James Dean – Professional Drummer
James Dean is renowned for his powerful and dynamic drumming in the Christian rock scene. Esteemed for his ability to play with his whole body, mind, soul, and spirit—not just his hands and feet—James brings passion and energy to every performance.
Early Years
James Dean was born on November 16, 1982, in Buffalo, Minnesota, arriving eight weeks premature. He spent the first few weeks of his life in an incubator. The eldest of three children, James was born to James Robert Dean and Betty Ranell Dean and has two younger sisters, Jessica and Janell. On July 8, 2006, he married his wife, Jaime Dean.
According to his parents, James showed an early interest in drumming around the age of seven. He would set up pots and lids as a makeshift drum set and play them with wooden spoons. In fifth grade, he wanted to join the school band as a drummer, but his band teacher convinced him to start with the trombone instead. After a couple of months, James requested to switch to drums, but his teacher denied the request. As a result, he left the band and joined the choir instead. Despite not knowing how to read music, James discovered he had a natural ability to sing harmonies, a gift he attributes to God.
As a teenager, James began singing on the worship team at his church youth group. When he was 15, the worship team lost their drummer, leaving them without one for a while. One day during practice, James sat behind the drum kit. A worship leader, surprised, asked, “You can play drums?” to which James replied, “I don’t know, can I?” After listening, the leader responded, “You sound pretty good!” At that moment, James realized he had another God-given gift—playing drums without any formal training.
James practiced with the worship band for a couple of months before playing regularly on Wednesday nights. He continued improving, developing his drumming skills purely by ear. Since then, he has played with numerous worship teams and Christian rock bands. In 2016, James expanded his passion for drumming by starting to teach and offer private lessons, sharing his talent with aspiring musicians.
James Dean continues to inspire through his drumming, bringing energy and faith to every beat he plays.
Music Career
NPT (Narrow Path Travelers) (2008)– was a Christian worship band.
SozoRox (2008-2009 & 2010-2011) – was a Christian rock/metal band.
Organ of Corti (2009-2010) – Was a Christian Rock band.
Beekin (2012) – Was a Christian Rock band based out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Various Church Worship Teams (1995 – current)
Current Equipment
Drums: Tama Starclassic Birch/Walnut – Ocean Blue Ripple
18” x 22” Kick
6.5” x 14” Ludwig Black Beauty
8” x 10” Rack Tom
9” x 12” Rack Tom
12” x 14” Floor Tom
14” x 16” Floor Tom
Cymbals: Zildjian K Sweet Cymbals
15″ Hi-Hats
17″ Crash
19″ Crash
21″ Ride
Drum Sticks: Promark 5A Firegrain
Drum Heads: Evans
Power Center Reverse Dot – Snare batter
Hazy 300 – Side Snare
G2 Tom Batters
G1 Tom Resonant
EQ4 Bass Batter