Besides Charlie, in no spesific order.

"Mighty" Max Weinberg
Nico McBrain
Nick Mason
Andy Summers
Mark Brzezicki

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ablett
Ronnie Tutt from Elvis' band has got to be up there.....

Absolutely. Ronnie Tutt is badass. I would add Steve Jordan to the list, as well as Roger Waters drummer Graham Broad, and last but not least the Beach Boys John Cowsill. Don't laugh on Cowsill, he's a damn good rock drummer.
[youtu.be] Him and Scott Totten make The Beach Boys worth seeing again.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-08-12 17:17 by Jesse1960.

Melvin Parker
Jabo Starks
Clyde Stubblesfield
Topper Headon
Bill Ward

Levon Helm
Stewart Copeland
Keith Moon
Steve Jordan
John Bonham

The best drummers out there make the band sound good, as that is their job... to enhance the music. There are amazingly fast drummers, powerful drummers, technically near-perfect drummers, and then there are drummers that simply do their part to make the music great. Charlie Watts does that, as does Mick Fleetwood, as did Ringo, and others. The best bands have the best drummers! I put John Bonham and Keith Moon in that category, even though both were exhibitionists... The Who was never the same band without KM, and LZ was not LZ without JB. So there are five great rock drummers right there, but obviously there are many more.

Then there is jazz drumming, which is more complex and involves generally a wider range of time signatures and dynamics. I am in awe of great jazz drummers... But again, for me, the best drummer makes the music sound great-- so the technically great jazz drummer is not doing his/ her job if the drums are distracting or detracting from the whole music experience. That may be why so many of the jazz drumming greats worked with Miles... He wanted the best for his music. Pat Metheny does the same... Look up the drummers that have played with those guys, and you have some of the most talented drummers (and musicians) that have ever played. That said... Five of my favorite jazz drummers are: Antonio Sanchez, Elvin Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Stewart, and Idris Mohammed... but there are many others!

David Sandström - Refused
Michael Solén - Sator
Gunnar Ljungstedt - Ebba Grön
Ola Brunkert - ABBA
Bosse Skoglund - Nature

2 1 2 0

Ringo Starr

Couldn't you make it 4 or 8. 5 is not really a drummer friendly number.

Ringo
Elvin Jones
Keith Moon
Tony Meehan
Hal Blaine

Hal Blaine
Buddy Rich
Alan "Reni" Wren
Ringo
Mitch Mitchell

Bill Bruford
Ian Paice
Carl Palmer
Jon Hiseman
Jerzy Piotrowski (my first drumming hero - plays in Polish prog-fusion SBB band)

John Bonham, Butch Trucks, Ginger Baker, Billy Cobham and Reni from the Stone Roses

This guy!

Dale Crover
Bill Ward
Richie Ramone
Keith Moon
Bob Lee

Max Weinberg
John Bonham
Phil Collins
Matt Abts
Butch Trucks

Quote
Come On
David Sandström - Refused
Michael Solén - Sator
Gunnar Ljungstedt - Ebba Grön
Ola Brunkert - ABBA
Bosse Skoglund - Nature

I want to add Hasse Bruniusson, the drummer of Samla Mannas Manna!

Terry Bozzio
Keith Moon
Ginger Baker
Sly Dunbar
Sheila Escovedo

Kenney Jones
Sonny Freeman
Al Jackson Jr.
Steve Jordan
Whoever was Louis Armstrong's drummer around this era

I'll limit my list to rock and metal:

1. Phil Rudd - For his inhumanly metronomic timing and impeccable sense of groove. His "less is more" philosophy should be an object lesson to all drummers about the importance of feel. Anyone who dismisses him because of his simplicity should revisit his work and focus on how deceptively nuanced his style is.

2. Neil Peart - The Professor. He's at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Phil Rudd. His technical virtuosity and colorful drum compositions and solos have made him a godlike figure to legions of drum geeks for decades.

3. John Bonham - Beyond a legend, he had power, groove and chops to spare. A no-brainer...putting Bonham on a list like this is as cliched as topping your guitar list with Hendrix, but there's a reason why he's such a revered drummer.

4. Dave Lombardo - He's the godfather of heavy metal double bass, but he's way more than just fast foot work. His inventive fill patterns and speedy hands helped differentiate Slayer from the rest of the thrash metal pack of the early '80s, and his varied work in bands like Fantomas, Grip Inc. and Philm shows he's more than just a metal basher.

5. Keith Moon - Again, like Bonham, putting Moon on a list like this is cliched, but there's a reason why certain musicians are eternally ranked all-time greats. He was legitimately crazy, even by rock'n'roll standards, but his impossibly frenetic "lead drum" style is still jaw-dropping to this day.

John Bonham
John Bonham
John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham

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More Hot Rocks
This guy!

Who else?

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Thommie

Quote
Come On
David Sandström - Refused
Michael Solén - Sator
Gunnar Ljungstedt - Ebba Grön
Ola Brunkert - ABBA
Bosse Skoglund - Nature

I want to add Hasse Bruniusson, the drummer of Samla Mannas Manna!

Accepted!

2 1 2 0

Great thread to see what everyone here likes. Bonham makes most lists but if Bill Bruford is not on your list you have to do some listening.. Bonham, Bruford, Moon, Bill Berry, Aynsley Dunbar.... Seems like a good list.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-27 21:09 by DoomandGloom.

Quote
DoomandGloom
Great thread to see what everyone here likes. Bonham makes most lists but if Bill Bruford is not on your list you have to do some listening.. Bonham, Bruford, Moon, Bill Berry, Aynsley Dunbar.... Seems like a good list.

It's hard to make it to number two on the list when number one (Bonham) is sooo good. It makes you ignore the rest.

Joey Castillo!

Phil Collins for sure. At his peak he was the best! And was schmoozing his way onto everyones albums including Eric Clapton. I believe he even produced one or two albums for Eric while sitting in the drum chair.

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Dreamer
Terry Bozzio
Keith Moon
Ginger Baker
Sly Dunbar
Sheila Escovedo

And I also would like to mention Max Roach, Bernard "Buddy" Rich and (still active) Billy Cobham.

Ginger Baker

Keith Moon

Al Jackson

Barry J. Wilson (Procol Harum)

Stewart Copeland

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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-29 17:52 by dandelion1967.

Steve Gadd... Duh

I AM STUNNED, BAFFLED AND REELING IN DISBELIEF THAT NO ONE HAS MENTIONED THE GREAT MICKY DOLENZ...