Stephen Bidwell

Gretsch Artist Since: 2019

Country: US

Band or Affiliations: Black Pumas, Hard Proof

Current Kit Setup:
Broadkaster in Black Satin Flame
8x13 RT, 16x16 FT, 14x22 BD
6.5x14 USA Custom Solid Aluminum SD
6.5x14 USA Custom Bell Brass SD
5x14 USA Custom Black Copper SD

Brooklyn in Gold Sparkle
5x14 SD, 8x12 RT, 14x14 FT, 16x16 FT, 14x20 BD

Influences:
Elvin Jones, Willie Hall, Tony Allen, Richard Manzullo, Roy Haynes, Earl Hudson, Ricky Wellman, Tony Williams, David Garibaldi, Steve Ferrone, Mike Clark, Brian Downey, Joseph Modeliste, Johnny Vidacovich, Jaki Liebezit, and many, many more.

We asked...Why Gretsch?:
"For well over a century Gretsch has had an uncompromised concept in sound and style. Aside from being such a huge part of music history and the players I most admire; I know that if I sit down at a Gretsch kit from any series I’ll be happy with the sound and feel."

Advice to aspiring musicians?:
"Don't discard any source material. Be a packrat with your influences, you never know when something you learned when you were younger might come in handy.
To paraphrase something Johnny Vidacovich told me, there’s a lot of music in you, and drumming is a very primal thing; once you have enough technique you’ve got to get out of the way and let it out."

Bio:
Stephen Bidwell was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in nearby Reston, Virginia. Since taking to the drums in the late 80s his studies led him around the East Coast, to Ghana, New Orleans, and New York but he has called Austin, Texas home since 2005. Somewhere in those travels, he earned a bachelor's degree in classical percussion and a Master’s in jazz studies.
Since early 2018 he has been the drummer for Grammy-nominated Black Pumas, a psychedelic soul group known for incendiary live shows. When not on tour with Black Pumas, Stephen co-leads a 10-piece Afrobeat collective called Hard Proof, works in any genre you can think of as a sideman, teaches privately, and produces drum tracks at his home studio.