Drum foundation beats to heal
Rick Allen, the one-armed drummer of rock supergroup Def Leppard, brought his Raven Drum Foundation to town Sunday and hosted a Drum Circle at the Chumash Interpretive Center in the Lang Ranch area. Allen, who started with the rock group at age 15, lost his left arm in a 1984 automobile accident.
Meeting the challenge of keeping his career alive, Allen devised a drum set that allows his left leg to take over the drumming actions usually accomplished with the left arm. The accident and his subsequent recovery took the path from a life in the fast lane of the rock world to a life of spiritual enrichment.