Joe Shaw Overlay

by | Aug 5, 2020

Joe Shaw

GROUPS PERFORMED WITH:

Golden Horse Shoe Revue (Drum Set), Pearly Band (Snare Drum), Royal Street Bachelors (Drum Set, Strolling Snare), The Brass Brothers (Drum Set), Fun with Music Show (Drum Set/Percussion), The Glory Land Band (Snare Drum), The Hook N’ Ladder Company (Snare Drum and “toys”), The Candlelight Orchestra (Drum Set/Percussion, The Disneyland Band (Snare Drum and Bass Drum). 

In addition Joe has performed at Disneyland with Les Elgart & His Orchestra, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, The Disneyland Big Band and The Myron Floren Orchestra.

Joe’s Experience Working at “The Park”:

I was 31 years old when I first subbed at The Golden Horseshoe and I was 71 years old when I retired from The Disneyland Band. I realized that everything I had experienced in the music business was valuable to me at Disneyland as a drummer. In a marching band, a snare drummer in a stand up/strolling group or on the drum set playing shows, to Dixieland Bands, Rock Bands, full size orchestras, to recording sessions using all of the above skills. It all affected me in a positive manner. Being able to raise our large family of six kids and all that it takes to do that, was financially possible. The influence of all the band members was inspiring for me and the challenges of playing stand up snare with another drummer on Bass Drum made me play in a new way, anticipating the Bass Drummers style and concept. Ray Templin was always doing the same thing by hearing and anticipating what I would be playing next. Ron Bruner, Sr. played Bass Drum with the Gloryland Brass Band and later in The Disneyland Band. The Gloryland Brass Band gave us much more freedom in a jazz feel and style. We learned to anticipate each other to a high degree, which gave us the musical rewards as drummers.
 
I enjoyed the challenges of being pulled from one group to play another show for someone who was ill or unable to make their show. It made me appreciate all the playing I had done prior to Disneyland and the work I had enjoyed while at Disneyland.
 
I can look back on all of those years as rewarding and would not have had so many musical experiences anywhere else.
 
Swinging the Rudiments,
 
Joe Shaw
 
 

What I Have Learned Working With Joe:

Joe is the first drummer I remember seeing perform at Disneyland, and at the risk of sounding sappy, it was magical.  I was probably 7 years old, and he was playing things on the snare drum that I couldn’t comprehend at the time (yet I still work on now!) The experience was inspiring, and probably the subconscious catalyst that lead to my own Disney drumming career.  I eventually got to do a lot of subbing for Joe in the Disneyland Band, and did my best to steal ideas from and emulate his approach to kicking a band with just a snare drum.  For my 2015 Disneyland Band audition I wrote and performed a tribute piece called “Shawin’ Up The Blues.”  It was a tribute to Joe’s fun spirit, and swinging snare drum idiosyncrasies that had a major influence on my snare drumming development, and ultimately my drum set approach.  Numerous times I have heard drumming legends say how focusing on your snare drumming is crucial to sounding good on the drum set, and I have never heard anyone groove/swing harder on a snare drum than Joe Shaw.  So make sure and check him out below to get some of the same benefits I have been so fortunate to experience first hand(s)😉 – thanks Joe!!

Check Out Joe:

Disneyland Band (Main Gate 2011)