Internationally renowned jazz drummer, percussionist, clinician, author, and educator, Steve Houghton initially received acclaim at age twenty as the drummer with Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd. Since then he has shared stage and studio with luminaries Freddie Hubbard, Rufus Reid, Gary Burton, Dave Stryker, Clay Jenkins, Shelly Berg, Jared Gold, Lyle Mays, Bob Sheppard, Billy Childs, Bobby Hutcherson, Pat LaBarbara, Bobby Shew, Geoff Keezer, Bob Bowman, Walter Smith III , Wayne Bergeron, Bill Cunliffe, Arturo Sandoval, Steve Allee, Joe Henderson, Ray Brown, Eddie Henderson, among others.
As a bandleader Houghton’s discography includes: AHA Trio – Brother to Brother, Steve Houghton Trio – Beautiful Friendship, Driftin’- AHA Trio plus one, The AHA! Quintet – Freespace, The Manne We Love: Gershwin Revisited, a recent release of John Williams’ charts for big band and quintet, Live @ The Senator – Steve Houghton Quintet, Windsong, Remembrances, and Steve Houghton Signature Series. In total Houghton attributes more than one hundred recordings to his credit as a participating artist. As a classical percussionist, Houghton has performed with the Boston, and Philadelphia Pops orchestras, the U.S. Army Band, as well as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He frequently appears as a soloist with numerous orchestras and wind ensembles throughout the world.
As an author, Houghton’s publications boast more than thirty educational books, videos and DVDs including: Drumset 101, Kid’s Drumset Course– books 1 & 2, Essential Styles- books 1 & 2, The Ultimate Drumset Chart Reading Anthology (Alfred), Play and Teach Percussion (GIA), and The Drumset Soloist (WB), and his latest project, Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors (Alfred) which is a DVD-book series that addresses the entire rhythm section. He has recently created two new educational series for the Vic Firth website, entitled: Rhythm Section 101, and The Jazz Trio – An Inside View, in addition to many online lessons on jazz drumset.
Houghton is Professor of Percussion and Jazz at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. In addition to his academic duties, he presents yearly clinics and master classes to students around the world, most recently in Germany, England, China, New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan. Houghton is a Past- President of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) a founding member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and endorses, Yamaha drums and percussion, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, and Remo world percussion products and drumheads.
