Danny Carey grew up in a very typical, middle-class American house
in Paola, Kansas. His father was a manager for a large insurance
company and his mother was a school teacher. Danny has one older
brother and one younger brother. Danny's earliest musical memory
was when his father took him into the music library at the University
of Kansas and played The Planets by Gustov Holst. Danny started
taking lessons when he was ten or eleven, just on the snare drum in
school band, and then again when he got his first kit at thirteen.
Danny received a scholarship in High School to go to the Conservatory
of Music in Kansas City.
Danny studied music for over three years at the University of Missouri.
He had a couple of offers to play basketball at small colleges, but
knew he wasn't good enough to play major college basketball or to go
pro. Danny spent years working on his rudiments and doing drum
corps. He always loved Billy Cobham and Buddy Rich because no
matter how fast they played, you could hear every note. When he was
in college he got a lot of classical training, doing recitals for three
and a half years. He could have earned a degree if he stuck it out a
while longer, but just wanted to play the drum set a little more, so he
bailed on school when an opportunity came to go on the road with a
band.
In 1986, Danny moved to Los Angeles, and spent four years there
before anything really happened. However, at that time he was heavily
into electronic drums. He was playing an electronic kit with real
cymbals, and played the clubs. Then he got more into real drums, and
attributes that to finally finding a quality set that sounded good.
Danny also worked as a session player for Green Jello, Pygmy Love
Circus, and Carole King. Danny's day job in LA was working in a tape
duplication house. Then he met Adam Jones through Tom Morello of
Rage (Against The Machine). Danny was also living beside Maynard.
He never auditioned for them (Keenan and Jones). He felt sorry for
them, because they would invite people over to play, and they
wouldn't show up, so he would fill in.
Danny still loves playing jazz when he gets the chance. He is also
working on a side project called ZAUM, which works in an
electronic medium. Danny has also been involved in other side
projects.
Birth Name : Daniel Edwin Carey
Birthday : May 10, 1961
Quick Facts :
Danny Carey is 6'5".
His first concert was Lynyrd Skynyrd.
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