Top 10 Most Revolutionary Drummers
Obviously, there is no "Greatest" drummer of all time, but compared to the other crap lists out their that have people like the rev at #1 I thought I'd make one that was at least half way decent.
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Widely considered one of the most influential drummers of all time and known for his virtuoso technique, power, and speed, Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" during his career. Now I know I said there is no best, but if I had to place someone in this spot, it would be Rich. Watch his 1970 solo on YouTube if you haven't seen it. His solos are out of this world. He's not even a drummer I really listen to or take influence from, but I believe that most drummers will agree he's usually regarded as #1.
Never practiced. Never took a lesson. Never had to. Played to perfection. Who else can say that?
John Henry Bonham was born on May 31, 1948 in Redditch, United Kingdom. Bonham (nicknamed Bonzo) was a professional hard rock drummer who was best known for being the drummer in the band Led Zeppelin. Bonham was also one of the background singers in the band. His drumming is mainly displayed on the... read more Bonzo, as he was called, rocked the drums like no one else before him. Along with guys like Ginger Baker and Keith Moon, he played, and he played HARD. Every single rock drummer out there today plays in the style that Bonham helped to pioneer. His feel and knack for groove were godlike. Triplets, triplets, and more triplets. He was a master at the "rock" solo. Another one gone much too early.
Everyone above Bonzo is absolute crap! No one is better than the master, John Bonham!
What can I say? Vinnie is easily one of the best drummers to have ever lived. His superior level of musicianship speaks for itself when you hear him play. He can read and write music, he plays with feel, but he's still technical. Plus, I love the fact that he has always stayed true to traditional grip.
The dude drums for Sting... There's your reason!
Elvin Ray Jones was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed an interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan. I love Elvin. He's my favorite jazz drummer and a huge influence on my playing, more so than Vinnie or Rich. His groundbreaking style and creativity sent even the best drummers of his era running back to their kits to practice. Instead of a solid swing, he broke up the patterns and played with a continuous flow of rhythm. When he played a solo, he played with his soul out. His work with Coltrane was surreal. RIP Mr. Jones, your playing lives on.
If there was such a thing as a perfect drummer, it would be Gadd. A groove master with feel from his afro-top down to his piggy toes, Gadd is great. His use of rudiments and applying them to grooves and fills was highly influential. Another session man like Vinnie, he has played on many, many albums in many different genres of music. My favorite Gadd quote says it all: "Fills bring the thrills, but groove pays the bills."
Definitely not as well-known as he should be, Dave is probably the most creative and spastic player ever. He plays jazz, soul, hip-hop - whatever the genre - but throughout all of them, he shows us that his concept of "time" is completely different from ours. Weaving in and out of 4/4 while playing with Robert Glasper, Dave has a feel like no other. He is straight from the soul. I think he couldn't care less about technical prowess. He relies on feel and feel alone to make his point. Pick up Glasper's "Double Booked" and listen to the jazz trio side of it. You will worship Chris Dave for the next couple of months, I can guarantee it.
Anthony Tillmon "Tony" Williams was an American jazz drummer. Williams first gained fame in the band of trumpeter Miles Davis and was a pioneer of jazz fusion. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1986. If you're playing with Miles Davis at 17 years old, then you must be good. One of the jazz greats and then a founding father of fusion, Tony's contributions can't be overlooked. Another big influence on my playing, he had a very distinct way of playing fills and solos. He died much too early and is sorely missed by drummers and musicians alike.
James Owen Sullivan (February 9th, 1981 - December 28th 2009), better known by his stage name "The Rev" (Short for "The Reverend Tholomew Plague") was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former drummer, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American alternative metal/ metalcore... read more He is gone but far from forgotten. He's got such insane skills and a style of playing that no one could ever replicate. He is my idol and the reason I started drumming.
Jimmy should be in the top 10! No doubt!
Neil Ellwood Peart, (September 12, 1952 - January 7, 2020) was a Canadian musician and writer best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart received numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1983, making... read more
Lars Ulrich is a Danish drummer and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica.
William Emanuel "Billy" Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who permanently relocated to Switzerland during the late 1970s. Hailed as "fusion's greatest drummer," Cobham is not someone you want to mess with. He plays open-handed and was one of the first guys to do so. Playing with Horace Silver in the 60s on a small 4-piece kit, and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 70s on a double bass kit, he can do anything. Crazy fast, with loads of control and finesse, Cobham has influenced countless players and continues to do so.
Another drummer who I wish was more popular. He played with Zappa in the 90s, he's from Sweden, and he plays math-fusion. The first time I watched him solo, I thought he picked up his first pair of drumsticks earlier that day. After watching it again and again, I realized that he had opened up a whole new realm of drumming. With rudiment fragments, odd spacing and phrasing, and playing in time when it sounds like he's in free form, he's a true "think for yourself" kind of guy.
Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the English rock band Deep Purple. He has been the band's only constant member since its foundation.
Eugene Bertram "Gene" Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer, band leader, actor, and composer. This guy is highly responsible for helping to create the type of drum set we play on today. He helped companies develop the hi-hat from the "low riders" when hi-hats were played at ground level just with the feet. His facial expressions and stick tricks, he was the first guy to record using the bass drum. Just a founding father of modern drumming who often gets the cold shoulder, in my opinion. Respect your elders.
Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, known by the stage name Louie Bellson, was an American jazz drummer. Bells, four sticks, rim shots, speeding around the kit, everything. Legend. He was a close friend of Buddy Rich, and both of them could own the kit. Superb.
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history. If we're talking revolutionary, he was the whole revolution for any kind of bop jazz. End of story. He was also the first drummer to play melodic solos. And Mr. Hi-Hat was a revolution unto itself. Who else played an entire solo on just a hi-hat?
David "Dave" Lombardo is a Cuban American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of the American thrash metal band Slayer.
Roger Meddows Taylor is an English musician , multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter born on July 26th, 1949 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. He was the drummer of the band Queen and wrote few of many hits such as "Under Pressure", "A Kind Of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga". Despite being well known in Queen... read more
Keith John Moon was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour. His drumming continues to be praised by critics and musicians.