Our Town: Drum Major

Fred Wooten moves easily among the stacks of drums, cymbals, and accessories that line the walls and floor of Palmetto Music. Grazing unadorned hackberry, maple, and Catawba wood shells with broad hands, he speaks fondly of the impact music has had on his life.

A self-proclaimed “child of the ’60s,” Wooten recalls a childhood filled with his mother’s piano playing and his father’s and brother’s guitar riffs. Music was a constant companion, but the self-taught musician says he was the odd child out. “I wanted to be a drummer."

After college, Wooten began collecting and restoring vintage American drums in his barn. He carefully studied their design as he worked. Finally, using little more than seamstress tape and mail-order hardware, he began crafting his own percussion instruments.

When his 19-year career in office-supply sales ended suddenly, Wooten and his wife, Kelly, decided to invest in music. Palmetto Music opened its doors in 1994 as a full-service music store with a focus on, what else? Guitars. The couple laughs as they recall those early days.

“It kind of dawned on me that Freddy didn’t know anything about guitars,” says Kelly Wooten, business manager. “But he applied himself and he’s quite the expert now.”

Meanwhile, more confident in his craftsmanship, Wooten started to put his drums into the hands of musician friends. One such friend was Paul Riddle, the original drummer for The Marshall Tucker Band. Riddle was going on tour as a guest drummer for the Allman Brothers and took one of Wooten’s snare drums along. He was so impressed, he asked Wooten to design and build two drum kits for his personal use. A later invitation to provide two kits for Alabama’s June Jam would garner Wooten national attention. Wooten says he enjoys the recognition but admits that local musicians are the backbone of his livelihood. He is particularly pleased that his drums are regularly used at venues that include The Handlebar, Bob Jones University, and Greenville’s Fine Arts Center.

Today, Palmetto Drums, Inc., a division of Palmetto Music, provides a wide array of services that include drum repairs, restorations, and custom drum kits built by hand in a small corner of the store. “It’s more labor intensive, but I think the end result is better,” says Wooten. “You tell me what your vision is and I’ll make it look the way you want it to.”

In a world that can be unkind to independent business, Wooten is crafting something unique—and (pardon the pun) that’s tough to beat.

Palmetto Music is located at 5 Wade Hampton Boulevard.
Visit www.palmettomusic.com or call (864) 232-1726.