In what is a major coup for Music Ireland ‘07, MIDI (Musical Instrument Distribution Ireland) boss Lesley Kane has confirmed that Prince’s drummer John Blackwell will be presenting a special demonstration of his drumming skills at Music Ireland ’07.
Before joining Prince’s gang, the 28-year-old snaresman from South Carolina played with Patti LaBelle and Cameo, among others. Blackwell, who plays a kit that’s topped off with superb state-of-the-art Sabian cymbals, was subsequently headhunted by Prince who spotted the drummer playing for LaBelle in 1999 in Minneapolis. Later he was invited to Prince’s Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota for a jam session and embraced into the Prince fold.
Kane says: “We’ll have John on the main live stage, so there’ll be plenty of space for fans, but we advise people to come early to make sure they get a comfortable seat close to the action. This is really exciting for us. We often bring over top acts for our demonstrations, but this is really very special.”