John Scalici is an award winning teaching artist, internationally recognized drum circle facilitator, musician, and speaker. As a drummer, he co-founded the blues rock trio GRAVY, and toured extensively with Gov’t Mule, Buddy Guy, the Allman Brothers Band, and many others. Mr. Scalici lived and performed in the Blues capital of the world, Memphis, TN, where he played with many 1st generation bluesmen such as Pine Top Perkins, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Hubert Sumlin, and Mose Vinson.
His band, Junkyardmen, released the highly acclaimed “Scrapheap Full of Blues”, which was nominated for a Grammy in 1999. The band’s second effort, “Keep on Workin'”, was produced by Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vahaugn, Santana)
Mr. Scalici’s love of blues prompted him to dig deeper into the origins of Blues, seeking out African music and rhythms. He has since studied with grand master djembe player, Mamady Keita and Fomadou Konate’, both from Guinea, West Africa.
John has been an accompanist/composer for several dance related projects featuring Southern Danceworks and has been a first call rhythmic accompanist for choreographers including Teri Weksler, Wes Chapman, Augusto Soledade, Germaul Barnes, and Jessica Lang and Gaspard Louis. He has also been a percussionist for Red Mountain Theater Company’s “Once on this Island”, “Mandela”, and he was commissioned by the company to assemble a group of drummers to welcome the Dalai Lama to Birmingham, AL in 2014.
As a solo artist and teaching artist, he has released two highly acclaimed CDs: Rhythm- Music and Rhythms for Drumming and Movement.
John is the recipient of the 2010 “Making a Difference” award by the Alabama Alliance for Arts Education, The 2009 Pauline Ireland Award granted to individual artists, and the 2007 Alabama State Council on the Arts Fellowship award. His new music project is called John Scalici's Homebrew Music Show and features guest soloists such as Rob Alley (Trumpet) and Matt Slocum (keys).