We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ty Thompson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ty below.

Ty, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful gig I’ve been able to play so far was for a crowd of 10,000 people at the Red Rock Amphitheater. Madison Square Garden, The Toyota Center in Houston (my hometown arena), and Red Rock Amphitheater had all been on my list of dream venues to play at for years, and it was so insane that I was given the opportunity to play a sold-out show at one of my dream venues at 20 years old. I played drums with Cochren & Co. and opened for Toby Mac, Jordan Feliz, and Danny Gokey.

I’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to play CMA fest with Angie K

Opened up for Morgan Wallen at the Faster Horses Festival in Michigan with Angie K

Opened for Brian Kelley from Florida Georgia Line with Noah Hicks

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Ty Thompson and I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas. I’m 20 years old and have been playing the drums for 12 years. My story started when I was 8 years old and was out exploring my neighborhood one night. While out exploring I came across an old, beat up, broken guitar hero Drumset. I took it back home, cleaned it up, and set it up using pots and pans for cymbals and wooden spoons for drumsticks. After playing on my makeshift Drumset for a few months, my Grandma and Aunt finally got me my first Drumset.

After years of practice and dedicating time to my craft, in high school, I started to get more involved in Houston with my playing. I started playing at different churches and tracking at different studios while also gigging with my band, 54 Reasons. While doing this I also started building my presence on social media with different drum covers and videos I was posting regularly.

After graduating high school I decided to take the next step and move to Nashville. My first year in Nashville was very slow, as I spent most of my time networking and sitting in at different shows and meeting people while taking classes at Trevecca University. It wasn’t until a few months in that I got my first call to fill in for a gig at Whiskey Jam with Megan Moroney. After that, God started to open more doors and gave me even more opportunities.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The one thing driving my musical journey is without a doubt Jesus. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I first moved to Nashville and definitely did not expect I would be given some of the opportunities I already have, being so new to the city. I just felt deep in that Nashville was exactly where I needed to be, so I decided to take a leap of faith and move over to pursue my dream. I have always felt closest to God whenever I played worship songs at church, so it’s been amazing to see how God’s been able to use me through my craft to lead people in worship, from the youth group in my hometown, to leading worship at different Christian festivals, as well as playing for different country artists.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part has honestly been the journey. It is unreal to think I am starting to get to do what I’ve always dreamed of doing when I first started playing the drums. It is so awesome to look back and see my growth over the years and to now think that people appreciate my playing enough to want to hire me to play on their records and play with them live. Whether playing in front of 15 people at the youth group at my old church, or thousands of people at a show, I am always so grateful for the opportunity and gifts God has given me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tythompsondrums

Image Credits
Wes Sharpe – red picture at Ernest show