Watch Don Powell’s All Star Drum Circle ‘Let There Be Drums’

When former Slade drummer Don Powell decided to contribute to the UK’s out of work musicians during lockdown he recruited his famous friend for an all star recording of the Sandy Nelson classic ‘Let There Be Drums’.

Don’s first call was to his mate Bev Bevan of Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath and the line-up grew from there.

Don tells Noise11.com, “The way it came about, Craig Fenney who was with Slade since 1992, Craig and I kept talking about this particular track ‘Let There Be Drums’. Sometimes we would jam is at soundchecks.

“When he left the band he was dealing in equipment and I used to buy equipment from him. When he left the band and I left the band we made contract and talked about doing this project. I had already recorded a drum track for ‘Let There Be Drums’ and it was his idea to get guest drummers on it and make it a novelty thing”.

Watch the Noise11 interview with Don Powell:

‘With this Covid rubbish that is going on, there is all these crews just totally out of work. What we are doing is donating all proceeds to them.

“I was amazed at the amount of drummers who came forward who said they would do it”.

Don met Bev Bevan more than 50 years ago, before The Move, before ELO. “I saw Bev (Bevan) when he was in a band called Denny Laine and the Diplomats back in the 60s,” he said. “When ELO formed, Slade were on the same bill in The States for a fair few concerts. Our paths kept crossing. He is from Birmingham which is about 10 miles from my home Wolverhampton. We used to play all the same pubs and clubs back in the 60s”.

The Let There Be Drums musicians are:

The Don Powell Band
Don Powell: Drums
Craig Fenney: Bass
Bob Wilson: Guitar
Jon Briscoe: Guitar
Curly Davies: Tambourine
with special guest Jon Bates: Piano

Guest Drummers
Brian Bennett: The Shadows
Bev Bevan: Quill, ex Move, ex ELO, ex Black Sabbath
Andy Edwards: Robert Plant, IQ, Frost,
Rob Brian: Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds, Siouxsie Sioux
Jamie Little: Jason Donovan, Beverley Knight, Steve Vai
Karl Brazil: Robbie Williams, James Blunt
Tom Meadows: Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud,
Jamie Morrison: The Stereophonics
Craig Bacon: Gloria Gaynor, Nimmo Brothers
Mick Barker: Magnum, and KoM
Derrick McKenzie: Jamiroquai
Matt Cowley: Emily Capell, Bernie Marsden
Lee Agnew: Nazareth
Craig Blundell: Steve Wilson, Steve Hackett
’Sticky’ Wicket: Chris Barber, Jools Holland
Richard Rayner: Multiple award winning percussion and drum performer
Rebekah Rayner: Session drummer
Toby Wilson: Session drummer
Mark DeCloedt: EMF