When Dante Roberson picked up his first drumstick, he knew drumming was his passion, and it didn’t take long for those around him to realize it as well. He began touring at the young age of 16 with gospel musician Daryl Coley and continues to stay true to his gospel roots by playing at his local church whenever possible.
< all artistsWhen Dante Roberson picked up his first drumstick, he knew drumming was his passion, and it didn’t take long for those around him to realize it as well. He began touring at the young age of 16 with gospel musician Daryl Coley and continues to stay true to his gospel roots by playing at his local church whenever possible.
< all artistsAt the age of 19, Dante toured with the Oakland-based group African Rain and Baba Olatunji, which helped expand his musical interests. Dante’s interest in jazz, fusion, and world music was further developed while playing with Robert Stewart, Joe Lucity, Juan Escovito, Ricardo Scales and Lloyd Gregory.
Grammy-winning Dante has performed and/or recorded with a wide variety of artists, such as Najee, Robert Steward, Carl Willer, Ivan Johnson, 98 Degrees, The Coup, The B.L.A.C.K Experience, Marcus Miller, Demetrius Tolefree, Chico DeBarge, El DeBarge, ICON, YoLa, Rolando Al-Anan, Regina Belle, Eric Benet, X-Executioners, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Tank, Dwayne Wiggins, Byron Cage, EnVogue, The Whispers, Cameo, Tony Saunders, Carl Wheeler, Stephanie Mills, Skip Soder and many others.
Dante credits Anthony King, Joel Smith and his high school jazz band teacher David Machoni for teaching him how to read and music theory. He wouldn’t be where he is without Will Kennedy and Dennis Chambers taking him under their wings, acting as mentors. A resident of the Bay Area, Dante enjoys playing a variety of styles and credits his versatility to the rich musical history of his hometown as well as the patience and skill of teachers and mentors.