For the past five years, Anthony Sheriff, AKA “Sheriff Drumman,” has been a fixture around Los Angeles, California, and the surrounding areas.
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Sheriff Drumman is a traveling one-man band who performs from the back of his custom red Ford F-350. The truck is his pride and joy, and he’s spent countless time and money tricking it out to be the perfect stage for his massive 13-piece drum kit.
The truck is not just his mode of transportation and mobile stage; it’s also his primary source of income. Sheriff Drumman’s business actually improved during the pandemic because he performs outdoors, so he was booked straight for months. On some days, he would have six or seven gigs back to back, sometimes earning as much as $300 per hour.
“A lot of gigs were piled right on top of each other,” he said. “When I was leaving one gig, I’m flying to the next customer, telling them, ‘I’m 10 minutes away, I’m running a little late.’”
His truck is so noticeable with its loud speaker system, smoke machine, and color-changing LED lights, that he once caught the attention of Steve Harvey in a parking lot in Los Angeles. Harvey was so impressed by the musician that he featured him on “The Steve Harvey Show,” which helped launch Sheriff Drumman’s career even further.
Things were going well for Sheriff Drumman, but on December 3, 2021, he walked outside his home and discovered that his truck had vanished into thin air. At some point during the night, someone had stolen it – and the drum kit bolted to the truck bed.
“When I got outside, I had a total panic attack,”he said. “I fainted in front of my neighbors. I started screaming, I was calling for help like someone had shot me. It felt like the devastating news of a loved one being murdered.â€
Sheriff Drumman recorded several messages on social media, pleading with people to help him find and recover his truck and restore his livelihood.
A few days later, police recovered his truck on some railroad tracks. It had been completely stripped, and his drums were nowhere to be found.
“They stole the battery, broke the windshield, the hood is damaged and the paint job is scratched,”Sheriff Drumman said. “Looks like they took a screwdriver and punctured the ignition. I just put in a battery so I could drive it, but it’s going to take time to fully replace the equipment.â€
Sheriff Drumman was forced to cancel several upcoming gigs, causing him severe financial difficulties. “This is how I feed my kids,”he said. “This is how I feed my family. This is how I live. This is how I do me.â€
Thanks to his public cries for help, donors began to help him rebuild his kit and replace the custom features on the truck. Guitar Center and a private donor helped cover the costs for the truck’s special gear, but replacing the drums would be expensive.
That’s when a fellow Los Angeles-based musical act decided to help him out. Ever heard of a little rock band called Metallica?
When Metallica heard what happened to Sheriff Drumman, they knew they had to help! They donated the whole cost of a new drum kit to replace the ones that had been stolen. When Sheriff Drumman found out, he was moved to tears and at a complete loss for words.
“Man, thank you guys so much,” the stunned musician said. “Thank you for taking the time and the resources to support and help what I do. I love you for that.”
The next day, Metallica replied to him by tweet: “We’re honored to be able to help out a fellow artist. Keep the music going, Sheriff Drumman!”
This is what we love to see: musicians looking out for one another! Purchasing a drum kit for Sheriff Drumman was not difficult for Metallica, but it made a humungous difference in his life. After all, what’s a Drumman without his drums?
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