Top 10 Best Singing Drummers
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 Roger Taylor, the amazing drummer of the awesome band Queen, is a great drummer, singer, and good songwriter. He has such a nice vocal range, apparently spanning four octaves. Definitely somewhat underrated, especially for his voice.
I also love the songs he wrote. I'm In Love With My Car has to be one of my favorites. Dunno why, but it just makes me laugh, and it's actually a nice song.
In Queen, Roger Taylor pulled off the near-impossible. Not only did he provide the kind of massive beats and thunderous fills sturdy enough to go up against Brian May's ginormous guitar sound, but he proved to be a versatile enough singer to complement the operatic, larger-than-life vocals of Freddie Mercury.
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who has also worked as a record producer and actor. I've always liked old Phil. Boy, can that man drum! And he's a Londoner, and that's always a bonus!
As much as I adore Roger Taylor, Phil Collins has a much better voice.
The best - now I mean the best singing drummer of all time!
George Michael "Micky" Dolenz, Jr. is an American actor, musician, television director, radio personality and theater director, best known as the drummer and principal lead singer of the 1960s pop/rock band the Monkees. The man is a legend in the world of drumming. My buddies and I listened to this man's drumming style when we were growing up, and he has been the biggest inspiration to me in my drumming career.
Micky is a widely talented drummer with an amazing vocal range. His voice defines the word pop rock, and The Monkees had a unique sound because of his drumming.
Micky was an amazingly talented drummer with an almost equally talented voice. Not many people could drum and sing at the same time while keeping the beat as well as Micky could. No one can even come close to competing with him!
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 I was around 10 when I started listening to Avenged Sevenfold. At first, I noticed M. Shadows, Gates, and the rest, you know. But then there he was, The Rev. He stood out both physically and vocally. Yes, he was quite tall, but his vocal range was impressive. Seriously, have you heard A Little Piece of Heaven? He just doesn't sound like any other vocalist ever. He has his own sound, and he owns it.
Watch him live. He's precise while he's singing. All drumming does to his singing voice is lose a bit of the distortion, but he does it just like the record. He wasn't just a performer, but an amazing writer. Some of Avenged's best songs were written by Jimmy.
Her songwriting talent exceeds even her phenomenal drumming skills. Extremely deep lyrics for someone so young, and to top it off, English is not her first language!
Jennifer "Jen" Carole Ledger is a English drummer mostly known for playing in the band and being the co-vocalist for Skillet since 2008 when Lori Peters decided to retire from the band... read more She is blessed with many talents! Who learns to play drums in four years and then gets to play for one of the world's hottest touring bands? Check her out in her debut concert tour, Comatose Comes Alive, at just 18 years old!
Jen Ledger has a voice that's possibly even better than her brilliant drumming. Listen to her huge contributions on Skillet's 2013 album Rise. It's pretty much Jen's album.
Jen Ledger is by far the best drummer and singer. She's only in her early twenties, but that's beside the point. She has true talent, and she shows it every time she sits down at that drum set.
Richard Starkey known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles. People don't seem to realize how difficult Ringo's playing was, much less singing on top of that. What Goes On is one of the hardest drum beats for most drummers to play, as it is a fast 194 double-time shuffle rhythm with a consistent hi-hat throughout the entire song with no slowing down. The average to intermediate drummer would get tired after at least 30 seconds.
Take that, and then switch to your opposite hand, and then sing a melody on top of that - That's Ringo! A left-handed drummer playing on a right-handed kit, singing on top of one of the fastest hi-hat shuffles humanly possible, and doing so without slowing down or showing any signs of struggle when live.
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. There is no singing drummer that is even close to Don Henley. He is also easily one of the greatest and most poetic songwriters of any music genre... a true genius. Glenn Frey said it best when he remarked, "Don Henley can sing the phone book."
Are you kidding? One of the best lead singers, let alone being a drummer.
Awesome voice and still as strong as ever. Amazing!
George Peter John Criscuola, better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is an American musician and actor, best known as a co-founder, the original drummer, and an occasional vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Peter Criss is an amazing drummer and singer. He deserves more recognition for his talents.
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer and film director. He is best known as the former drummer of the hugely popular 90s grunge band Nirvana and the vocalist/guitarist for the alternative rock band Foo Fighters. He has sat behind the... read more Dave Grohl. Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, and lastly... the Foo Fighters, which kinda doesn't count. Point is, multiple bands with success. His voice... Put it together, and you'll see why he is one of the best.
The Newcomers
William Thomas "Bill" Ward is an English musician and visual artist, best known as the original drummer for the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath.
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm was an American rock 'n' roller, Americana musician, and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and regular lead vocalist for The Band. Micky Dolenz and Peter Criss ahead of Levon Helm - wow! Anybody ahead of Levon Helm - wow!
How the hell would he not be in the top ten?!
Levon Helm, hands down, is the best!
Dave Clark is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur. He was the leader, drummer and manager of the 1960s beat group the Dave Clark Five, the first British Invasion band to follow the Beatles to America in 1964.
Brann Timothy Dailor is an American drummer/singer best known as a member of the Atlanta, Georgia metal band Mastodon, in which he is the drummer, backing vocalist, lead vocalist and primary lyricist. One of the best singing drummers out there, but he's surprisingly underrated.
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard Carpenter, formed the 1970s duo Carpenters. All you can say about Karen is WOW. Best female singer, best female drummer, best singer/drummer, and part of the greatest duo of all time. They have sold over 150-200 million records and continue to sell 40 years after her death.
Great drummer - never mind female drummer - but with the most beautiful singing voice of all time. Lovely lady too. I met her one day, and she was kind, funny, and beautiful all in one.
Karen Carpenter should be number 1. Listen to her original open drum beats while she sings. It's her voice and the simple drumming that made The Carpenters great.
Todd La Torre is an American singer and drummer. He is the lead singer for the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, and a former lead vocalist of the bands Crimson Glory and Rising West.
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. He made a solo album, which was actually pretty good! Good singer, unbelievable drummer!
Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 - March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the former drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters.
Paul Charles Caravello better known by his stage name Eric Carr, was an American musician who was the drummer for the rock band Kiss from 1980 to 1991. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after Peter Criss left, when he chose the stage name "Eric Carr" and took up the "Fox" persona. Eric not only could play drums and sing, but he could write songs, and play bass, guitar, and piano as well.
Guys, Aaron Gillespie is one of the best singing drummers in the alternative and metalcore scene. Everyone else on here are gods compared to Aaron, but his singing in songs from Underoath, like "The Impact of Reason," "Writing on the Walls," and "You're Ever So Inviting," is incredible.
Or listen to his work in The Almost with songs like "Stop It!," "Say This Sooner," and "Southern Weather." You gotta give him a chance and vote him up to the top 15 at least!
