We are a small family business.
We love what we do. We want you to love what we do.
Our Team
Marcus Brown
Owner, Founder and world-renowned drum builder!
Gemma Brown
Owner & Wife to Mr Brown running the books & marketing
Anne Robson
Gemma’s Mum & a huge helper in our classes & workshops
Chewy 2008-2021
Therapy Dog to the masses, sadly no longer with us.
A little bit about the team
Marcus…originally born in South London, moved to Los Angeles when he was 15 years old with his parents. He started drumming aged 27 when he stumbled across a drum circle at Venice Beach CA. When Marcus is not building beautiful Djembe’s and teaching people how to play them his hobbies include spending time with his remote control model cars which he has plenty of space to do so on the US airfield where we are based. He also loves to cook, especially on his Original Jerk Pan and experiment with different seasonings and sauces.
Gemma..originally from the North East of England. Gemma moved to California in 2003 to live with her brother and very soon into her journey met Marcus - not drumming but backstage at a “rave”. Gemma started drumming in 2019 when Wooden Roots opened it’s doors in the UK and immediately identified a beautiful Gele wood djembe shell that she had Marcus head and “Gurtrude” was born. Gemma names all her drums with a “G”, she recently got a back up drum made and it’s called “Genevieve”.
Anne…an intrepid traveller and self confessed gypsy because she loves to move house. Anne followed Marcus and Gemma out to California in 2013 and bought her own house having spent most of her visits to Los Angeles living in an RV with her now deceased husband, Dave. After 5 years she decided to return to the UK with us and has been an invaluable help in setting up Wooden Roots. Anne, it turns out is an accidental artist and has her own studio at Rendlesham Mews where she makes stunning Art Quilts. She displays her quilts at Wooden Roots Art Gallery in Studio 2 and they are all for sale.