[Closed] Gentlemen of a certain age. Your favourite drummers ?

Stewart Copeland.

Peart - always looked awkward but sadly missed

Bonham - of course!

Van Halen - a little messy but an amazing rock drummer.

Porcaro - ability and attitude

McBrain - metronomic but amazing skills.

Gadd - a real musician’s drummer

And then the amazing drummers wasted in lesser bands:

Steve Smith, Simon Philips

If anybody mentions Ulrich I am cancelling my subscription! It’s almost a cliche but he really is awful!

Stephen Morris

Mike Joyce - maybe not as a solo drummer in the same way, but while when people say the Smiths and instantly think of Morrissey and Marr, they completely miss how good 'the others' were and what an important part of the sound they brought.

Joyce ! Good call 👍 neil Peart yup !

Neil Peart obviously but also a big fan of Gavin Harrison.

Saw Brian Downey a couple of years ago with his Live and Dangerous band. He's still got it .
....And Manu Catche.

Jojo Mayer

All the above are wonderful suggestions 🙏 perhaps my Lizzy fascination is blinding me.

No love for cozy Powell?

Reni

Brendan Canty - Fugazi
Amazing and distinctive sound.

John Bonham
Bill Bruford

Chris Sharrock

McBrain and Buddy Rich, different genres and eras - both great.

Bill ward with sabbath, used to always like Phil Collins as it goes, Danny carey and Jay Weinberg are probably my current favourites

Love drumms/drummin and have enjoyed/enjoy listening to/watching so many (starting with Moon and Bonham), so I’ll have to do a top ten 12 in no particular order)

Christian Vander (Magma)
Terry Bozzio (Zappa)
Bill Ward (Black Sabbath)
John Weathers (Gentle Giant)
Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms, OOIOO)
John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
Jaki Liebezeit (Can)
Keith Moon (The Who)
Tony Allen (Fela Kuti)
Andy Ramsay (Stereolab)
Neil Peart (Rush)

Also feel a need to shout out for younger drummers

J D Beck (human DnB/in the pocket/mad drops)

Camille Bigeault (polyrhythms and attitude)

How is this not just a list of Ginger Baker?

Surprised there are no Ginger Baker recommendations. Although I guess he would see himself as a musician rather than just a drummer. A complex sometimes horrible character but what a drummer. Asked one time about Bonham “ he’s got technique but he couldn’t swing a sack of sh!t!”

For me James "Jimmy" Owen Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009),[1] also known by his stage name The Rev. Avenged Sevenfold drummer.
Great backing vocalist as well.

Thank you all ! Baker yes. Downey I can’t get past ! Wow 😎

Rick Buckler, the Jam

Surprised there are no Ginger Baker recommendations

Knew that someone else would so I used the space for Tony Allen. He taught Ginger a thing or two, (if maybe not quite three 😉 )

Also: Clyde Stubblefield. Also: like Tony Allen (with afrobeat) he invented a whole genre of drumming/music (funk)

Good shout for Jimmy Sullivan. Superb all round musician and songwriter. Lots of people will probably disagree because they don't rate Avenged Sevenfold but he really was and still is rated highly by his peers.

Rob Heaton.

And I've been listening to a lot of early Queen recently, Roger Taylor is very musical.

Clem Burke - Blondie

Cindy Blackman

/thread

^ Amazing, but rather than ending thread she reminded me that I forgot to add Michael Shrieve 🥁😎

John Stainer - Battles/ Helmet
Greg Saunier - Deerhoof
Shigeto
Moses Boyd
Drum machine - Godflesh 😅

Harry beat me to it. Clem Burke, absolutely superb drummer. Also Copeland.

Bill Bruford.

Bill Ward and Brant Bjork for me. Ward was brilliant, especially on the first couple of Sabbath albums. Brant Bjork isn’t very well known but his work with Kyuss and Fu Manchu was great.

