George Burrows I Drummer Photographer

Pre-curser to Drummer Photographer

In 2008 I began my concert photography career at Wanee Festival in Live Oak, Florida. I started a concert website, Live Gig Shots. The Wanee Festival began as a gathering of Allman Brothers and related artists. I had shot photos of Johnny Winter, Dr. John, Bob Weir, Gov’t Mule, Col. Bruce Hampton, The Allman Brothers, the Derek Trucks Band, and Susan Tedeschi. Later bands included Widespread Panic and their followers.

My time at Wanee formed lasting relationships with photographers like C Michael Stewart,  and Ian Rawn. I then reached out to local venues like The Englert Theatre in Iowa City for photo passes as I began covering more bands.  I was covering shows for Frank Productions in the Midwest and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and other Live Nation concerts with Jon Reens. More opportunities opened for additional work with VenuWorks concerts at venues like Paramount Theatre, Alliant Energy PowerHouse, and McGrath Amphitheatre in Cedar Rapids. Around 2010, I was photographing Wanee Festival and working venue shows, steadily building a strong catalog of drummers through a growing portfolio of major artists..

Drummer Photography Becomes Real

The shift to Drummer Photographer happened in 2018. My drum teacher, Ryan Hogland, a respected drummer/educator in the drum community, suggested I attend PASIC to connect with the drumming community. I took his advice and started my relationship with PASIC (The Percussive Arts Society). I utilized my knowledge as a drummer, my years of concert photography experience, and decades of attending major music events, and joined the worldwide drum family. As a member of the PASIC family, this involved photographing drum clinics, concerts, late-night jams, and the general documentation of PASIC.

This specialization led to direct relationships with artists like Todd Sucherman (Styx) and Walfredo Reyes Jr. (Chicago), as well as relationships within the percussion industry and other music venues. My work has since been featured in Modern Drummer (Nate Wood, March 2020) and on professional artist websites.

Drummer Photography has become a living archive of the world’s premier percussionists, with the goal to spread drumming to a wider audience and preserve its history for future generations.

 Where it all Began 1968–1973

My involvement with live music began in the late 60s. On October 14, 1968, I attended Cream at Veterans Memorial Auditorium—a show local historians call Iowa’s first true “heavy” arena concert. In 1968. The concert was sponsored by the largest music store in Iowa, the Des Moines Music House.

“The Des Moines Music House  was owned and operated by George Wilkinson. Wilkinson was a prominent figure in the local music scene during that era, and his store—often advertised as “Iowa’s Guitar and Drum Center”—played a pivotal role in the local rock ‘n’ roll culture. The Des Moines Music House wasn’t just a retail shop; it acted as a central hub for booking and promoting major acts.”

The Wilkinson’s were our neighbors in Des Moines

The Denver Pop Festival- Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Final Show

I attended the legendary Denver Pop Festival at Mile High Stadium. I was sitting in the bleachers during Zephyr’s set when police tear gas drifted into the stadium, forcing the crowd onto the field. Watching the final performance of the original Jimi Hendrix Experience that weekend cast the die for my life in music. It was also around this time I became a regular at concerts by Creedence Clearwater Revival (with Tom Fogerty), Steppenwolf, The Marshall Tucker Band, and the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young family.

The Chicken Shack- My First Photo Shoot

Back in Fort Dodge, my friends and I followed a local band known for their incredible musicianship: The West Minist’r. I started carrying a black-and-white Polaroid camera everywhere, documenting Rusty and Dean’s jams at the “Chicken Shack”—a converted chicken coop on the Keith Kaufman’s (band member) family farm.

The “Chicken Shack” eventually became the legendary Junior’s Motel, where Brian Wilson recorded in 1973 and Slipknot later recorded their early demos.

What began with a camera in a chicken shack has evolved into a lifelong mission to archive the greatest drummers in the world, from the “Chicken Shack” to the technical mastery of King Crimson.