Musician ‘Drums Up’ Tire Business, Says Roadway Is Good for Practice

Instead of performing in an air-conditioned nightclub or bar, Tom Prim is playing drums eight hours a day for motorists on U.S. 441.

Alone under a makeshift plywood awning just off the roadway, the 34-year-old musician endures blistering summer heat and afternoon downpours as he plays along with taped music blaring from a public-address system behind him.

“This is an incredible opportunity for me to practice,” said Prim, who enjoys any interruption by inquisitive motorists who stop. He has worked this gig for about a month and says he’d be happy to continue the performances for a year.

“A lot of people stop,” said Prim, who has played professionally for 20 years. “Sometimes they dance in the street.”

As to why he performs beside the highway, where there are few pedestrians, he has a standard reply: “I’m drumming up business.”

Prim’s drumming actually is a gimmick thought up by John Shale to promote a used-tire and tire-mounting service he recently opened nearby on the highway. Shale also operates Hub Cap Heaven next door, which offers a selection of about 250,000 used hub caps.

“We stopped it (Prim’s playing) for a of couple weeks and business fell down,” said Grace Shale, the owner’s wife. “We’ll keep him playing as long as it produces.”

Prim said the job offers him an opportunity to improve his playing.

“If I worked in a club, maybe I’d play a couple nights a week. That’s about three hours a day,” he explained. “Here, I’m playing 56 hours a week. I couldn’t do that at home--people would complain.”