Woody (Sonship) Theus

[Mark Stryker]

Apologies if there is an existing Sonship Theus thread, but I didn't see it. Just today a friend pointed me to this revealing Modern Drummer obituary for Theus, who died in 2011. Thought I'd share it. It's nicely written by drummer Gerry Gibbs and it's both quite humorous and genuinely touching. Theus was a man who certainly knew why he was put on this earth.

This paragraph says a lot:

"Befitting his unusual approach to sound and technique, Theus was known to carry himself through life in idiosyncratic ways. One bandleader asked him several times to play more softly because he couldn’t hear himself. At the end of the set Sonship told the leader, 'I will go outside and ask God what He thinks.' When he returned to the stage playing as loudly as ever, the drummer explained, 'I asked God whether I should play quieter…and He said no.'"

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This is an approach to daily life I had never quite pondered. "I'm sorry (insert editor's name here), but I asked God whether I should keep it to only 1,000 words and He said, 'no.'"

 

https://www.moderndrummer.com/2011/08/woody-sonship-theus/?fbclid=IwAR0gEsNmcQhF6rYd3sYlqc2JDx1BoJLPmHvmikfvHb9odyuoQyXHtAkmY0E

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Mark Stryker

[mjzee]

Any relation to Fats Theus?

[Gheorghe]

I only saw him with Charles Llyod, the great quartet with Michel Petrucciani and Palle Danielsson and Sun Ship Theus. I loved his drumming and I love really strong drummers, give the drums some......

[JSngry]

 

[Pim]

All I know is that I love his drumming on this one:

[JSngry]