Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoro The Dummer
Hi Zoro, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Compton, California, and was raised by a single immigrant mother from Mexico who raised seven children alone. I had to overcome abject poverty, rejection, abandonment, bullying, and racism. My life was difficult and filled with instability. But with the incomparable love of my mother, Maria, and my siblings somehow I was able to muddle through. My mother filled my head with big dreams and convinced me that I would do something fantazmical with my life and I believed her. I couldn’t afford drums so I started by making a ghetto drum set made of empty cans, Tupperware containers, and salad spoons for sticks. The next thing I did was play on a big cardboard box and my siblings helped me to paint a drum set on the front. It took a lot to go from there to the stages of the world but with vision, hard work, faith, and true grit I made it to the top of the music industry. There is much to my story and it is all detailed in a very evocative and engrossing way in my memoir, Maria’s Scarf: A Memoir of a Mother’s Love, a Son’s Perseverance, and Dreaming Big!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not. Not unlike anyone else who has accomplished something notable, and noteworthy, It has been filled with challenges, setbacks, and disappointments of every kind! The struggles have been numerous as I stated in my last answer. They range from financial to emotional with lots of failed auditions in the early stages of my career. But each failure taught me something significant and that is what shaped my resolve. It also gave me empathy for others so my journey was not so self-centered.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a world-renowned drummer and I’ve spent the last 40 years touring and recording with New Edition, Bobby Brown, Lenny Kravitz, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others. I was voted #1 R&B Drummer and Clinician for many consecutive years in Modern Drummer Magazine. I’m also the author of several award-winning books: The Commandments of R&B Drumming Series, The Big Gig: Big-Picture Thinking for Success, SOAR! 9 Proven Keys for Unlocking Your Limitless Potential. My most recent is my memoir, Maria’s Scarf: A Memoir of a Mother’s Love, a Son’s Perseverance, and Dreaming Big, published by Blackstone Publishing. In addition, I am a motivational speaker and I’ve had the privilege of speaking everywhere from San Quinten Prison to the White House, and everyplace imaginable. But of all the things I have been fortunate enough to accomplish, I am most proud of my memoir, Maria’s Scarf which took me 15 years to complete. It chronicles how I went from the slums to the spotlight in the music industry. I am also proud and mostly grateful that I’ve been able to use all the natural gifts and talents I’ve been given to make a positive difference in this world! That has given my life significance and purpose. There are only two ways to live your life. You either life a life of self or service. I have chosen to life a life of service which has brought me unspeakable joy because it is better to give than to receive.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
To never quit! Never give up. Never give in. Failure is only temporary. Quitting is what makes it final.
I have learned you must be willing to reassess, re-tool, recalibrate, reposition, and rework, your vision, craft, or product. In other words, you must put in the necessary work to reach a spirit of excellence that will be noticed. To do this, you must be humble enough to make the changes that will set you and or your product apart from the rest. The most important thing I’ve learned is that the only way to make it in life and accomplish something you can be proud of is to muster up the courage to keep going when the times are tough and when you feel defeated. There is no other way but through and over the mountains!
Contact Info:
- Website: Zorothedrummer.com Mariasscarf.com
- Instagram: @ZoroTheDrummer
- Facebook: @ZoroTheDrummermusic
- Youtube: @SuperFunkyFan
Image Credits
All are courtesy of Zoro Personal Collection
