Top 5 Favorite Drummers

[Beware the Beast Man]

Mind you, there are a lot of talented drummers out there who deserve their due, but I'm listing these strictly from a fan's perspective.

1. Keith Moon- The Who-insane. One of the first "lead drummers" in rock.

2. Brant Bjork-Kyuss/Fu Manchu/about 500 other projects- this guy is pretty awesome. Also a very prolific musician all-around.

3. Dale Crover-Melvins-another "lead drummer." Also, it takes a special talent to play as painfully slow as the Melvins do.

4. Bill Ward- Blackl Sabbath- underrated. Big jazz influence on his playing.

5. John Bonham- goes without saying.

[Tafiti]

1. I don't play drums, I play guitar, so I may have silly opinions...

...but whatever. Here goes:

1. Danny Carey - Tool
2. Chad Sexton - 311
3. Jose Pasillas - Incubus
4. Matt Cameron - Soundgarden
5. Taylor Hawkins - Foo Fighters
6. Brad Wilk - Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave

[ComerPerro]

28. You like who you like. I'm sure you can justify each one

[Wat_Tyler]

2. I doubt I could ever name a definitive top 5.

Here's five for today.

Jaki Leibezeit - Can
Stephen Perkins - Janes Addiction
Charlie Watts - Rolling Stones
Stephen Morris - New Order
Clyde Stubblefield - JB's etc.

[Al Dente]

3. Jack

Dejeonnette, Bill Stewart, Carter Beauford, Brian Blade, Jeff Hamilton.

[TrogL]

4. I'm old-school

1. Carl Palmer (Emerson Lake and Palmer)
   
2. Buddy Rich
   
3. Max Roach
   
4. Art Blakey
   
5. Neil Peart (Rush)
   

[Beware the Beast Man]

5. Buddy Rich is definitely in the forefathers category.

Gene Krupa as well.

[slutticus]

6. These are in no particular order

Danny Carey (TooL, Zaum)

Carter Beauford (DMB)

Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan)

John "Bonzo" Bonham (Zep)

Mike Portnoy (Dream Theatre)

Neil Peart (Rush)

That was six...but I couldn't help it.

[Ron Green]

7. My favorite drummers are from jazz, because they're

the best!

Elvin Jones
Philly Joe Jones
Art Blakey
Cozy Cole

from rock or pop:

Levon Helm
Steve Gadd

[pdx_prog]

8. Bruford...

Carmin Appice
CHad Wackerman
Alan White
Buddy Rich
Carl Palmer
Ginger Baker
Terry Bozzio

[realisticphish]

9. Keith Moon, Danny Carey, Mike Portnoy, Tim Alexander, Mitch Mitchell

The Who, Tool, Dream Theater, Primus, and The Hendrix Experience, respectively

edit: I'll add Neil Pert of Rush, as well

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[PittPoliSci]

10. here we go.

1. Thomas Lang
2. Mike Portnoy
3. Carter Beauford
4. Keith Moon
5. Dale Crover

[kitchen girl]

11. Levon Helm...

Levon Helm
Levon Helm
Levon Helm
Levon Helm


:evilgrin:

[Ron Green]

12. What he does on the live recording of "Stage Fright" on the "Rock of Ages"

album is just so sweet....it's the most painfully beautiful laid-back feel.

[realisticphish]

13. One friend of mine

says the most talented drummer of all time is Travis Barker, of Blink-182.

:puke::puke::puke::puke:
:puke::puke::puke::puke:


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Blue-Jay]

14. hmmmm

Kenny Clarke (from Modern Jazz Quartet)
Jeff "Tain" Watts
Keith Moon
Carter Beauford (I don't care if you like DMB or not, that guy is a monster)
Ginger Baker
Joe Morello (yeah, that's six, but I dig the way he tuned his toms)


I could list a lot more, but these are the first that came to mind.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

15. In no order...

Elvin Jones
Paul Wertico
Rashied Ali
Idris Muhammad
Andrew Cyrille

It's hard to limit it to 5! There are so many more I would add to my group of favorite drummers.

[DeepGreen]

16. the two that stick out most for me are

Ginger Baker and Carmine Appice

[0rganism]

17. Elvin Jones #1bad-ass

I see a drummer as having 3 roles: keep the beat, provide emphasis, and explore/imply the rythmic possibilities inherent in a musical space. Most of the good ones do this. Then there are some who do it exceptionally well, and take it to the level of the transcendental...

