Miles McPherson moved to Nashville in 1986, when his father, Jerry, relocated the family there so he could work in the studios as a session guitarist. Miles was expecting to be a guitarist—until he sat at a drumset for the first time at age thirteen. The drums were set up in the basement for a Christmas party. “I’d been air-drumming for so long, I was able to just sit down and play,” says McPherson. “It was at that moment that my parents realized that I was destined to be a drummer.” Miles took some drum lessons and eventually enrolled at Belmont College, where he studied with legendary drummer Chester Thompson. “Chester is one of the greatest drummers on the planet,” says McPherson. “He was teaching me jazz, but I never did any of the work. I’d show up for class, and Chester would say, ‘Let me guess: You didn’t look […]

October 2020 Issue