Tony Lala is a professional working drummer and percussion instructor based in South Bend, Indiana. "At fifteen I struggled to learn the guitar from my uncle who was a blue grass picker. I happened to see an old black and white clip of The Beatles first Ed Sullivan appearance and instantly drawn to Ringo's style. I knew I could do it." Inspired by British Invasion drummers Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts as well as groups such as The Animals and The Kinks, Tony developed a hard hitting muscular style that won him early gigs with groups in the New Orleans area while still in high school
Following a long military and public service career, he began filling in for the praise band in church. "It was time to start playing again. I felt I had been given the gift of playing the drums for many years and it was to me, a form of ministry to play in God's house." From there Tony became the member of the praise band and also joined a local working band. For the past 12 years, he has occupied the drum stool for several bands such as The BackBeats, The Copperfield 5, Zapp!, as well as Indiana Gravel Road. Tony has also been a member of the highly regarded Chicago area funk/R&B group Jewel and the Future playing the Chicago area as well as northern Indiana and lower Michigan.
As a percussion instructor he takes a great amount satisfaction and pride sharing his love of drums with students of all ages. He does not hesitate to recognize those who have inspired him and guided his drumming journey. "I have been blessed and grateful to have been taught and supported by the world class professional drumming legends Bill "Stcks" Nicks and Trey Gray. These legendary artists have taught me to play with passion and humility while always serving the music". He also points to Joe Lala and Bruce Gary as role models. He is currently the featured drummer for The Modern Day Drifters playing venues throughout central and southern Michigan.
As a proud member of the Soultone family of artists since 2019, he enjoys sharing Soultone's exceptional cymbals with fans and students.