Deanya Schempp

My parents both played music, my father with the Grand Ole Opry, with his own bands, with others, and as a studio musician; he played guitar, banjo, drums, and sax. But it was my mother who played the bongos on stage between the other acts I blame for my percussive nature. My grandfather likely also gave me incentive to carry this dream beyond childhood when the drum set I received for Christmas magically disappeared after I went back to school a week later.

One of my husband’s bands at the time needed a washboard player, and I had always wanted to learn, so I read a lot, watched a lot of videos, then ordered one and practiced. About two years later, I also work with cajons, bongos, and other hand drums.

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