Murray Gusseck is considered an innovator in the world of marching percussion. He started his career as a marching member of the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps (SCV) in 1988, aging out in 1992. He played tenors all 5 of those years under Ralph Hardimon, Glen Crosby, and Scott Johnson. Murray is currently a member of the Percussion staff for the Arizona Academy Drum and Bugle Corps.
As a member of those SCV drumlines Murray helped start a new trend of drumline parking lot “events” by composing entertaining battery compositions that attracted large audiences outside the normal competition arenas. All of these compositions are currently published in a collection entitled Parking Lot Etudes by Tapspace Publications LLC (Portland, OR), a publishing company Murray co-founded with his friend and partner Jim Casella.
As a player Murray received many accolades for his tenor playing and for the extreme ability levels of the tenor sections and drumlines he was a part of during his tenure with SCV. As a staff member of the Santa Clara Vanguard, Murray has served as technician, caption head, and arranger. During his time with Vanguard, SCV has captured the Fred Sanford Percussion Trophy 5 times and the DCI Championship twice. He has also taught and arranged percussion music for various high schools and winter percussion ensembles throughout the country.
Murray attended San Jose State University where he studied world music systems and drumset with Royal Hartigan and Dan Sabanovich. He now resides in the Pacific Northwest where he enjoys the local food, beer, music, and even the rain! You might even see him playing around town with local bands occasionally.
Murray proudly endorses Remo drumheads, Vic Firth drumsticks, Pearl drums, and Zildjian cymbals.