Guitar Center Crowns Champion of Drum-Off National Competition Guitar Center today announced Jonathan Fortson of Hamilton, Alabama as the Drum-Off 2026 Champion, marking the culmination of the legendary drumming competition’s first run in a decade. First launched in 1988, Drum-Off ran for 28 years and drew more than 100,000 participants, helping provide an early platform for drummers including Tony Royster Jr. (Jay-Z, Katy Perry), Cora Coleman-Dunham (Prince, Beyoncé), Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta), Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper) and Ilan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters). The competition returned this year with more than 2,600 submissions nationwide and a lineup spanning some of music’s biggest names. Hosted by comedian, actor and drummer Bill Burr and Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, the National Finale featured judges including John Stamos (The Beach Boys), Tré Cool (Green Day), Adrian  Young (No Doubt), Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails), Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine), Alex González (Maná), and Jay Weinberg (Slipknot), with performances from Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Kenny Aronoff (Sammy Hagar) and more. Fortson emerged from six finalists at Thursday night’s National Finale […]

October 2026 Issue