#1 - Elvin Jones - Jazz God

#2 - Danny Carey - Tool's power player

#3 - Billy Cobham - Mahavishnu Orchestra's Emerald Beyond, 'nuff said

#4 - Mickey Hart - vastly underrated Grateful Dead drummer/percussionist

#5 - Tim Alexander - Funkmaster from Primus' Frizzle Fry era

Honorable mentions: Clyde Stubblefield, Ginger Baker, John Bonham, Buddy Guy, Earl Palmer, Matt Cameron, Bill Bruford, Barriemore Barlow, Neal Peart, and Cozy Powell.

[one_true_leroy]

18. Animal, of the Muppets.

As for mortals, the only one who always pops into my head is whoever played drums on Miles' LIVE EVIL... wicked drumming!!

[leftofthedial]

19. Drummers?

I thought this was a musician's group.

:winkie:

[Drum]

51. *bing* rimshot! nt

[ramapo]

20. I've idolized so many...

that I could never come close to playing like. Here's five of my favorites:

1. Billy Cobham (going to see him tomorrow w/McCoy Tyner & Stanley Clarke!)

2. Ginger Baker (an old favorite, even before Cream, so I have to include him)

3. Bill Bruford (Yes was never the same without him)

4. Buddy Rich (So friggin' amazing)

5. Bill Stewart (Plays inside, outside, around, over and under what everybody else is doing, technically amazing, very musical, check him out w/Pat Methany Trio)

6. Sorry but I can't stop. Carter Beauford, Roy Haynes (still going strong), Jack De Johnette, Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Mickey Hart, Billy Hart and so on

[6000eliot]

21. Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts. Period.

[Pepperbelly]

22. what was amazing about Ringo was the breadth of music genre with ...

which he had to deal, not to mention odd time signatures and some truly trippy sychopation.

Go Ringo!

[ComerPerro]

29. Ringo may not have been technically proficient as some

but his drum beats (riffs? what do you call them) sounded very good and were just perfect for what the Beatles needed.

[mitchum]

23. Elvin Jones, Billy Ficca, Hal Blaine, John Bonham, Charlie Watts

[porkrind]

24. Neal Peart

Check out his "O Baterista" on the "RUSH in RIO" DVD. It's very cool.

[av8rdave]

32. I LOVE that track!

Saw him perform it live in '04 in Dallas - great show!

[opiate69]

25. My favs

Danny Carey
Neil Peart
Bill Ward
Barriemore Barlow
Randy Castillo

Hon. mention to Vinnie and Carmine Appice

[opiate69]

36. Damn.. old post.. have to add to it

Yoshiki Hayashi of X Japan, and O-Jiro of Penicillin.

[jmowreader]

26. I'll play, what the heck

Neil Peart (Rush)
Mike Portnoy (Dream Theatre)
Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle)
John Dolmayan (System of a Down)
Roger Taylor (Queen)

[ProfessorGAC]

27. Here's Mine, For What It's Worth

Not in any particular order, just a top 5.

Stewart Copeland
Bill Bruford
Tony Williams
Max Roach
Billy Cobham

How's that?

The Professor

[Angry Girl]

30. No particular order

1. Ian Paice
2. Ginger Baker
3. Vinnie Colaiuto
4. Stewart Copeland
5. Dennis Chambers
5.1 David Garibaldi

[eyepaddle]

31. Simon Phillips #1

and then in no particular order: Carl Palmer, Scott Travis, Stewart Copeland Ginger Baker.

But damn, Simon Phillips is SOOOOOOOOO damned GOOD!

[JeffR]

45. Amen

Was going to name him but saw you already had. He's a pure musician, whose ax just happens to be drums.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

33. Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Chad Wackerman, Airto, Mitch Mitchell

Many years ago I had the privilege of playing in a jazz ensemble with Chad Wackerman before he became one of the international jazz and rock greats. I was about 20 years old and he was then about 11 years old and already one of the best jazz drummers in Southern California. Jazz giants Louie Bellson and Shelley Mann even came to his ensemble's concerts and sat in on drums (dueling drum solos on stage with little Chad), he was that good. He was an amazing child prodigy, known for exploring really complex time signatures, like some of Don Ellis' 11/8 and 9/8 compositions. He went on to become Frank Zappa's regular drummer playing rock but he's at his best playing hard-driving modern jazz.

For purely rock drummers, I can think of no drummer who ever equaled Mitch Mitchell for his fantastic range of skills, for his power, finesse, and soulfulness. Take the album Axis Bold As Love. What other rock albums have a drummer playing brushes on some tunes (Up From The Skies), playing a straight ahead be-bop style with walking bass (If Six Was Nine), hard driving R&B (Little Miss Lover), and hard rock? I saw him live three times with Hendrix and was blown away by his complex and subtle technique, even when the music was LOUD.

