Winnipeg drummer paralyzed from chest down overcomes challenges, teams up with Def Leppard's Rick Allen

Winnipeg Free Press

5 days ago

Jeff Elwood picked up his first drumsticks as a teenager and immediately joined a band. He liked emulating his favourite rock stars as much as he enjoyed the camaraderie of playing music with friends.
Rockin' Thunder
● Wednesday, 5 p.m.
● Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Foreigner, Toque
● Tickets from $79.50 at Ticketmaster
Country Thunder
● Thursday, 5 p.m.
● Riley Green, Tyler Hubbard, Nate Smith and Madeline Merlo
● Tickets from $125.50 at Ticketmaster
Princess Auto Stadium, 315 Chancellor Matheson Rd.
'Making music, as opposed to listening to it, is the biggest thrill,' says the Winnipeg-born drummer over the phone from his home in Kelowna.
When a motocross accident left Elwood paralyzed from the chest down at 21 years old, learning how to drum again became a singular goal — one that, once met, would lead to arena rock shows, a forthcoming documentary and a close personal friendship with Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen.
It took nearly a decade, several minor electrocutions and a chipped tooth before Elwood, 56, perfected his wheelchair drumming technique.
Figuring out the kick drum was a major hurdle.
He and two high school bandmates rigged up a mouthguard with a switch connected to an electric pedal. Later versions featured a custom mouthpiece moulded by an orthodontist, but the aforementioned injuries and an insurmountable lag made the mouth switch a non-starter.
Elwood had a light-bulb moment.
He rearranged his kit and started using his floor tom as a bass drum, playing every pattern with his hands. Paired with a chest strap to stabilize his torso — which Elwood calls a 'rock 'n' roll girdle' — he was finally back in the groove.
'I never imagined that you could play drums with just two limbs. Even though I do it in a different way, it still has the exact same feeling. It doesn't feel like a wheelchair thing,' he says.
Supplied
Rick Allen (left) and Jeff Elwood both play on modified drum kits.
Supplied
Rick Allen (left) and Jeff Elwood both play on modified drum kits.
Elwood has been drumming professionally since the early 2000s, playing in two cover bands and an original outfit, called Life, which has opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner.
Shortly thereafter, he was introduced to Allen via a longtime friend who worked in the concert industry. The pair met backstage at a Def Leppard show in British Columbia and bonded over their parallel experiences — Allen, 61, also relearned how to drum after losing his left arm in a car crash in 1984.
'It's something that I really wanted to continue doing,' Allen says, speaking over the phone prior to a show in Connecticut.
'And it really elevated me to a different level, not only my drumming, but in my life. Jeff is the same, he saw an opportunity to reframe things and that's exactly when he did.'
They exchanged numbers and have remained in contact for more than 20 years.
'People look up to me, but I really look up to him. He's part of my inspiration, part of my support team,' Allen says of Elwood.
The friendship has spawned several personal and professional opportunities — including a fateful introduction to Steve Jordan of the Rolling Stones, which has led to Elwood mentoring another wheelchair drummer and helping design an adaptive drum kit program.
SUPPLIED
Allen and Elwood in an undated photo.
Allen and Elwood in an undated photo.
He's also been tasked with helping co-ordinate a fundraising campaign for the expansion of Allen's Raven Drum Foundation into Canada.
The foundation offers music therapy workshops and counselling for first responders and veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress.
'He's just been a really great guy to me, and it meant a lot that he trusted me enough to spearhead this,' Elwood says of Allen.
The duo are also in the midst of filming a documentary with Winnipeg filmmaker Leona Krahn, who heard about Elwood's story from a mutual friend.
Rhythm of Resilience, the film's working title, is Krahn's 10th documentary and a departure from previous work about prostate cancer, organ donation, refugees and public housing.
SUPPLIED
Documentarian Leona Krahn and Rick Allen
Documentarian Leona Krahn and Rick Allen
'It's quite exciting to be able to interact with artists on this level. This story is really about the power of dreaming, no matter what card you are dealt in life,' she says.
Filming has been underway since last year and she expects the doc to be released by next summer, pending talks with broadcasters.
Allen was quick to agree to participate in the film, despite a busy touring schedule.
'There's always time to inspire people. Whatever someone's been through, in terms of physical or mental injuries, sometimes all they need is a spark of inspiration,' he says.
Elwood, Krahn and Allen will reunite in Winnipeg this week while Def Leppard is in town to headline the first night of the Thunder concert series at Princess Auto Stadium.
[e-mail]
Every Second Friday
The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney.
Eva WasneyReporter
Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva.
Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.