16 year old PATRICK DRONEY has become one of America’s phenomenal young guitar players and talented young songwriters. He made his national recording debut on September 23, 2008 with The Other Side (Reform Records), a 12 song album that showcases his ability to write rock songs with impressive guitar solos that are rhythmically and lyrically heartfelt, while exuding a sense of isolation that defies his age. Two of the songs on the album were co-written with Droney, “Alive” with Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin and “Everything” alongside 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson during a trip to Nashville.
Droney first came to national attention in 2006 after winning the Robert Johnson Star Award as one of the country’s most promising young musicians, but in actuality he has been turning heads since picking up the guitar at the age of 7.
Critics have compared his talent to one that fuses elements of Stevie Raye Vaughan, Robert Johnson and John Mayer while adding his own original style. Patrick posses a textural smoothness and warm fluidity that connotes a visceral connection between his fingers and the fret board, belying his age. His songwriting and guitar style have allowed him the opportunity to play to a variety of audiences and cross generational lines- he has shared the stage and performed with Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Billy Cox (bass), the same Jimi Hendrix Experience rhythm section that played behind Hendrix at Woodstock as part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience Tour in 2007, then headlined 20 Summer Camp tour dates with screaming 8-18 year olds in 2008.
Patrick has graced the stages of The Montreal Jazz Festival, The Whiskey A-Go-Go, BB King’s Blues Clubs (LA and NYC), The Bamboozle Music Festival, and House of Blues, and most recently (September 2008) in front of thousands at the Big Spring Jam (AL) and The York Festival (PA). His band (in 2006) was even the youngest to play the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, according to Vintage Guitar Magazine. He has been the support band for such legends as BB King and the late great James Brown.
Steve Johnson, grandson of the legendary guitarist Robert Johnson and COO of the Robert Johnson Foundation says of his playing, “Patrick blew us away. We were amazed that a musician that young could play with that much skill and dexterity and with that much soul.” Blues Matters Magazine dubbed him “The New Generation”, The 2007 SXSW Festival Must-See list called him “one of the best young guitarists alive today,” New Jersey Monthly Magazine put him in their “What’s Hot List” (7/06), while local critics called his playing “off the charts impressive” (Courier Post) and “Young in years but long on talent and experience.”(Hyannis News).
He is among the youngest endorsees of Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitars, Budda Amplifiers, Two-Rock Amplifiers, and Dean Markley Strings; and the youngest to be endorsed by DiMarzio guitar pickups and hardware.
In addition to his guitar playing and original song writing, Patrick is also a caring and committed young man who strives to help make a difference in the world. His combination of talent and philanthropy are far beyond his teen years with his noted charitable endeavors on both the local and national level. In 2005 he was awarded the Nestlé Very Best in Youth Award and initiated a fundraiser that raised over $500,000 in disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina victims and an additional $250,000 for the New Orleans Musicians Assistance Program. As a youth volunteer for the National Hemophilia Foundation (Patrick was born with vonWillebrands syndrome, a bleeding disorder) he, along with his sister, have helped raised thousands of dollars for various children’s charities including the Alcove for Grieving Children and the Shelby Richter Fund. People Magazine featured the Droney siblings last year as “heroes among us”. In addition to serving on the board of the Nestlé Very Best in Youth Foundation, Patrick also shares a board seat with BB King on the Robert Johnson Foundation Heritage House, a foundation designed to give back to local communities through the Arts.
Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Patrick and his parents moved to Linwood, New Jersey, (just outside Atlantic City ) when Patrick was 10 years old. He started playing guitar at the age of 7 after being told to avoid sports and other risky activities due to his vonWillebrands (vWD). “I was told I couldn’t play football,” says Patrick, “so I took up the guitar instead.”
I really like the new sound. Glad to see you are starting to really take off. You are a great young talent and only have scratched the tip of your potential. I added a banner for your album and a video to my myspace. Have a great 4th of July my friend. Don Cook, Chicago
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hey patrick, jim from jc dobbs. funny to hear one of your songs on the weather channel! hit me up and let me and elvis know when you are going to be aroung!
