Sheldon Reed has given his life to the drums – in 2017, they saved his. On the drive
home from a late night gig in Los Angeles, a drunk driver broadsided his motorcycle.
His cymbal bag shielded the impact and although his bike was totaled, he walked away
unharmed.
Born in Houston, Shell grew up playing alongside older musicians in the city’s
contemporary gospel scene. By 15 he was performing multiple services every Sunday
to church congregations numbering in the thousands. During this formative period, he
studied jazz at Houston’s renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and
proceeded on to Berklee College of Music, where he completed his B.M. in Music
Business Management and Professional Music with a Drumset Principle.
A dedicated student of a broad spectrum of drumming styles, Shell’s voice on the
instrument took shape – a dense, powerful, crisp touch – an achingly deep, consistent
pocket – thoughtful, intuitive deployment of negative space, and the capability for
blinding speed in the extreme. Drawing on his upbringing in Gospel, 00s Neo-Soul,
and Straight ahead Jazz he applied those rudiments as he pursued other styles and
adapted to new gigs, incorporating elements of rock, pop, indie, and folk drumming
into his tool-kit. His philosophy demands total immersion and authenticity in any given
style the the gig demands, but his sound is unmistakable.
Now based in LA, Shell works relentlessly, both in town and on the road. In the past
several years, he’s toured North America and Europe with Haley Reinhart (Pop), Gothic
Tropic (Indie Rock), Balto (Rock), Doe Paoro (alt-Pop), Lucy & La Mer (Indie-Folk), and
others. An in-demand session player, he’s appeared on recordings and viral videos with
artists from Kurt Hugo Schneider (American music producer & filmmaker) to
Postmodern Jukebox, and is a featured performer on USC music chair Ron McCurdy’s
Langston Hughes Project.
Shell endorses Canopus Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, and Vic Firth sticks.
