He has a clean but hard drumming style that moves the drums while he plays, and which earned him a place on stage with country music star Trace Adkins for six years.
Before he left the area for Nashville 13 years ago, the Simi Valley native, who was raised in Oxnard and Ventura, had dreams of playing the county fair's main stage.
"I remember saying, Someday I want to play on that stage.' It's kind of surreal that it's happening," Spittle, 42, said. As a teenager, Spittle took his girlfriend (now his wife) on dates to the fair and played as a drummer on the smaller stages, in hopes of one day playing in the Grandstand Arena.
It all began at a very young age. Bob Spittle, John's father, said his son started drumming when he was 4 1/2 years old. "He started on his own. I didn't want to push him," said Bob Spittle, who is also a drummer.
When John was in high school, he played with the school marching and jazz bands. Gary Garvin, who was a tenor saxophone player in the bands, met John 26 years ago when they were both in high school and they remain friends today. John Spittle was the best man at Garvin's wedding.
He said John had a strong commitment to the high school bands. "He would take new drummers in the band under his wing," Garvin said. "He always talked about making it big as a drummer."
After high school, Spittle was into the "big hair bands" of the 1980s, he said. He played with many area bands, including a Ventura County band called Keeper, the Los Angeles band Sahara, and Christian rock band The Brave.
Spittle's brother, a bass guitarist, moved to Nashville around this time and asked John to join him. At first, he said he wasn't interested in playing country music. But after a few years, he moved to Nashville with his wife and his children, who were "still in diapers."
His dad, who still lives in Ventura, said his son struggled during his first years in Nashville. "He went without and went hungry while he made sure he could provide for his family," Bob Spittle said. Eventually, the rocker found a place in the country music world. "Country music has evolved more on the rock side than it used to be," John Spittle said.
"One by one, he started pegging his way up the ladder," Bob Spittle said. "To come from small town U.S. and climb to that caliber is very difficult. He definitely deserves to be where he is."
John and his wife, Barb, remain in Nashville with their 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. His son is following the path of his father and grandfather as a drummer, while his daughter plays the violin.
John Spittle's performance credits include:
Trace Adkins, Sara Evans, Chris Cagle, Aaron Tippin, Paul Brandt, Kelley Coffey, Tammy Cochran, Stephanie Bentley, Matt King, Kasey Lee Powers, Marty Brown and The Lynns.
T.V. Performances:
Conan O Brien Show, The Craig Furgeson Show, Emeril Live, CMA musicfest, CCMA awards Show, CD USA, Calgary Stampede Live, Grand Ol Opry Live, Jeff Foxworthy Show, Blue Collar Comedy Show, Fox Morning Show, Cold Pizza and Extreme Home Make Over
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