Nardo's Bio

Ken "Nardo" Murray, Manager of American Drum Shop, has built an amazing career as a professional drummer and a highly respected musician.

Born in Tyler, Texas October 6, 1950, Nardo started playing drums at the age of 11.

At the age of 14, he was the original drummer for the legendary "Mouse &the Traps." Nardo played on all 15 singles and two albums, Rio Grande, on RCA; & A Public Execution, on Eva Records. Three of the singles were released on Rhino Records in the 80ís, and a new album on ACE Records, with several unreleased cuts, was released in the late 90ís.

From 1970 to 1978 he was on the road with acts : Salt & Pepper, The Drifters, Coasters, and Chuck Berry, and recording commercials for Dairy Queen, Phillips 66, Zebco, Haggar, Churchís, and Lone Star Beer. His busy schedule also included records by Ike & Tina Turner, Joe Stampley, Lonnie Mack, Bruce Channel, Leon Rausch, Johnny Paycheck, and many others.

1978 saw Nardo move to Las Vegas and direct the 18 piece Nardo Lee Orchestra at the Silverbird Hotel for the Johnny Harra Show and perform on the Merv Griffin Show, 20/20 News Magazine, Jerry Lewis Telethon and a BBC special.

In 1981 he returned to Texas and was voted into the prestigious Texas Musician's Hall of Fame, Buddy Magazine's Texas Tornadoes.

Nardo's attention turned to Tennessee in 1988 and he helped form The Lone Star Ramblers and invented the focal point of the group, the "Rambling Machine Mark V"...drums on wheels...with horns, bells, bubbles, fireworks, battery operated P.A., an electronic drum machine and sound effects. A modern day Spike Jones. The Ramblers performed for 9 years at Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood, and were one of the most popular groups at the park. While at Dollywood they performed in many commercials, the video "The Race is On" for Sawyer Brown, and a special on TNN...The Sunset Music Festival. They also performed at the largest state fair in the world, the State Fair of Texas, 24 days, every October for 8 years. The Ramblers have brought out the comedic personality of Nardo and have shown his quick wit and improvisational mind.

Coming back to Texas in 1997, Nardo has embarked on a new chapter in his career, teaching young kids all about drums, drumming, music, and the life of a professional musician. To sum it up, a total entertainer & musician.

One Of A Kind....."NARDO"

Nardo endorses these fine Companies:

Sell or repair Pearl Yamaha Electronic Sonor Sunlite drum set Percussion Djembe Bongo Conga drums

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Sell or repair Pearl Yamaha Electronic Sonor Sunlite drum set Percussion Djembe Bongo Conga drums

American Drum Shop is a division of American Band Instrument Service. We are located in Tyler, Texas, the central part of the United States. We have a large local drum shop and band instrument store located in the heart of our city that has a population of about a hundred thousand. We sell or repair Pearl Yamaha Electronic Sonor Sunlite drum sets Percussion Djembe Bongo Conga drums, in addition a complete line of wind instruments. We have complete repair facility and staff that work on thousands of percussion instruments a year. We are ready to serve you with great drums, great prices, and great service.

American Drum Shop carry the complete line of Pearl Drums including the Masters, the Session Custom, the Export, and Export Select. We also carry the entry level Forum and Rhythm Traveler sets. Also, check out all the Pearl percussion: like congas, bongos, timbales, djembes, batas, and other percussion instruments.

We don't have a lot of it listed yet. However, American Drum Shop also carries the complete line of Yamaha Drums. Call or email us for what ever you may want, or have questions about.