PAS Hall of Fame Inductees for 2025
PAS Hall of Fame Inductees for 2025
by PAS Staff
May 13, 2025
We are thrilled to announce that, for the first time in our history, we will be inducting six incredible individuals into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. This is the largest group of inductees we’ve ever celebrated in a single year, and we couldn’t think of a more fitting moment to honor their outstanding contributions to the world of percussion than during our lead-up to our PASIC50 celebration, November 12-15, 2025.
These six remarkable individuals have shaped the drum and percussion community through their talent, dedication, and unwavering passion. Their influence has been felt across generations, and their legacies continue to inspire and elevate the field of drums and percussion. We are incredibly proud to acknowledge their achievements and are honored to welcome them into the PAS Hall of Fame.
Please join us in congratulating Raynor Carroll, Sheila E, Jamey Haddad, William Moersch, and Dom Famularo and Tom Float posthumously.
Their passion and dedication for advancing percussion performance and education make each of them an impressive addition to the Hall of Fame.
Here is more about each individual:
Raynor Carroll
Raynor Carroll held the titles of Co-Principal Timpani and Principal Percussion with the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1983 until his retirement in 2016. During his distinguished 33-year career, he performed, toured, and recorded with renowned conductors, and can be heard on dozens of motion picture soundtracks for Hollywood studios.
Raynor is currently the CEO of the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (www.abop.us), a nonprofit organization devoted to mentoring Black symphonic percussionists. Founded in 2021, ABOP provides guidance, resources, training intensives, and performing opportunities for young and emerging Black percussionists.
A passionate advocate for diversity and equity in symphony orchestras, Raynor is an active performer in several orchestras that promote diversity in classical music, including Sphinx Symphony, Gateways Festival Orchestra, Rise Diversity Orchestra, and London-based Chineke! Orchestra.
Raynor is a dedicated educator and lecturer, and also has presented master classes both in the U.S. and abroad. He has taught at numerous universities, including his alma mater, California State University Los Angeles, where he was a student of Mitchell Peters.
Raynor is the founder and owner of Batterie Music, a publishing company specializing in music for the symphonic percussionist. His books are used throughout the world by students, universities, and professionals.
Sheila E.
Guided by the forces of family, faith, and music, Sheila E. has made a name for herself as one of the most talented musical icons over the decades. With a fearless nature and a passion for sharing her gifts with others, Sheila truly follows the beat of her own drum. She touches the lives of so many, with her dynamic music career at the heart of everything. Sheila’s eagerness to share her music, openness as an author, and fire for her ministry make her such a relatable, inspirational figure for people of all ages.
Born into a musical family, Sheila Escovedo (Sheila E.) has been driven by an inner rhythm her entire life. As a young girl, she was immersed in the diverse music scenes of the Bay Area—influenced and inspired by her percussionist father Pete Escovedo; musical uncles Coke Escovedo, Alejandro Escovedo, Mario Escovedo, and Javier Escovedo; and godfather Tito Puente. Growing up in the Escovedo household, musical instruments were for everyone. “Nobody cared as long as you could keep time (or have a good time),” she writes in her memoir, The Beat Of My Own Drum.
At the age of 5, Sheila gave her first public performance for an audience of 3,000, appearing alongside her dad. It was while on that stage playing a drum solo that Sheila first realized she was going to be a percussionist. Five decades later, and the beat that has always driven her is showing no signs of slowing down. The famous drummer, singer, songwriter, author, humanitarian, and icon is following the beat of her own drum. She considers music to be the purest form of self-expression and the one true love of her life.
Jamey Haddad
Born in Cleveland, percussionist/drummer Jamey Haddad holds a unique position in the world of jazz and contemporary music and as a result, has been featured on more than 350 recordings. Jamey has been the percussionist for Paul Simon for more than 25 years and has collaborated with Sting, Michael League of Snarky Puppy, Bokanté, Osvaldo Golijov, YoYo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Billy Drewes, Dave Liebman, Elliot Goldenthal, Francis Ford Coppola, the Assad Brothers, Simon Shaheen, The Paul Winter Consort, Betty Buckley, Leo Blanco, Tino Derado, Arooj Aftab, among many others. Jamey’s group “Under One Sun” released an album in 2017 which was featured in Downbeat Magazine.
