CLEVELAND — Rashawn Ross isn’t big on self-promotion.
The St. Thomas native said he prefers to stay behind the scenes and focus on the art, even amid requests from colleagues that he update his resume to reflect the staggering array of music greats he’s worked with, which includes 20 years as a trumpet player in the Dave Matthews Band.
The spotlight is now hard to avoid.
That’s because the storied Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2024 inductees, and the list of performers included legends like Mary J. Blige, Cher and Ozzy Osbourne and groups like Kool and the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, Foreigner, and The Dave Matthews Band.
Ross told The Daily News the band was having dinner in Florence, Italy, in the midst of a European tour, when their tour manager gave them the news.
“It was a little bit of a surreal feeling. Yeah, I mean we just kind of erupted in celebration at the restaurant,” he said with a chuckle.
The list of trumpet players who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is relatively short, but it comprises some of the best people to ever play the horn: Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Dave Bartholomew, Quincy Jones, Herb Alpert, Cynthia Robinson, Lee Loughnane — and now, Rashawn Ross.
For Ross, it’s the latest achievement in a career that’s seen him tour with Yerba Buena, DJ Quik, Lettuce, Soulive and play with icons like Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and countless others as a session artist. A self-described “loner,” Ross said he’s always kept his head down and focused on the work rather than get caught up in the spectacle, even after 20 years of playing with the Dave Matthews Band.
“This is just what we do. Like we don’t take ourselves too seriously. This is just what we do. We love playing music and that’s what we focus on,” he said. “We never really focus on accolades or anything like that.”
But that appears to have changed.
“Except when we got that call the other night in Italy,” he added, noting that everybody was a bit stunned. “So I think this is probably the first time I haven’t really been nonchalant about what other people might think was like this amazing thing, or this amazing accomplishment, or this amazing artist that you’re working with.”
Ross said his music education began early thanks to a jazz aficionado father, Randy Ross Sr. of St. Croix, who had an extensive record collection.
As an 8-year-old at Ulla Muller Elementary School, he took up the trumpet under band director Joe Francis. From there he moved to Addelita Cancryn Junior High School, where he played on weekends with Louis Taylor and was “on loan” to the Charlotte Amalie High School under band director Georgia Francis.
“So a lot of my musical upbringing stemmed from playing with older students than myself who had a lot more experience,” he said. Those included saxophonist Ron Blake, a member of the Saturday Night Live house band, and acclaimed bassist Reuben Rogers.
Once Rogers got to Berklee College of Music, in Boston, he sent Ross all the material that trumpet players at the school were studying.
“So I could be ahead of the game,” Ross said with another laugh. “Because I just wanted to go to Berklee because he went there.”
Eventually he did, attending the famous music school from 1996-2000. Five years later, he’d make his first appearance with the Dave Matthews Band and become a full member the following year.
In October, he and his bandmates will join the ranks of the finest musicians of the century. Virgin Islanders near and far celebrating since the announcement will be cheering once again.
By KIT MACAVOY/V.I. Daily News