Biography
Joseph Howard was born in Venezuela and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Howard was an oral surgeon by profession who collected drums from around the world in his spare time. Over the years he amassed the largest collection of authentic drums in the Americas. Recently, his collection has been featured, along with elements of the Fernando Ortiz estate in a touring exhibit Ritmos de Identidad by the Smithsonian.
Growing up in Chicago Dr. Howard was fascinated with rhythm and drumming. Before he owned even one drum he would make improvised instruments out of whatever was around him. He attended Fisk University for his undergraduate degree and earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois in dental surgery. After marrying Tommy Berry in 1946 they relocated to Los Angeles in 1952, where Howard was exposed to a rich Latin drumming tradition. Howard's own mixed heritage, being of African, European and East Indian descent, was a constant backdrop to his musical interests. His daughter Victoria describes her father's passion as a "pursuit of identity through the eye of the drum." He often described his family as "the fruit of the cross of cultures."
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