Grover Pro History
Grover Pro Percussion was founded in 1980 by Boston-based percussionist Neil Grover. The company’s mission has remained the same ever since: To supply the world’s finest percussion products for professionals, students, and performing ensembles.
Aiming to reproduce the sound of the Boston Symphony’s vintage Leedy triangle, which had a sonic sparkle when struck, Neil’s natural curiosity led him to explore why that particular triangle had such uniquely vibrant musical sound qualities. Enlisting the help of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Acoustics and Vibrations Lab, Neil set out to uncover the secret of creating a triangle with prominent overtone resonance. As a result of his extensive research, Neil crafted a 9-inch triangle for his personal use.
Starting a percussion manufacturing company was the furthest thing from Neil’s mind, but when Boston’s percussionists heard the “Grover” triangle, they insisted that Neil make one for them. Neil started making triangles, one at a time, to satisfy the requests of his Boston-based colleagues. Word quickly spread, and to his great surprise, Neil started to receive calls from top percussionists around the globe. Unintentionally, the Grover® Super-Overtone™ triangle was born.
Neil followed his triangles with, perhaps arguably, the finest tambourines, mallets, woodblocks, snare drums, and other percussion products available. Neil developed and tested each product personally, ensuring a high level of quality control that remains unparalleled in the industry. In 1992 the company incorporated and moved to an industrial space north of Boston. The company quickly outgrew its workspace and, in 1994, moved to a significantly larger manufacturing complex. To meet the growing demands for Grover products, the company invested in highly customized machinery and tooling. As the company grew, Neil assembled a dedicated staff of percussion specialists to ensure that his personal commitment to percussion was embodied within the company’s infrastructure.
In 2006 the Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” filmed two segments at Grover Pro Percussion. The popularity of the show exposed Grover Pro’s products to millions of viewers around the globe. Neil happened to be performing in Norway when he first viewed the episode!
In 2019, to ensure that his company’s legacy continue to thrive, Neil sold control of the business to Rhythm Band Instruments, LLC, itself a long-time purveyor of quality musical instruments.
Today, “Grover Pro” is located at the Rhythm Band facility in Fort Worth, TX. The company continues to employ dedicated percussion specialists, production experts, and seasoned business managers. Despite his busy schedule, Neil serves as a special consultant to the company and advises on new products and marketing campaigns for all of RBI’s percussion lines. Neil’s products continue to be known throughout the world as among the finest musical instruments ever made!
GROVER PRO FIRSTS
- Pioneered the first triangle specifically designed to produce overtones
- Pioneered the use of Beryllium Copper tambourine jingles
- Developed “fully integrated” jingle combinations
- Invented “dual-Width” jingle slots
- Introduced first deluxe set of color-coded triangle beaters
- Created the concept of “jingle voicing”
- Invented “nodal” triangle suspension
- Introduced “two-tone” chime mallets
- Created woodblocks with dual internal mounts
- Developed the tambourine Roll-Ring
- Developed first multi-pitch Musical Anvils
- Pioneered tunable tambourine with internal titanium hardware
- Introduced the Hybrid tambourine
- Pioneered the first internally adjustable tension castanets
- Designed the first road case with a lid that coverts to a trap table
- Introduced the 1st adjustable footrest for concert percussionists
About Neil Grover
Neil W. Grover, inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2024, is a renowned world-class performer and a visionary innovator in percussion instrument design. Throughout his career as a musician, educator, and entrepreneur, he has had a profound impact on the global percussion community.
Neil’s extensive performance credentials include contributions to the soundtrack of the blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, collaborations with the legendary rock band Aerosmith, and a remarkable 40-year tenure with both the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops.
As the founder of Grover Pro Percussion, Neil led the company in crafting high-quality, American-made percussion instruments. Under his leadership, Grover Pro earned the “Small Manufacturer of the Year” award from the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2019. For over 45 years, his company has produced innovative instruments used by professional musicians and students around the world.
At the age of 23, Neil began his professional career as Principal Percussionist with the Opera Company of Boston, a role he held for seven seasons. He went on to spend 20 years as the Percussionist/Assistant Timpanist with the Boston Ballet Orchestra. His musical versatility spans across symphonic, chamber music, ballet, opera, and commercial recordings. Neil has performed with esteemed ensembles such as the Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Music from Marlboro, Indianapolis Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Boston Musica Viva, and the Empire Brass. His notable recording credits include Philip Glass’s groundbreaking Mishima soundtrack and John Williams’s iconic score for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. He also appeared as a percussionist in the hit film Blown Away, starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones.
Neil’s extensive touring includes stints with Music from Marlboro, the Boston Symphony, Henry Mancini, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Star Wars in Concert, and the Broadway production of The Pirates of Penzance. As a percussionist with the Boston Pops for over four decades, he performed under the direction of Maestros Arthur Fiedler, John Williams, and Keith Lockhart, playing in more than 2,500 concerts worldwide.
In addition to his performance career, Neil served as Chair of the Percussion Programs at both The Boston Conservatory and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. He has been an invited lecturer at over 100 institutions across four continents and has presented master classes at prestigious schools including the Sydney Conservatory, Conservatoire de Paris, Royal College of Music in London, and many more across Japan, Korea, and Europe. He has also led clinics at major events such as the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Iowa Bandmasters Convention, and six times at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.
Neil is the author or co-author of five educational books: Four Mallet Primer, Four Mallet Fundamentals, Art of Triangle & Tambourine Playing, Percussionist’s Cookbook, and The Art of Percussion Playing, all published by Meredith Music. He has contributed articles to School Band & Orchestra Magazine, Percussive Notes, and Drum Tracks. His work has been featured in music publications like Modern Drummer, School Band & Orchestra, Musical Merchandise Review, and Percussive Notes. Grover Pro’s innovations were also highlighted in two episodes of the popular Discovery Channel series How It’s Made.
Neil has been an active member of the Percussive Arts Society’s Board of Directors and has served as a member of the Board of Advisors. He has chaired both the Symphonic Committee and the Sustaining Members Advisory Council. Currently, he is on the Board of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra.
Neil shares his life with his wife, Tony®-nominated actress Maureen Brennan, and their son, Max, a commercial pilot.