Haddad is a recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize and was recognized as a Legend of Jazz by the Cleveland Jazz Society. Jamey is a Fulbright Scholar and has been awarded multiple NEA grants for performance. He was voted the Top World Percussionist in DRUM magazine (2012), one of the top four world-percussionists by Modern Drummer (July 2007) and featured in Drumhead Magazine (2019).
Jamey is currently a full professor at The Oberlin Conservatory where he heads the PI (Performance and Improvisation) program and also teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He previously taught for 19 years at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory and 12 years at The New School in NYC. Haddad is currently a faculty member at The Silk Road Global Musicians Workshop and Casey Driesen’s “Blue Ridge Fiddle Camp”.
William Moersch
William Moersch is Professor Emeritus of Percussion at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Internationally renowned as a marimba virtuoso, chamber and symphonic percussionist, recording artist, and educator, he has appeared as soloist with symphonic orchestras and in recital throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. A regularly featured artist at international percussion festivals, Mr. Moersch has performed on more than seventy-five recordings and is perhaps best known for commissioning much of the prominent modern repertoire for marimba, from composers including seven recipients of the Pulitzer Prize in Music. In addition, he was the first marimbist ever to receive a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Fellowship and has also been honored by N.E.A. Recording and Consortium Commissioning grants. In 2020, the Percussive Arts Society recognized William Moersch’s contributions with their Lifetime Achievement in Education Award. Currently, he is Principal Timpanist of Sinfonia da Camera and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of New Music Marimba, and an Artist Endorser for Pearl Drums / Adams Percussion, SABIAN cymbals, Grover Pro Percussion, and Innovative Percussion mallets.
Dom Famularo
Dom Famularo traveled the world playing drums and inspiring people over a 50-year career that had no precedent. He was one of the most sought-after drum teachers in the world, leaving a legacy of thousands of students, including many top professionals, who sought his advice for their technique, careers—and their lives. His drum clinic performances were legendary, as he shared the stage with Billy Cobham, Simon Phillips, Steve Gadd, and countless others. With a business acumen equal to his breathtaking technique, he ultimately performed in over 60 countries (including becoming the first Western drummer to do clinics in China); was an industry consultant/education director for Sabian, Mapex, D’Addario, Vic Firth, and others; wrote and published over a dozen books; and was a sought-after motivational speaker. He was equally in demand as an interviewer and emcee, acting as host for nearly every major drumming event worldwide in his lifetime, and interviewing many industry giants and hosting panel events for The Sessions. Beloved around the world, he became known as Drumming’s Global Ambassador. His work expanded and redefined the breadth of a career in drumming for all those to come after him.
Tom Float
Tom Float (1952–2022) was a legendary figure in the world of marching percussion, remembered for his humble demeanor, innovative arrangements, and lifelong dedication to education. A 2004 inductee into the Drum Corps International (DCI) Hall of Fame, Float’s career spanned more than four decades, impacting generations of drummers, educators, and performers.
Born in Pennsylvania and later relocating to California, Tom launched his drum corps journey in 1969 with the Diplomats before joining the Anaheim Kingsmen, where he was part of the snare line that won the inaugural DCI World Championship in 1972. After moving to Canada to work on a graduate degree in business, he began his drum corps instructional tenure in 1976 with Toronto’s Oakland Crusaders. It was here that he began to stretch his long legs as a truly gifted instructor, able to connect with and produce results from students of all levels and abilities.
Tom went on to work with several elite corps, most notably Spirit of Atlanta and the Blue Devils. His collaboration with Spirit’s arranger Jim Ott led to some of the ensemble’s most iconic performances. Following Ott’s tragic death, he joined the Blue Devils in 1982, where his percussion sections won four high percussion awards at the DCI World Championships during his tenure through 1990.
Renowned for his ability to connect with students at all skill levels, Tom fostered a legacy defined by mentorship, excellence, and creativity. His influence extended beyond the field as he brought his talents to entertainment venues such as Disneyland, performing in and consulting on popular acts like the Trash Can Trio and the Magic Kingdom Korps. He also made lasting contributions to the percussion industry through his work with Remo, Vic Firth, and Tama, designing instruments and products that shaped the modern marching percussion landscape.
Tom is survived by his wife, Catherine, an accomplished percussionist and collaborator in both life and music. Together, they shared a deep love for the drum corps community and a legacy of creativity that continues to resonate across the activity.