I also love Ginger Baker and Matt Cameron’s work with Soundgarden. I don’t know much about drumming but for me those four just sound good.

Ginger Baker without a doubt

Reni is unique - one of the greatest musicians of his generation and he's made two albums. Done nothing substantial outside of the Roses.

This would usually be down to the artist being some sort of self-destructive drug-crazed genius. Or such a wild temperament that no one can work with them. But Reni seems the total opposite of that.

I'm mainly a Bonham fan boi, and disagree with ginger baker. Bonzo could swing and groove like a MF. Baker always seemed blinded by his own ego and bitter that bonzo was always seen as number one rock drummer

I also love Reni for sheer talent and I love
Sam fogarino from Interpol for precision

Also Jon Theodore from Mars Volta for some intense musical drumming

But Jimmy chamberlain for me. Just awesome. Groove, chops, creativity, originality. The lot

Cherub rock and Geek USA best display his talents

Some of my favourites have already been mentioned (Tony Allen, Clyde Stubblefield, Jaki Liebezeit)

But also:

Bernard Purdie
Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Ed Greene (a session drummer who did a lot with Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra - 'I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More' has one of the slickest grooves ever)

More recently:

Questlove (The Roots, D'Angelo)
Betamax (The Comet Is coming, various other projects)

I finally got to see Tony Allen about 3 years ago. He was in his late 70s and just made it look so effortless!

Oh, also, Steve Jordan. He's one of these guys with incredible skills that but I haven't heard a decent record with him on! There's a solo video (possibly a Vic Firth promotion) of him on YouTube, which is awesome. Then you look for some records he features on and it's all noodly jazz fusion...

Mitch Mitchell +1

That 'manic depression' waltz groove still sounds insane. Not many drummers from that era could've managed that

And obviously Clyde Stubblefield. I just wanted to list ones that handnt been mentioned

Todd Trainer - Shellac

@doris5000 you may have watched/heard already but there is a great, great interview with Clyde Stubblefield and John Jabo Starks

Gene Hoglan
Nils Fjellstrom

Neil Peart
Joey Jordison
Stuart Copeland
Dave Lombardo
And for current Adam Betts (d&b genius)

Rick Allen. Post accident.

The finest one armed Drummer in the world. Probably.

Neil P obviously, though not just for his drumming. Superb lyricist and interesting author.

Mark Brzezicki - Big Country and played on The Cults Love

You asked for a drummer but you can't separate them. Sly and Robbie.

Ginger Baker
Surprised no-one's mentioned Jon Hiseman.
Dave Mattacks.

Rat Scabies - The Damned
Clem Burke - Blondie

Don't know about being a great drummer but I like these "drum cam" videos by Metronomy's Anna Prior.

Lets see if this works

My favorite drummer, little Miss Kryton jnr, age 8. (Press Play)

Ringo Starr

Stuart Copland

Reni

Phil Selway

Dave Grohl

For me

For any newbies, Baker doing Toad is majestic. One of the few benefits of being of a certain age I got to see Baker (Hyde Park), Hiseman (with Dick Heckstall-Smith at the Roundhouse, Dagenham) and Charlie Watts (Hyde Park). Ginger Johnson and His African Drummers were meant to be in Hyde Park but I think got arrested at the airport.

Bonham obviously.

Simon Kirke (Free)
Richie Hayward (Little Feat)

Niskc mentioned Dave Grohl and Ringo. I loved Stewart Copelands Rumblefish album, reminded me of Billy Cobham. I was fortunate enough to see Keith Moon a couple of times but the recent drummer that's impressed me most is Wrigglesworth from Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Public Service Broadcasting

Charlie Benante.

For me.

Rob Heaton
Stewart Copeland
Paul Ferguson
Rat Scabies
Paul Cook
Clem Burke

I can't believe no ones mentioned Charlie Chuck.... By far the best drummer there is. 🤣🤣.

For me it's Carmine Appice then John Bonham.

