Todd began playing local gigs in his hometown of Topeka, KS, while in junior high and placed second in the Louie Bellson/Slingerland National Drum Contest in 1979.
Upon graduating high school in 1980 he relocated to the New York/Connecticut area to study with Ed Soph, Joe Morello, and Gary Chester. In 1981 he joined Marian McPartland's trio, working NYC clubs and occasionally traveling the US with her. In the mid '80s he also played with Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel, and Bill Charlap among many others, and did a short stint with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd in '86. Todd relocated to Kansas City in 1989 where he joined forces with vocalists Kevin Mahogany, Karrin Allyson, and pianist Eldar. These three associations have generated continuous national/international travel for almost 20 years. Now based in Portland, OR, Todd keeps a busy travel schedule and local presence through gigging and teaching.
Todd's discography of nearly 100 recordings includes three GRAMMY nominated albums and ranges stylistically from Jay McShan and Claude "Fiddler" Williams to Eldar.
In early 2015 Strait will be honored with an exhibit located on The Kansas Historical Society’s webpage and a smaller “live” version within the museum.
Strait is a proud endorser of Canopus snare wires, Crescent Cymbals and Yamaha Drums.
