7-year-old Julian Pavone worked hard to earn youngest drummer title

Francis X. Donnelly/ The Detroit News

Macomb Township — Julian Pavone has played the drums professionally most of his life, but they still tower above him.

After all, he’s just 7.

In that short period, he has appeared on 150 talk and news shows, including “Good Morning America,” “Inside Edition” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (twice).

Now the pint-size musician with the mile-long resume has another honor: youngest professional drummer.

Guinness World Records, which announced the title earlier this month, visited Julian’s home Thursday to tape a segment for an upcoming broadcast.

“Does anybody need headphones?” he asked the broadcast crew, worried about the loud noise.

After finishing a rousing rendition of “Tom Sawyer,” he said, “Now what?”

To receive the Guinness certification, one had to be paid for playing on a commercial record and given at least 20 concerts of 45 minutes or more within five years.

Julian not only accomplished the feat, but did it when he was just 5 years, 10 months and 3 days old, according to Guinness.

The old record was held by Tiger Onitsuka of Japan when he was 9.

Now that Julian is a wily veteran at 7 years, two months and 14 days old, he’s ready for bigger things.

Asked who was a better drummer, him or his dad Bernie Pavone, an entrepreneur who drums as a hobby, Julian quipped:

“I am. Way better.”

Then, yelling to his dad across the room, who hadn’t been listening, “No offense, Dad.”

His father didn’t begin playing the drums until he was 7, a virtual late bloomer. Julian began playing when he was 3 months old.

Julian is working on his second CD. The first, recorded when he was 20 months old, was called “Oh, Baby,” one of the few times in pop music that “baby” referred to an actual infant.

He’s also about to launch a snack bar, Julian’s Go Bar. His visage adorns the package.

All this is managed by his father, who is turning his son into a cottage industry.

“Don’t hurt your hands, please,” Pavone told his son while the boy was horsing around inside the home Thursday.

Despite all the attention, he remains a typical kid. He likes soccer, doesn’t like school and lives to wrestle on Wii.

“I’m really good at baseball,” he said. “I really crack the ball. What I mean is I hit it far.”

fdonnelly@detnews.com

(313) 223-4186

From the Detroit News.

 

Posted by Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff