Tracy Manuel - Drummer

Tracy was born on a dark and ominously stormy night just over sixteen years ago. It is said that the thunder that night was particularly rhythmic, perhaps presaging her drumming talent.  Rumors that she was abandoned by a lanky and somewhat Gothic couple on the cold stone steps of a mountain convent, and only later adopted by an unsuspecting Redding couple, are scurrilous lies propagated by those jealous of her skills. Tracy began "drumming" at an early age after chewing out the bars on the side of her crib and using them as rudimentary drumsticks on a nearby mahogany end table. The family pets, Taffeta and Lucretia, soon learned the dangers of napping in her vicinity, and her parents, charter PETA members, resolved to channel her energies into a more socially approved activity. Turning her into a serious drummer with jazz proclivities is viewed in some circles as only relatively successful. However, the band feels lucky to have Tracy as part of the ensemble, although we suspect that we'll lose her all too soon to some alluring institute of higher learning. She is a charming young musician with steadily increasing skills, and at least we can enjoy playing music with her for the next couple of years. 

These were taken at the band's Christmas gig for the Rivercity Jazz Society, December 23, 2008, at the Redding Elks' Lodge.

Then there's this...

(Tracy is now a student at Shasta High School, and will probably hate that picture.)

This is Tracy at the Mosquito Serenade concert in July of 2009.