Donovan Drayton is the son of guitarist

Ronny Drayton Ronny Drayton (May 19, 1953 – February 7, 2020) was a guitarist based in the New York City area and Monroe, New York. Born and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, Drayton started out playing drums at St. Clement The Pope Middle ...

. Drayton came into the spotlight when attention was drawn to what his father claims is a wrongful incarceration with no valid trial or charges. On July 25, 2013, Drayton was acquitted of all but one charge, possession of a weapon. On January 4, 2012,

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock music, rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992. T ...

and

24-7 Spyz 24-7 Spyz (pronounced "twenty-four-seven spies") are an American rock band from the South Bronx, New York, formed in 1986, originally consisting of Jimi Hazel (born Wayne K. Richardson) (guitars), Rick Skatore (born Kenneth D. Lucas) (bass), ...

played together for the first time at a benefit for Donovan Drayton's defense called The Million Man Mosh, organized by his father.

Michael Hampton Michael Hampton (born November 15, 1956) is an American funk/rock guitarist. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. Career Hampton was born in Cleveland, Ohio, ...

also appeared at the benefit. According to

Greg Tate Gregory Stephen Tate (October 14, 1957December 7, 2021) was an American writer, musician, and producer. A long-time critic for ''The Village Voice'', Tate focused particularly on African-American music and culture, helping to establish hip-h ...

, "Whatever lingering doubt some may have had about Donovan’s innocence was forever dispelled by the fact that Donovan, alone among those charged in the case, refused to accept a plea deal…This despite the fact that he risked maximum sentences while those who confessed to planning and executing the crime were given minimum terms of incarceration." On January 4, 2013, a second Million Man Mosh was held, which featured Living Colour, 24-7 Spyz, and Burnt Sugar. In March, 2013, the 4Donovan website put together a benefit album to raise money for Donovan's defense funds. All of the proceeds, after

PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support E-commerce payment system, online money transfers; it serves as an electronic alter ...

deductions, go directly to Ronny Drayton. The album features performances by Burnt Sugar, The Veldt, Leon Gruenbaum, Gene Williams, Jane Getter,

The Family Stand The Family Stand is an American soul and R&B group based in New York City, active since the late 1980s, consisting of Sandra St. Victor, Peter Lord Moreland, and Vernon Jeffrey Smith. Early career ''Chain'' brought them their international h ...

, Ronny Drayton, Paula Henderson aka Secretary, Ajaxpark,

David Gilmore David Gilmore (born 5 February 1964) is an American jazz guitarist. Gilmore studied at New York University with Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely. In 1987, he began working professionally with the M-Base Collective and Ronald Shannon Jackson. In the ...

, Honey Ear Trio, Mark Lesseraux, Micah Gaugh, Joe Bowie, Stephanie Rooker, No Image, Asa Lovechild, Manguss, Les July, The Rewd Onez, The Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy, D-Xtreme, Baba Yaga, Throwdown Syndicate, The Freeman Brothers, Suga Bush, Alex Lozupone with Pain Hertz, Darquematta, Divine Pocket Bouncers, Dope Sagittarius with Mazzmuse, Ted Stilles, Ben Tyree, Marc Edwards & Slipstream Time Travel, Tommy O, Devi, and Marque Gilmore.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Prisoners and detainees of New York (state) American prisoners and detainees {{US-crime-bio-stub