Musician and teacher Bobby Stocker receives Manuel Yingling Music Award

NEWCOMERSTOWN − Bobby Stocker has won the 2024 Manuel Yingling Music Award, recognizing his exceptional musicianship and dedication to fostering the next generation of talent.

An awards ceremony will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24, at the Arts Center of Newcomerstown, 304 S. College St. Tuscarawas Arts Partnership, or TAP, will received an honorary Yingling Award at the same time.

Stocker began playing the drums at the age of 9. Over the years, he played in several band include Brass Knuckle, a popular Northeast Ohio group, and Real Steel, a Cleveland-based hard rock band. He later formed The Powercats, a blues rock band that performed 250 to 300 shows annually for five years, and then joined American Grease.

Stocker has taught and mentored hundreds of students in Tuscarawas County, many of whom have gone on to professional careers, including Ryan Bear, house drummer at Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk in Nashville. Stocker continues to teach around 30 students weekly.

Today he performs with Dirty Deeds, an AC/DC tribute band, which tours internationally.

The Manuel Yingling Music Award, named after Newcomerstown-born trombonist and composer Manuel Yingling, honors outstanding musicianship and community involvement.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Musician and teacher Bobby Stocker receives Manuel Yingling Music Award