Tony Royster Jr. (born October 9, 1984, in Nuremberg, Germany) is an American drummer. He was raised in

Hinesville, Georgia Hinesville is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, Liberty County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, located on the Atlantic coastal plain. The population was 33,437 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated 33,273 ...

and is a 2002 graduate of

Liberty County High School Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society f ...

. His father began to teach him how to play the drums at the age of three. He is the son of Tony Sr. and Gayle Royster, and has one brother, Calvin Royster. All still reside in Hinesville, GA.

Biography

Royster was given endorsement deals with DW Drums, Zildjian Cymbals,

Vic Firth Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion mallet, percussion sticks and mallets. Biography Vic Firt ...

sticks, Remo drumheads, LP percussion, Drumframe, Shure microphones, Warner Bros. Publications and Gopro Cameras. Royster has played with

Imajin Imajin is an American R&B boy band that is known for their hit "Shorty (You Keep Playing With My Mind)" featuring Keith Murray. The group also made a version of this song with (rapper) Mr. Cheeks of the rap group The Lost Boyz. This single ...

, Lazyeye, New Flava, and

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...

. He performed on the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards show at the age of 15, and an international tour in 2001 backing #1 selling Japanese artist

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

as well as performing with

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both '' Late ...

(of ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'') in the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

House Band. In addition, he is also currently playing with

Francisco Fattoruso Francisco Fattoruso (born August 10, 1979, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a Uruguayan musician and bass player. He is the son of Hugo Fattoruso and María de Fátima Quinhões, both of them musicians. He has played with several artists such as: Rub� ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Joe Jonas Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

and his own band. Royster Jr. released the videos "Pure Energy" (2007), and The Evolution of Tony Royster (2009), which are both more inspirational than instructional. Some other high points of his career include playing the Glastonbury Festival and President Barack Obama's inaugural ball with

in 2009. He has received the “Louis Armstrong Jazz Award”, a prestigious award that recognizes a musician's level of musicianship, character, and individual creativity. Tony has also received a “Senior Award” for his accomplishments in the world of drumming. In 2006, Tony Royster Jr. teamed up with Hidden Beach Recordings to produce Unwrapped Vol. 6: Give the Drummer Some!, debuting at #1 on the jazz charts. Most recently, Royster has joined

' band on tour in the United Kingdom in Fall 2011. On August 22, 2011, he was the featured artist on ''

'', performing a drum solo for Drum Solo Week II. Royster Jr. was also featured The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 3, 2011, and on Conan on November 7, 2011, alongside Joe Jonas. He has also performed a solo on the Jenny Jones show for the World's Most Talented Kids and Pets taping at the age of 12. He also toured with Charlie Puth in 2016 and 2017, playing over 100 shows with him. He accompanied Mac Miller at

Coachella Coachella may refer to: * Coachella, California * Coachella Canal, in California * Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California * "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey See also

* Coachell ...

, and is currently on tour with artist Katy Perry for WITNESS:The Tour.

Equipment

His solo kit configuration with groups like Imajin include: * DW Drums Collectors Maple * 18"x22" 2Bass drum with 8"x22" 2Bass drum woofer * 5"x13" Collectors Maple snare * 7"x8" Rack Tom * 8"x10" Rack Tom * 9"x12" Rack Tom * 11"x14" Floor Tom * 13"x15" Floor Tom * 14"x18" Floor Tom His Kit while on tour with Jay-Z consists of: * DW Drums Collectors Maple * 18"x22" Bass drum * 5"x13" Collectors Maple snare * 8"x10" Rack Tom * 9"x12" Rack Tom * 13"x15" Floor Tom * 14"x18" Floor Tom Tony uses DW 9000 pedals, DW 9000 hardware, Remo Drumheads, & Vic Firth Sticks Tony uses Sabian Cymbals as of October 2022 *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Royster, Tony Jr. 1984 births Living people People from Hinesville, Georgia American funk drummers American male drummers American jazz drummers Imajin members African-American drummers Awolnation members 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people

Biography

Equipment

References

Further reading

External links