A 12-year-old boy in a backwards baseball cap sits behind a massive Yamaha Maple Custom kit. He launches into a solo that is not just "good for a kid"—it is technically ferocious. Ghost notes, double bass rolls, and pocket grooves that would make session veterans sweat.
The crowd didn’t politely applaud. They erupted. The Apollo audience—famously hard to please—was on its feet before he hit the final crash. tony royster jr drums
That boy was , and nearly 25 years later, he is still one of the most formidable drummers on the planet. The "Buddy Rich" Moment In 1997, Tony Royster Jr. appeared on the Eddie Murphy’s Delirious -era stage of Showtime at the Apollo . At just 12 years old, he performed a drum solo that immediately entered the hall of fame of instrumental performances. A 12-year-old boy in a backwards baseball cap