From BobbyFloyd.com: Ron Hope began playing drums under the instruction of Master Drummer Tony West at age 10 in the Paul Lawrence Dunbar Center for African Study. While studying with Mr. West, Ron began performing with Dance Instructor and choreographer Leeland Johnson, who was engaged with an Afro Caribbean dance company at the time. And as a result, Ron spent much of his preteen and teen years working with African, Caribbean, and jazz dance troupes. At the age of 16, Ron began to branch out by performing in jazz clubs with local musicians in the Columbus, Ohio, area, including the Taj Mahal and the Oasis Lounge.