John Mader

John Mader was born on October 22, 1963, the son of Ruth (née Markham), a cab dispatcher, and Norman Mader, a cab driver who was also a professional musician. While in kindergarten he attended a talent show at school and saw a young boy playing drums and was inspired to learn to play the drums and went on to play in the school orchestra, marching band, choir, jazz band, and musicals in elementary and primary school.

During high school he performed and toured with the Pepsi sponsored music group, Youth Of America, replacing Will Kennedy of The Yellow Jackets. They were a big band with a horn section, choir, and dancers and performed at festivals and corporate events in the San Francisco bay area.

Mader began working as a professional musician at seventeen years old and joined the San Francisco Bay Area band, The Uptones when he was twenty one years old. The Uptones toured the U.S. opening for Billy Idol, UB40, Oingo Boingo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many others as well as winning a BAMMY Award.[3]

He has performed with jazz recording artists Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, and Roy Hargrove, among others.

As a member of the band with Ryan Downe, Mader performed on two U.S tours opening for The Who, on the Quadrophenia Tour in 1997. Downe was signed to Rocket Records, a label created by Elton John.

He was asked to play drums on the film score for Blindspotting, by Daveed Diggs (who wrote, produced and starred in the film) and had performed in the original cast of Hamilton.[4][5]

• Dixon Drums (Artisan Maple series - 14 snare, 22 bass, and 10, 12, 14, 16 toms)[8][9]
• Vic Firth (drum sticks)
• Sabian (Evolution series Ride and Crashes and Artisan Hi Hats)[10]