Airto, for not only his amazing drumming but also his mastery of other forms of percussion is defintely from another planet.

Elvin Jones and Tony Williams, as the giants of giants that they were, need no further praise from me.

There are a lot of others, but these are the ones who come most to mind.

[ProfessorGAC]

34. Then I've Got One For You!

How about Jack DeJohnette. I think he's closer to Tony Williams then anyone i've ever heard. If you think Tony is a giant, i know you'll like Jack, too.
The Professor

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

38. Yes DeJohnette is one of the all-time greats

I saw him playing with Keith Jarrett at the Lighthouse in SoCal back in the mid 1970s. I would have no trouble with anyone putting him on their all-time five favorites list. It's just that five spots makes it hard to pick personal favorites.

Tony Williams really started attracting my attention when he formed the Tony Williams Lifetime (circa 1969?), with guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young. Before then, I halfway listened to him and acknowledged his jazz greatness but I really starting digging the fullness of his stature as a phenomenal and creative player in that hard-driving trio. If I were asked to hire musicians to play with me in heaven (provided my own playing was actually up to it and I made it up there) he would probably be my drummer. The album "Emergency" is one of my all-time favorites for the sheer passion and invention. Larry Young, who's been called the John Coltrane of the organ was playing walking bass with his left hand on that album while soloing with his right. And of course John McLaughlin was fantastic.

[ProfessorGAC]

39. I Had One Of Their Albums

Never saw them live though. I was always a Tony and John fan. I agree about Larry Young too, although for some reason, i've never been a big fan of jazz organ. I can't even say why, for sure. It just doesn't catch my ear the way piano, drums, bass or horns do.
The Professor

[ProfessorGAC]

35. Did I Miss Something, or Did Nobody Mention. . .

. . .Stewart Copeland?
The Professor

[FredStembottom]

37. Mine.......

Bernard Purdy
Marvin "Smitty" Smith
Doug Sides
Pierre Moerlin (RIP)
Pete Thomas

[leftofthedial]

40. excuse me! this is the *musicians* forum

take the drummer talk somewhere else!



LOL :rofl:

[ProfessorGAC]

41. OK. That's Pretty Funny

'cept my drummer also knows how to play guitar. So, he can stay, right?
The Professor

[leftofthedial]

46. only if he behaves himself.

[Beaverhausen]

42. Here's a pic of me with one of my favs - Alan White

This is from the NAMM show last month. A truly nice guy and one of the great rock and prog drummers. You almost don't notice him because he is so solid. And he played drums on "Imagine." sigh

I'm also a big Stewart Copeland fan. Also an Abe Laboriel Jr. fan.

[bullimiami]

50. alan white played drums on instant karma, most excellently.

[tuvor]

43. Alan Meyers from Devo.

Don't take it from this geek-fan. Apparently he's highly-regarded by a lot of folks in the industry.

[LynneSin]

44. John Bonham - hands down the very best

as for the rest, I'll give creds to Ginger Baker, Neil Peart, Keith Moon, Roger Taylor (QUeen), Tre Cool and Jason Bonham (who is just like his old man except he doesn't booze it up the way Bonzo did). I keep hoping for that Led Zeppelin tour with Jason sitting in for his dad's old seat

[leftofthedial]

47. I'm very weird about drummers

The OP said "favorite" not "most technically skilled in your opinion"

Jim Keltner
Steve Gadd
Charlie Watts
Harry Stinson
Russ Kunkel

[WritingIsMyReligion]

48. Bonham for sure.

I also love Jimmy Cobb's drumming on Kind of Blue.

[midnight armadillo]

49. my list

In no particular order, here's 5 that come to mind.

stewart copeland
futureman
mickey hart
carl palmer
Tony Williams

[johnaries]

52. BILL BRUFORD!

Jus listen carefully to the song "Indiscipline" on King Crimson's Discipline album (with Adrian Belew). The beat is absolutely solid. However, if you listen carefully he never actually plays ON the beat! He isn't as much "flash" as some others, but he is one of the most solid around, especially when it comes to complex meters. I heard Yes do "Close to the Edge" with Alan White and it came real close to falling apart. Not so with Bruford.

I've also heard Steve Gadd do some amazing things, especially with Bob James ("Night on Bare Mountain" for example).

I know a lot of folks like Carl Palmer's flash, but did you know that he auditioned once for Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson turned him down because "there's something wrong with Carl's clock".