Craig Bagby started teaching himself how to play the drums when he was 15 years old and is still doing so today. The Beaumont, Texas native spent his formative years playing in bands in high school and college before joining The Groobees, from Amarillo Tx, in 1992.
In pursuit of a drumming career, Bagby moved to Austin, Texas in 1995. Not wanting to get locked into a single genre, he has made it a point to play with a diverse array of artists in an effort to increase his vocabulary and find the right approach for each song.
This pursuit has led Craig to play with play with artists likeBonnie Whitmore, The Mastersons, Will Johnson, Aaron Lee Tasjan, John Popper, Heather Morgan, Graham Weber, Collin Herring, Shurman, Austin Collins, The Beautiful Supermachines, The Mother Truckers, Guy Forsyth, The Dead End Angels, Bill Ricchini, The Texas Sapphires, Back Porch Mary, Mandy Rowden and Jon Dee Graham as well as doing regular studio work. Bagby spent three years (2016-2018) touring with country singer Sunny Sweeney, averaging over 120 shows a year all over the US and abroad including sold-out shows at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and arena dates in support of Miranda Lambert.
In 2019, Craig toured with Jon Dee Graham , capping off the run with his annual slot at the American Music Festival in Berwyn, Il. Then he hit the road for dates backing country/Americana artists Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, including their headlining show at the Americana Music Association in Nashville in September as well as a taping for Mountain Stage in West Virginia. He also recorded in Nashville with Delbert McClinton and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Jeff Hanna for the web series “The Next Waltz Live” as part of Bruce Robison’s studio band.
In 2020, in addition to playing with Jamie Lin Wilson and the supergroup trio Nobody's Girl, Craig recorded with Lincoln Durham, contributing to the dark "punk Tom Waits" style that Durham has honed to perfection as one-man band for the past decade.
In 2022, Craig, along with Scott Davis, produced "Hoof Dog: The Songs of Jefferson Douglas" on which he played drums, conga, tongue drum, various percussion, piano, guitar, bass and sang harmonies. Bagby arranged Douglas' songs in different styles to best suit each vocalist's style. The album was released as part of a benefit effort to help with Douglas' financial and medical issues.
Craig is a Dream Cymbalsand WTS Drums artist. He uses Vic Firth Steve Jordan Signature sticks and brushes, DW hardware, Vater Bamboo Splashsticks as well as LP blocks, tamborines, maracas and a Stanton Moore Signature drum set pandiero.