is an American musician and the drummer of rock band Lifehouse.

Early life and education

Woolstenhulme graduated from Gilbert High School in 1998, where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

during his sophomore and junior years. After his parents bought him a beat-up drum set Woolstenhulme started playing the drums; he was nine. He attended the

Los Angeles Music Academy Los Angeles College of Music (LACM, formerly LAMA College for Music Professionals) is a private for-profit music college in Pasadena, in Los Angeles County, California. It has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music ...

Career

Lifehouse

While Woolstenhulme was in a music studio session, Lifehouse, then comprising Jason Wade and Sergio Andrade, was practicing in the adjacent room. Woolstenhulme, then playing with another band, bumped into them in the hallway. It was suggested that he check out Lifehouse, which was looking for a drummer to replace Jon "Diff" Palmer; in 2000, he joined the band. Woolstenhulme has since performed on each Lifehouse recording.

Other musical work

In addition to his work with Lifehouse, he has performed on numerous recordings, including those of

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, Dave Matthews, and

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. He has also toured with

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

in 2001,

Matchbox Twenty Matchbox Twenty (also known as Matchbox 20 and MB20) is an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The group currently consists of Rob Thomas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums, r ...

in 2002,

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

in 2003, and various headlining tours since 2000. Beginning in 2013, Woolstenhulme toured with the

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska. After starting off as a cover band and then developing a punk sound, ...

following the departure of

Mike Malinin Michael Theodore Malinin (born October 10, 1967) is an American musician known for his work as drummer of the Goo Goo Dolls. He has been drumming for Tanya Tucker since 2016. Family Michael Malinin was born in Washington, D.C., one of the four ...

Drum kit

For a while Woolstenhulme preferred

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsc ...

drums, playing a set that included a 24×14 bass drum, 13×9, 18×16 toms and a 14×6.5 hammered snare. He expressed a preference for Gretsch drums due to a better-quality sound. He currently uses a DW drum kit with

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

cymbals, a brand he has used consistently through his career.

Personal life

Woolstenhulme's brother Sean Woolstenhulme is the ex-guitarist for the group The Calling, and briefly played with Lifehouse during their earlier years. Woolstenhulme is married to Jenifer Hagio, a musician who co-wrote

Michelle Branch Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums: ''The Spirit Room'' and '' Hotel Paper.'' She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Co ...

's ''

The Spirit Room ''The Spirit Room'' is the major-label debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Michelle Branch, released by the Maverick Recording Company and Warner Bros. Records in the United States on August 14, 2001. The album was recorded at Suns ...

''. Branch introduced Woolstenhulme to Hagio.Michelle Branch Pictures – Interview with Michelle Branch
– Seventeen

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolstenhulme, Rick Jr. 1979 births American male drummers American Christians American rock drummers Lifehouse (band) members Living people People from Gilbert, Arizona Musicians from Los Angeles Alternative rock drummers American alternative rock musicians 20th-century American drummers 21st-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians