Jerrod ‘J-rod’ Sullivan is a musical machine in every aspect – an unquestionably talented drummer, as well as a producer, multi-instrumentalist, and programmer. He knows that “music is universal,” and he’s continuing to take his music to, and share his passion with, more and more people every day. J-rod isn’t your typical product of a family of musicians; rather, he grew up in a family who loved listening to music, and exposed him to Gospel and R&B. By the time he was two years old, he was drumming along to music on kitchen pots and pans, prompting his grandmother to buy him his very first drum kit. Through church and school he worked on his music, participating in bands and teaching himself bass guitar and music production. He really made music a priority, practicing for hours everyday after school and on weekends. By 2006 he began posting drum cover videos to YouTube, the base of his ever-growing social media following, currently totaling 80,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram, not to mention his 27,000 YouTube subscribers. And that’s only as a solo act…
After graduating from the Atlanta Institute of Music (studying music performance), J-rod joined The 4 Korners in 2013 on drums. Since then, the band has been signed to Ropeadope Records and released two albums and one single (‘The 4 Korners’, ‘Portal of Gold’, and ‘Phraseology’ respectively), with Portal of Gold reaching #5 on the iTunes jazz charts and being Grammy Considered. As well as The 4 Korners, J-rod also drums for Byron Cage and Alex Bugnon. And, besides being a full time performing musician, he continues to program live shows and produce for different artists under his business name: J-rod Sullivan Productions, LLC. In his spare time (yes, really) he also teaches drums online. J-rod has worked with the likes of Jidenna, Bebe Winans, Everette Harp, Nick Colionne, Kenny Latimore, Chantae Cann, Avery Sunshine, Byron Cage, Alex Bugnon, Ronnie Laws and appeared in films such as BET's ‘Being Mary Jane’, VH1s ‘Single Ladies’, Oprah's ‘Greenleaf’, and BET HER.
Spurred on by his success so far, J-rod’s chasing even more dreams. He’s working hard at mastering his craft, both mentally and physically, and wants to bring The 4 Korners worldwide in the coming years (and pick up a Grammy or two along the way). But when he plays a show, event, or even recording session, his greatest goal is to share his energy and inspire others: “if only one person tells me they were inspired, I'll be satisfied". A professional and extremely passionate performer, J-rod “plays every show like it’s my last”. His drumming is electric, and brings a whole new flavor to the songs he covers (like ‘Finesse’ by Bruno Mars, with a cool 200,000+ views). Fans are responding, not only through social media but also personally: after a drum clinic tour in Brazil in June 2017 a fan told J-rod, “you have marked my life forever." His proudest moment thus far, this is what motivates him to keep on doing what he’s doing.
Performing, producing, programming… J-rod does it all, and then some. He’s currently gearing up for a 4 Korners tour in 2018, as well as playing lots of shows and honing his craft, as ever. Keep your ears out; he’s one to listen for.