WILL SCHULMEISTER -  BMHOF CLASS OF 2022

A powerhouse as a drummer, and a workhorse on the Buffalo music scene as an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Will Schulmeister changed instruments at a young age and found his true calling. 

Will’s first musical experience was at age 6, playing cello in front of appreciative audiences as part of a family trio. By his teens, he had switched to drums, and was performing at coffeehouses and school dances with his own band, “The Yellow Grove.” In the early 70s, Will was playing an intricate style of original rock with “Bethlehem Steele,” later called just “Steele.” He also spent 13 years teaching drums, first at Matt’s Music, then at Music Mart, AAA Music, Carlone Music, and in private home instruction. 

In the 1980s, Schulmeister became an inventor, devising a weighted drumstick used for practice and conditioning. Will create the Xerstick Drumstick Company to market and sell his best-selling sticks.

He presented his products at drum clinics and seminars including the Niagara Community College Music of Arts program and worked closely with other drummers who endorsed Xersticks. The company was sold in 1990. Meanwhile, Will continued to perform, working with “Temptor,” “The Front” (with wife Debbie), and the country band “Petty Cash.” 

In the 90s, Will joined the original blues-rock band “Wanted by the FBI,” in a career that included the recording of three jukebox-hit singles and opening slots for national acts including Molly Hatchet. The band won two “Listener’s Choice” awards, and Schulmeister was nominated as Best Blues Drummer.

After leaving Wanted by the FBI, Schulmeister played country again in “Justified” with Debbie, before forming “Under Arrest” with her in 2007. At the same time, he was asked to join the successful country band “Blood Money,” with whom he won Best Country Drummer awards in 2013 and 2014, while the band frequently opened for national acts including Montgomery Gentry and Devon Allman.

Under Arrest also became an award-winning band, winning Best New Group in 2016 and Best Rock Band in 2019, while Will was awarded Best Rock Drummer in 2018 and 2019. Will and Debbie also created the not-for-profit foundation WNY Drummers for Homeless People, Inc., which works to allow musicians and music fans to give back to their communities with donations of money, supplies, time and talent. 

“Stay tuned…more to come.”~ Will Schulmeister