Lee McKinney

Percussionist / Composer, Lee McKinney is based in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and has been on the jazz scene in Dayton Ohio for the past three decades, as well as having gigs all over Ohio, and also playing in the states surrounding Ohio.

His formal training began in the fifth grade at age 10, when having always loved the drums, his parents rented him a snare drum kit, and he began in the band program at school, while simultaneously taking private lessons. After graduating from high school, he played gigs and worked at a local music store for a few years. When the music store closed, he took advantage of the situation to enroll in college to study the mallet percussion instruments, as well as music theory, composition and arranging. At that time, he continued to work gigs locally and also worked teaching drum lessons on a private one on one basis.

Since graduating from college, Lee continued to teach, expanding his practice to offer lessons in mallet percussion, as well as teaching jazz drumming at Sinclair Community College in Dayton. He also continued to work gigs with Norris Turney, Harold Ashby, Greg Abate, Johnny Lytle, Tony Monaco, Rusty Bryant, Cal Collins, Hank Marr, Mitchel “Booty” Wood, Bobby Floyd, Dick Sisto, Bob Thompson, Pete Mills, John McLean, The Dayton Jazz Orchestra and many more in the surrounding area.

Lee attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz studies from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. He has also had private lessons with John Von Ohlen, Jeff Hamilton, Jim Chapin, Bill Goodwin and Jim Rupp.

Now retired from teaching, Lee continues to freelance playing drums in various jazz groups, as well as leading his own band, The Street of Dreams Trio.