“OK….is everyone ready? Here we go…. 1…2…1-2-3-4….”

The backbone of the Whiskey Benders, Brent Wooden has been perfectin’ his craft for years and has toured the country and beyond with many respectable bands.

He picked up a love of drums as a kid through a family friend. “My dad and I would go over to his buddy’s house every week to watch a truck driving show called “Movin’ On.” The buddy had a son a little older than me, and he had a drum kit in his bedroom. To me, Rick Phillips was about the coolest guy around, and still is.”

His freshman year, Brent took a job at the local skate rink, which featured live bands – sometimes rock and sometimes country – on the weekends. “It was there that I got to watch all the local bands and some regional guys play every weekend. I would get to watch the back door so no one under 21 could sneak in. The back door happened to be right behind the drummer of every band.”

Brent continued to practice on his own, adhering to his parents’ steadfast rule that he was not to join a band until he graduated from high school. Not surprisingly, just two weeks after graduation, he was giggin’ in his first band. Thus began a long career of great bands and even better experiences.

Then he heard about the Whiskey Benders. “I knew I wanted to be the drummer of this band from the first night I heard them play,” Brent says. “What started out as a fill-in situation has grown into something that I am truly proud to be a part of. I have been very fortunate to have shared the stage with extremely talented people over the years. One of the best things about the Whiskey Benders is how humble the guys are. Individually, they are each a monster player. All I do is count to four and try to keep up.”

Growing up in the 70′s, Brent was inspired by the greats, especially singing drummers. “I listened to the popular stuff like Skynard, AC/DC, the Eagles and a whole lotta Zeppelin. I also remember my dad letting me stay up late when Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa was on the Johnny Carson Show. I love John Bonham, and the singing drummers of the day had a lot of influence on me, like Henley of the Eagles and Levon Helm of the Band and Rick Philips.”

Brent and his wife of 20-some years, Cindy, have a daughter, Kelsey, and a son, Andrew, plus two dogs.

On Brent’s personal playlist: Marty Stuart, Bryan Adams, Kevin Fowler and Montgomery Gentry.