Todd Sucherman

Todd Sucherman continues to be one of the world’s most in-demand drummers and educators. While touring and recording with the multi-platinum rock band Styx for the last thirty years, he has managed to balance a schedule of recording sessions, masterclasses, and clinics, in addition to creating the enormously successful “Rock Drumming Masterclass” for Drumeo. Todd has been recognized by his peers, winning many Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s Poll awards through the years. He has taken top honors in the categories of Rock Drummer, Progressive Rock Drummer, Classic Rock Drummer, Live Drummer, Clinician, Educational DVD, and Recorded Performance, with multiple placements in other categories. In 2020, he released his first solo record, “Last Flight Home.”

Todd Sucherman grew up in a musical family. His father, Arnold J. Sucherman, was a doctor by day and a big band drummer by night, serving as the house drummer at the famed Chez Paree in Chicago throughout the 1940s and 50s. During that time, he worked with Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr., Sophie Tucker, Joe E. Lewis, Jack Benny, and countless others. While on the road in New Orleans, Arnold met a young actress, Jo Seiwert, who was performing in the same variety show. They were married and soon started a family of their own. Paul was first (keyboards), then Joel (bass), and finally Todd (drums). Todd was fascinated with the drums as an infant; his father taught him to play, and he could read music by age five. His first paying gig was with his brothers in their band, “The Sherman Brothers,” at age six.

Todd continued his musical studies through school and attended Berklee College of Music for one year, where he studied privately with Gary Chaffee, a world-renowned educator whose former students include Steve Smith and Vinnie Colaiuta. In 1988, Todd returned to Chicago and quickly established himself as a first-call musician on the recording scene. His work as an in-demand player for live and session work led to his association with the band Styx. He was initially called in to record when Styx’s original drummer, John Panozzo, was ill. After John Panozzo’s untimely death, Todd’s position in the band was solidified.

Thirty years later, Styx continues to play for millions of fans worldwide, averaging 100 dates a year. Todd has recorded several albums with the band, including “Big Bang Theory,” which placed the band in the top 50 on Billboard for the fourth straight decade; “The Mission,” which garnered him a Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll award for Best Recorded Performance; and “Crash of the Crown,” which reached number one on Billboard’s top classic rock chart. In between his time with Styx, he has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and worked with artists as diverse as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, The Falling Wallendas, Eric Marienthal, Taylor Mills, Antoine Fafard, Alta Forma, Legacy Pilots, Finally George, Don Felder, Tzan Niko, and Brian Wilson, including his 2003 release with Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Elton John.

Todd has also been an in-demand clinician, performing at drum festivals around the world. More accolades came with the release of his “Methods & Mechanics” DVD series (I & II), both of which won multiple awards in drumming education in 2008 and 2011. In 2019, Drumeo launched his “Rock Drumming Masterclass,” which was wildly successful in the field of online education, reaching drummers from over 60 different countries.

The year 2020 saw Todd step out front for the first time as a singer-songwriter with the release of “Last Flight Home,” marking new musical territory. “Music, melodies, and the story of the lyric are what were always most important to me. I think that’s why I went in the direction I did with ‘Last Flight Home,’” Todd explains. “Having just played the challenging instrumental music of Antoine Fafard on his Borromean Odyssey record, I feel that scratch had been itched. So, by doing this record, I wanted to see if I could pull off something I wasn’t sure that I could. I found that to be frightening and challenging, and I thought that’s exactly where I should be.”

Equally comfortable on stage with Styx, playing instrumental music with Tzan Niko or Antoine Fafard, prog rock with Finally George or The Legacy Pilots, Gershwin standards with Brian Wilson, or taking a step out front—Todd Sucherman has taken his place in the pantheon of elite drummers and musicians in the world.