Scott Travis

Scott Travis
Scott Travis in Moscow in 2004
Background information
Birth name	Scott Travis
Born	September 6, 1961 (1961-09-06) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal, speed metal, hard rock
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Drums, percussion
Years active	1981–present
Associated acts	Hawk, Racer X, The Scream, Judas Priest, Fight

Scott Travis (born September 6, 1961) is a Grammy Award winning American rock musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest and the American heavy metal band Racer X.

Biography

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Scott was a well-known drummer in the local music scene of a region known as Hampton Roads during the early 1980s. Playing with bands in clubs throughout Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, and Newport News. Travis moved to California in the early/mid 1980s and played in various local bands, such as Hawk, and later on moved to play for the critically acclaimed Racer X, together with Paul Gilbert, and very briefly played in Saints Or Sinners, which later changed their name to The Scream, and also featured Travis's Racer X bandmates Bruce Bouillet and John Alderete. His big career move came about late in the decade after Judas Priest's long time drummer, Dave Holland, exited the band, citing personal reasons.

Travis had always wanted to be the drummer of Judas Priest. As a young teen, he had often thought about setting up his drumkit in the parking lot at the Hampton Coliseum in hopes that the band would notice him as they rolled through with their tour bus. He finally decided to wait out back of the arena, and hand the band a tape of his playing. Priest still had Holland, so nothing ever came out from the encounter. When Holland did leave Judas Priest in 1989, Jeff Martin heard about it through his friendship with Rob Halford. Martin called up Travis one day and said "Guess who needs a drummer." Travis auditioned for the vacant position and in 1989 got the job, thus becoming the first non-Briton to play for the legendary Birmingham heavy metal monster. Travis has been with the band ever since and he also handles drum duties for his former band Racer X. He played drums in Halford's band Fight from 1993 to 1995, but to date is best known for his work with Judas Priest, for which he has been widely acclaimed ever since his debut with Painkiller in 1990.

Travis was also largely responsible for hiring Tim 'Ripper' Owens as Halford's replacement in Judas Priest from 1996 until the 2003 reunion (see Judas Priest for more).

He is commonly mistaken to be left-handed. In reality, he is ambidextrous, and plays with an open style.

Equipment

Scott always used Tama Drums until 2008. On the first leg of the Judas Priest "Nostradamus Tour" he played a Pearl kit and then switched to a DW kit for the second leg. He was also seen using a DW kit at the NAMM show with his band Racer X. His DW setup is: two 23"x24" bass drums, 14"x6.5" snare,8" 10" 12" and 14" rack toms and 16"x16" and 18"x16" floor toms. Scott has played Paiste cymbals since May 1987.

Discography

Racer X

• Second Heat (1987)
• Extreme Volume Live (1988)
• Extreme Volume II Live (1992)
• Technical Difficulties (1999)
• Superheroes (2000)
• Getting Heavier (2002)

Judas Priest

• Painkiller (1990)
• Jugulator (1997)
• '98 Live Meltdown (1998)
• Demolition (2001)
• Live in London (2003)
• Angel of Retribution (2005)
• Rising in the East (2005)
• Nostradamus (2008)
• A Touch of Evil: Live (2009)
• British Steel (Re-Release) (2010)

Fight

• War of Words (1993)
• A Small Deadly Space (1995)
• Mutations (half live and half studio remixes from first album, 1994)