Beauford was first exposed to drumming at the age of three. At the time, his father had bought tickets to a Buddy Rich concert and could not find someone to watch his son, so he took young Beauford along to the show. Beauford was mesmerized by Buddy Rich on stage. After that show, Beauford's father bought his son a tin drum set with paper heads, since Beauford showed so much interest in learning the instrument. Beauford began performing professionally when he was nine.[1]
Beauford explains his unusual playing style in his instructional video "Under The Table & Drumming", attributing his use of left-hand-lead on a right-handed kit to playing his own kit in front of a mirror as a child in an attempt to emulate his favorite drummers, like Buddy Rich. He unknowingly set up his drums in reverse of whichever performer and set that he had in mind, in an attempt to make the mirrored image of himself match that of the audience's perspective, as he had seen it on stage and TV. This helped him to become completely ambidextrous at a very early age, albeit by accident.
Beauford earned a degree in music from the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, in Winchester, Virginia.
Eventually, he joined Secrets, a Richmond-based jazz fusion band. Other members included saxophonist LeRoi Moore, trumpeter John D'earth, vocalist Dawn Thompson, bassist Keith Horn, keyboardist Butch Taylor, and virtuoso guitarist Tim Reynolds. Secrets performed throughout Virginia, often at Miller's, the bar in Charlottesville where Dave Matthews worked as a bartender. Beauford also played jazz in Blue Indigo with LeRoi Moore, Sal Soghoian, and George Melvin. Blue Indigo performed regularly at Tokyo Rose and Miller's, and was featured at the Delaware Water Gap Jazz Festival. Eventually, Matthews approached both Beauford and Moore regarding some music he had written that he wished to record. Beauford agreed to perform on a demo, which is how he became involved with the group that was to become the Dave Matthews Band.
Beauford has also worked with other artists on side projects, including Vertical Horizon, Carlos Santana, Rashawn Ross, John Popper (of Blues Traveler), Béla Fleck and Victor Wooten; both alone and within their band, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones).
Beauford uses a Yamaha Drums drum kit, a Ludwig LB417T Black Beauty Supra-Phonic snare drum, 6.5x14" with a die-cast hoop on the batter side and a triple flanged hoop snare side, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, Pro-Mark sticks and mallets, Yamaha and Drum Workshop hardware including a Yamaha Hex-Rack since the 2008 Summer Tour and various Latin Percussion cowbells, woodblocks and other assorted percussion equipment. He also uses Footjoy golf gloves rather than traditional drum gloves.
Beauford used several Ron Dunnett custom metal snares in the past, the most common being a bright purple with gold hardware he used for the better half of the 2000s. Around the 2006/7 tour season, the Dunnetts were replaced by a prototype silver Yamaha metal snare later to be confirmed by BeaufordBuddy.com to be Carter's forthcoming Signature Snare. The Yamaha Signature "Carter Beauford" Snare Drum is still a prototype, not in production. As of April 2009, photographs of Carter live showed him using a Ludwig Black Beauty in place of the Signature Snare. This has raised questions if the Signature snare has been dropped by Yamaha.
Beauford has a grown daughter from his first marriage. Having married a second time, he also now has two young children. Beauford discusses his family briefly while riding with the band in a helicopter over The Gorge Amphitheatre in their DVD The Gorge, in the "special features" section, when he was a student pilot.
Love of My Life
Carter Beauford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And through your eyes all the things I want to see
And in the night you are my dream
You're everything to me
You're the love of my life
And the breath in my prayers
Take my hand lead me there
I can't forget the taste of your mouth
From your lips the heavens pour out
I can't forget when we are one
With you alone I am free
Everyday every night, you alone
You're the love of my life
Everyday, every night, you alone,
You're the love of my life
We go dancing in the moonlight
With the starlight in your eyes
We go dancing 'till the sunrise
You and me we're gonna dance, dance, dance
The lyrics to Carter Beauford's song Love Of My Life express devotion and adoration to a significant other. The opening lines "Where you are that's where I want to be, And through your eyes all the things I want to see" convey a desire to be in the presence of the person and see the world through their perspective. The lyrics also express the importance of the relationship to the singer, as they declare that the person is "everything" to them and the "love of my life."
The following lines state that the person is not only significant, but also essential to the singer's existence. In "You're the love of my life and the breath in my prayers," the singer views the individual as their motivation and reason for being. The lines "Take my hand, lead me there, What I need is you here" convey a desire for the person's presence and guidance. The singer describes how being with the person makes them feel, "With you alone I am free."
The song also describes the shared experiences of the couple, such as dancing "in the moonlight with the starlight in your eyes." The chorus repeats "You're the love of my life, every day, every night, you alone," emphasizing the importance of the other person to the singer's life. Overall, the song is a romantic and heartfelt tribute to a significant other.
Line by Line Meaning
Where you are that's where I want to be
I always want to be by your side no matter where you are.
And through your eyes all the things I want to see
I want to experience the world through your perspective and see everything you see.
And in the night you are my dream
When I dream, I dream of you always.
You're everything to me
You mean the world to me and I cannot imagine my life without you.
You're the love of my life
You are the one I love most and want to spend every moment of my life with.
And the breath in my prayers
I pray to always have you in my life.
Take my hand lead me there
Lead the way and I will follow wherever you go.
What I need is you here
I need you by my side always as you are everything to me.
I can't forget the taste of your mouth
Your kiss is unforgettable and will always remain in my memory.
From your lips the heavens pour out
Your kiss feels like heaven and is like a ray of hope to me.
I can't forget when we are one
My memories of us being together are very precious to me and I cherish them dearly.
With you alone I am free
I feel free and happy only when I'm with you and nobody else.
Everyday every night, you alone
I think about you day and night and no one else.
You're the love of my life
You are the one I love the most and want to spend every moment of my life with.
We go dancing in the moonlight
We dance under the moonlight feeling free and happy as we are together.
With the starlight in your eyes
Your eyes are shining with happiness, and it is a joy to see you like this.
We go dancing 'till the sunrise
We dance all night, not wanting to stop and you make me feel like I can do anything.
You and me we're gonna dance, dance, dance
Nothing else matters as long as we're together, and we can dance the night away.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID JOHN MATTHEWS, CARLOS SANTANA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juliegarrick7481
This is the song that made me fall in love with Dave…34 shows later and I still love him.
@MakeMeThinkAgain
Two of my favorite all time musicians... Carter Beauford and Carlos Santana.
@freelanceer
I still remember Dave in House M.D.
@sabinefilm1
Such a beautiful never gets old. I have many beautiful memories of this song, together with a lovely boyfriend i had. Who died some years ago..Sweet and a bit bitter memories. But i will always love this song!❤
@susanhaber9617
I don't know what to say breathtaking wow
@juanchopj
one of a few time when Carter play drums in "the normal way"
@jenniferewing4504
D- M is so great.
@sylvansnagg856
Simply great music
@BeyfighterFaris
Came here from listening to it on the radio. Such an oddity because DMB can play this without the help of Santana
@gwioska
Będę pierwszy? Więc zdefloruję... Kto tutaj się znalazł już wie, że to świetny kawałek. Wystarczy za nagrodę. TU BYŁEM - Tony Halik I'll be the first? So however, I deprive of virginity (the computer says so). Who here he found himself already knows that it's a great masterpiece. Just as the prize. HERE I WAS - Tony Halik to write