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Bill Pate was born in 1957 and enjoyed a fairly normal childhood up until January 1964, when he witnessed the very first American viewing of The Beatles on The Jack Paar Show. Transformed from that moment on, Bill knew that he had to take part in the musical universe.
"It was like John Lennon later remarked about the first time he saw Elvis Presley on a movie screen; the girls shrieked and went crazy when Elvis appeared, and Lennon thought, 'Now that would be a good job!' I was only six years old, but I immediately realized that I had to be part of whatever magical thing it was that The Beatles were doing on that TV tube."
Drum lessons began in 1966, and Bill's instructor, Len Hosek, managed to infuse a mixture of percussive theory along with a can-do attitude and a "one-world" philosophy into the weekly sessions. Bill absorbed his mentor's every word and action, and when Len departed a year into their studies, he suggested to Bill's mother that instead of enrolling him with another instructor, she spend the weekly lesson fee on a new album for him.
"Instead of some stultifying 'drum teacher' cramming more rudiments down my throat, at the age of ten I now had the benefit of Len's experience, plus weekly lessons from the likes of Tony Williams (with Miles Davis), Ginger Baker (with Cream), and Keith Moon (with the Who) among whomever else's recordings I chose. Len taught me to keep my ears open...all those other guys on those albums taught me how to fit in as a partner in great music. And I wound up with a killer record collection in the bargain."
Bill spent the next few years woodshedding on a vintage kit of Ludwig drums, along with a variety of exotic percussion instruments his grandfather brought him from travels around the world. By the age of 13, he began displaying his talents in a variety of bands in the Tri-State area of Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. In 1973, he and schoolmate Thom Turcic formed a nine-piece jazz/funk band called Papala Dee.
"By this time, I'd been exposed to more good music than a lot of people get in a lifetime. But it was hearing what Bill Bruford did with Yes and King Crimson that really made a musician of me. Bruford's fearless polyrhythmic approach made me a player. Integrating what he did with everything else I'd heard up to that point enabled me to strike out with a style all my own."
That style served him well. Beginning in 1976, Bill supported himself as a gigging musician playing everything from jazz to Top 40, and country to heavy funk. Along the way, he helped form such popular bands as LoosEnds, The Zoo, Silverado (with future country music superstar Dusty Drake), Skeeter Hill, Three Way Street, and Big Jake & the Phat Cats. He also played with many popular artists including Dave Mason, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, and blues great Kenny Neal. With the encouragement of his fellow musicians, he also expanded his talents to begin performing on keyboards and lead and harmony vocals. By the early 80s, Bill was called upon to do most of the vocal arrangements for his bands. It was also at this point that he began writing songs, and currently has a backlog of over 100 self-penned tunes. In 1994, he assumed co-ownership of a pair of retail music stores.
"It was buying the music stores that really bought me back to how wonderful it is to be part of a young person's musical education. By this time, I'd already had a student of mine (Dusty Drake) have some considerable success in the "big time" music world, but more than anything else, I was reminded each and every day by all the students that passed through my stores how wonderful it is to enrich a young person's life with music when they're at an age when they can truly 'get it'."
In 2001, Bill embarked upon a new professional career as a children's library product consultant. Working with dozens of literary publishers and hundreds of school and public library clients, he realized an opportunity to integrate his musical and educational experiences into a package that could be appreciated by children of all ages. He also recognized a wider audience in the bargain.
"I began performing the nucleus of Drum Trail in the mid-70's, but it wasn't until I took it out and performed a few dozen shows in 2004 that I realized just how influential rhythm and the empowering message of the eternal life flow is to everyone. Since then, the show's message has influenced hundreds of parents, children, salespeople, management folks and others - and I've been the lucky one to act as a conduit for what's nothing more than an affirmation of the lifesource we all share."
The message is simple: to paraphrase Pablo Picasso - "We're all born artists; the trick is to keep us that way." Think about it. You can't come up with a better reason for living. With Drum Trail , Bill can give you and your audiences a very strong reminder of that.
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