Eric A. Darken is an American percussionist, composer, and programmer.
Biography
Drawing inspiration from his grandfather, a band leader. Darken began playing drums at age 12, and played timpani and mallets in high school. Darken attended Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina, then transferred to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Darken was also a part of the ORTV Richard Roberts television show.[1]
Darken created percussion samples and loops for various digital collections, including the Organic Percussion library of samples, loops, and presets, and the Eric Darken collection for Discrete Drums.[5]
In 2008, Darken won an Academy of Country Music award for Musician of the Year in the "Specialty Instrument" category.[6]
Darken's first solo album, A Drummer Boy's Christmas, was a jazz Christmas album released in 1993. It was reviewed positively by the Chicago Tribune, whose Nancy Stetson said that it "shows the genre at its best" and "there is nothing cute or gimmicky".[7]Cashbox magazine also reviewed the album with favor, stating that it "is sure to be a favorite in living rooms and store stereos alike with classic- yet-pop-inflected interpretations of your favorites. There's even a few new tunes to make this album worth a second look."[8]
