SKF NOTE: An excerpt from my 1/12/1982 interview with Owen Hale for Modern Drummer. A reader asked a general question, “Can a studio drummer earn enough money to consider it a steady job?” I posed that question to Owen when he was a new studio drummer at Muscle Shoals studio.

Roger Hawkins had mentioned Owen Hale to me as a new studio drummer who deserved some attention. When Roger Hawkins puts his stamp of approval on a drummer, it’s a good idea to pay attention.

A trumpet player for fifteen years, Owen didn’t start playing drums until he was about twenty years old — and played his drumset backwards. But as you can see from the 1982-2016 photos of Owen included in this YouTube video, he was the perfect drummer to ask about studio drumming as a steady job.