Jon Dette

Jon Dette
Jon Dette with Heathen @ Hellfest 2013
Background information
Born	(1970-04-19) April 19, 1970 (age 46)
Instruments	Drums
Associated acts	Anthrax, Slayer

Jon Dette (born April 19, 1970) is a heavy metal drummer, best known for playing in Evildead, Iced Earth, Slayer, Testament, Anthrax, and Heathen. Dette is a left-handed drummer.

Dette’s drumming career has spanned over two decades, playing for a number of popular metal bands such as Slayer, Anthrax and Testament.

Dette grew up in the coastal town of Encinitas in San Diego. On his fourteenth birthday, he received two drum kits. "I've been playing a double bass kit since day one. My parents were divorced and they each got me a kit for my birthday. A red five-piece CB700 and a blue three-piece Ruther by Pearl. I got some white shelving paper and after wrapping all the shells, I had a cool 7 piece kit." On that same birthday, Dette also received the Anthrax album, Fistful of Metal, which he would later credit for influencing his drumming style. "The first time I heard that album, my jaw dropped. I had never heard fast double bass drumming like that before ever. It was so fast, and heavy sounding. I just immediately felt a connection to that style of music and drumming."

From 1984 to 1991, Dette developed a unique practice method that would lay the foundation for his fast and aggressive drumming style. It also prepared him for his professional career. Although he received some formal lessons, he predominately learned to play drums on his own by listening to and learning albums from Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. "Drumming was just one of those complex puzzle type things that when I listened to it, made sense to me. I could listen to a song and understand almost everything that was going on with the drums. I couldn't play 90% of it, but I understood it. And from that, albums became my study books. I would practice and learn every song on Big Four albums until I could play the entire album by myself."

After graduating high school in 1988, Dette was eager to start a career in music. He moved to Hollywood to attend Musicians Institute. Although MI was a positive learning experience, Hollywood was not. "I was not a fan of Hollywood. The Glam scene was popular then and I just didn't fit into that in any way." Upon graduating MI, Dette moved back to San Diego and eventually started his own band Apocalypse, where they played local clubs in the San Diego area.