Do you have a drumming grandma who is able to cover Slipknot, Paramore and Disturbed?
No? Didn’t think so. Dorothea Taylor can though.
The drumming grandma has gone viral after videos of her covering songs by Paramore, Disturbed and Slipknot made the rounds last week.
NME reports that Taylor has been drumming for 56 years, and is a private drum and drumline instructor. As if it couldn’t get cooler than that, she’s also the organist at her local church, according to her Instagram bio.
In one of her videos from earlier this year, she says: ““Drummers come in all ages, sizes, shapes, ethnicities. And regardless of how good you are, how old you are, we’re all still part of the drumming family.”
One of her most popular covers is of Paramore’s smash hit ‘Ain’t It Fun’. Taylor’s interpretation of the song went on to catch the attention of Hayley Williams herself.
love her, she’s a badass https://t.co/FcJfWMU7Hq
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— hayley from Paramore 🌺 (@yelyahwilliams) July 9, 2020
Other popular covers by Taylor include ‘Down With The Sickness’ by Disturbed and Slipknot’s ‘Psychosocial’ by Slipknot.
NME also points out that in a profile in Drum Magazine (yep, she’s big time now), Taylor has her own classic rock/country band called Badlander. She also plays in the All City Choir and contributes to other bands when required.
As for how she makes the magic happen, it turns out Taylor is a bit of a kit nerd. “I play a six-piece DW kit in my studio. I use Meinl Byzance cymbals with them,” she told Drum Magazine. “Currently playing a Ludwig Questlove kit with Sabian HHX Evolution cymbals out with my current band. I also have a vintage Rogers drum set in my studio.”