No mention of Steve White?

Baker always seemed blinded by his own ego and bitter that bonzo was always seen as number one rock drummer

Mainly because he didn’t see himself as a rock drummer, rather a jazz drummer, and he had no time for rock drumming. A great drummer, but far too far up his own ass.

My list, fwiw:
Daisy Palmer (Goldfrapp, among a bunch of local bands)
Dave Grohl
Ringo Starr
John Maher - Buzzcocks
Sergei - pinkshinyultrablast (amazing drummer, barely moved apart from his forearms and wrists, but loud and rhythmic. Can’t find a surname anywhere).
Bill Bruford, Michael Giles, Ian Wallace, Jamie Muir, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, Bill Reiflin, Jeremy Stacey - King Crimson, among many other projects.
John Bonham
I make no apologies for including a bunch of drummers involved with Crimson, it’s a band I discovered at school with their first album, and loved them ever since. I’ve left one or two out, only because their tenancy was brief, but I saw Crimson on their 50th Anniversary tour, with three drummers across the front of the stage, plus a fourth on percussion, and it was extraordinary to watch from a box looking right down on the stage.
There are plenty of others I could include, it’s worth picking out Bill Reiflin as drummer with R.E.M. as well.

Jaki Liebezeit from Can for me - magical shuffling sound.

Danny Carey from Tool is epic too.

Sheila E

I've never been that good at picking out the quality of drummers, but I do remember spending a pleasant afternoon some time ago listening to Dire Straits' eponymous album and concentrating on the drumming. From that Pick Withers seems to be pretty good at playing the drums.

Can't believe no one has mentioned Doktor Avalanche yet 😉

Chad Smith
Tony Royster Jr

Totally thought that Reni's name was Remi.

Some greats already mentioned - Peart (Even though I don’t like Rush), Mitch Mitchell, Clyde Stubblefield, Reni, Ginger Baker (Although he apparently was a shit human being), John Bonham...

I’d add also:
- Keith Moon.
- Al Jackson from Booker T & The MG’s - Can’t believe no-ones mentioned him!
- Jon Brookes.
- Richard ‘Pistol’ Allen - again, bit of a surprise not mentioned.
- W.S. ‘Fluke’ Holland from The Tennessee Three.
- Hal Blaine from The Wrecking Crew.

Totally thought that Reni’s name was Remi.

Alan ‘Reni’ Wren.

Buddy Rich
Animal
Reni

Stephen Perkins and Jimmy Chamberlain are real stand outs for me, but also Laurence Colbert of Ride never really got the credit I thought he should have.

Buddy Rich

Agreed!

Animal

Totally!

I’v been a huge Thin Lizzy fan since the early 70s and have always rated Downey.
That said: Another one here with a high regard for Clem Burke.

Clem Burke on Blondies dreaming is pretty special. Reni from the roses and Dave Grohl is no slouch.

Bonham obviously

Topper Headon out of The Clash, totally underrated.

Josh Dun from twenty one pilots.

What is wrong with you people? Obviously the best drummer is this thing

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Joking aside Reni for me. Saw the SR at Heaton park and the guy just blew me away

Keith Moon and then Cozy Powell for me.

Chad Smith
Sheila E
Steve White
Phil Collins
Ringo
Kenney Jones
Gilson Lavis
Dave Grohl
Taylor Hawkins

In no particular order
Sarah Jones - Hot Chip
Stephen Morris - New Order
John Densmore - The Doors
Meg White - The White Stripes

My favourites?

Reni from the roses and jaki from can spring to mind immediately.

And that chap who did all the dance stuff, Roland whatisface.

808 was it?

No mention yet of Vinnie Colaiuta or Dave Weckl. Both instantly recognisable and can play anything.
And John Robinson the most recorded drummer in history.

Bernard Purdie - one of the true godfathers of groove

Also
Chaka Khan (really !)

Paul Ferguson