Identity of Mystery 'Grandma Drummer' Revealed
"Every time she comes in, we think, 'Man, we should video tape this' and we finally did," Coalition Drum Shop manager Dustin Hackworth told News 8 last Friday, referring to the nameless senior citizen who regularly rocks out at the La Crosse, Wisconsin establishment, before disappearing into the night.
The shop's video of the mystery "grandma drummer" went viral late last week, amassing over a million views in just two days, as well as an equal number of demands for the true identity of this everyday superhero.
Her name is Mary Hvizda, WKBT revealed on Saturday.
She's a 63-year-old from Onalaska who was inspired by her brother to take up drumming at the age of 15.
Hvizda, pioneered the first all-girl rock band in La Crosse, and went on to play percussion in nearly a dozen bands until being forced into "early retirement" when her last band broke up around 1990.
"I couldn't find no other bands to play with, and then I did quit," she told the news station.
Though she was left with no choice but to sell her drum kit, Hvizda's passion for the instrument persisted.
"I still kind of like to go to the music store and play a drum set, and then that's it," she said. "My music urge has been satisfied."
Though not technically a grandma having never had any children, Hvizda said she recognizes that her age "is certainly grandma's age."
And now she has plenty of virtual grandchildren through the magic of YouTube, which she only learned about in the aftermath of her unexpected fame.
"It makes me proud to think that people still think I'm somewhat good and still think I'm still something they're interested in watching," Hvizda told WKBT.