The Ultimate List Of The Greatest Drummers Of All Time By Ranking

68. Mike Portnoy

Michael Stephen Portnoy is an American musician and songwriter best known for his work with the progressive metal band Dream Theater as a drummer, backup vocalist, and co-founder. After 25 years with Dream Theater, Portnoy announced his retirement in September 2010, with Mike Mangini taking his position as the band’s drummer. Portnoy has remained busy after his departure, performing with Adrenaline Mob, Transatlantic, Yellow Matter Custard, Flying Colors, The Winery Dogs, Liquid Tension Experiment, Metal Allegiance, Sons of Apollo, the Neal Morse Band, and BPMD, among others.

Mike Portnoy

67. Mike Mangini

Following the resignation of Dream Theater’s original drummer, Mike Portnoy, in 2010, Michael Mangini became the current drummer of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He’s also played for Annihilator, Extreme, James LaBrie, and Steve Vai, among others.

Mike Mangini

66. Clay Aeschliman

Clay Aeschliman is an encouragement to individuals who didn’t start playing music at a young age but still want to make a career out of it. Clay did not perform his first show until he was 25 years old, in contrast to many musicians who had been performing their entire life. He’s currently a drummer for the instrumental/hip-hop rock band Polyphia.

Clay Aeschliman

65. Brandon Burkhalter

Speaking of Polyphia, Brandon Burkhalter is the band’s drummer from 2011 to 2016. He prefers playing metal pieces and decided to leave the band due to creative differences as the band was starting to move towards a more pop-oriented sound.

Brandon Burkhalter

64. Nate Smith

Ira Nathaniel “Nate” Smith is an American drummer, composer, producer, and three-time Grammy nominee who was born on December 14, 1974. Smith has composed music for documentaries that have been shown on Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel. Michael Jackson’s song “Heaven Can Wait” was co-written and produced by him.

Nate Smith

63. Jack Stratton

Jack Stratton is the founder and one of the drummers for the band Vulfpeck. Vulfpeck is a funk band from the United States that was formed in 2011. Vulfpeck’s royalties from four EPs, six albums, and a silent album titled Sleepify were used to fund the band’s admission-free tour in 2014. Vulf Vault 005: Wong’s Cafe, the band’s most recent album, was released in January 2022.

Jack Stratton

62. Theo Katzman

Theo Katzman is a Los Angeles, California-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, and producer. Pop, jazz, funk, and indie rock all come together in his songs. He is a member of the funk band Vulfpeck and has worked as a songwriter and producer for a number of artists. Katzman has three studio albums to his credit. In January 2020, he published his latest album, Modern Johnny Sings: Songs in the Age of Vibe.

Theo Katzman

61. Brad Wilk

Bradley Joseph Wilk is a musician, actor, and activist from the United States. He is most known for his work with the rock bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Black Sabbath, and Prophets of Rage as their drummer.

Brad Wilk

60. Matt Garstka

Matt Garstka (born April 27, 1989) is an American drummer most known for his work with Animals as Leaders, an instrumental progressive metal band. Garstka has collaborated with artists such as Rohn Lawrence, David Stolz, Tony Smith, Doug Johns, Toni Blackman, Derek Jordon, and Evan Marien over the course of his career.

Matt Garstka

59. Luke Holland

Luke Daniel Holland is a drummer and musician from the United States who is most known for his YouTube videos. He was born in the Arizona city of Peoria. Despite the fact that his father is a professional drummer, Holland became interested in the drums at the age of ten after hearing his neighbor play. He acquired his first drum kit around the same period, after saving up enough money from mowing lawns for a year. He was self-taught and played the snare drum for a year and a half in his high school marching band at Peoria High School in 2007 and 2008.

Luke Holland

58. Vinnie Colaiuta

Vincent Peter Colaiuta is an American drummer who has worked in a variety of genres as a session musician. In 1996, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame, and in 2014, he was inducted into the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame. Colaiuta has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has won one. He’s recorded and toured with Sting, Joni Mitchell, and Frank Zappa since the late 1970s, among scores of other studio and live appearances.

Vinnie Colaiuta

57. Dave Weckl

Dave Weckl is an American jazz fusion drummer and the head of the Dave Weckl Band. He was born on January 8, 1960, in St. Louis, Missouri. In the year 2000, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. From 1985 to 1991, he was a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band. He appeared on numerous albums during this time, as well as with Corea’s Akoustic Band.

Dave Weckl

56. Marco Minnemann

As a drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist, Marco Minnemann has published over a dozen solo albums and appeared on over 100 studio albums with dozens of musicians and groups. In the second season of the Titmouse-animated series Metalocalypse, he was featured as a voice actor. Mike Patton of Faith No More appeared in the episode, which aired on Adult Swim in 2008.

Marco Minnemann

55. Virgil Donati

Virgil Donati is an Australian drummer, composer, and producer who was born on October 22, 1958. He plays the drums in the usual manner and can also play the keyboard. Donati also joined Jack Jones (Irwin Thomas) in a Van Halen tribute band called Hans Valen in Melbourne before encouraging Jones to join Donati’s own bands The State and Southern Sons.

Virgil Donati

54. Christian Vander

A French drummer born in 1948, Vander was the founder of the band Magma. He is well known for his extended compositions, drumming and shrill falsetto improvisational singing. He is the adopted child of famous jazz pianist, Maurice Vanger. “Magma’s music was born on a spring day out of my love for John Coltrane and my profound sadness about human inability to comprehend one another,” Vander revealed in a 2015 interview.

54. Christian Vander

53. Travis Barker

Travis Landon Barker is an American drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also collaborated with various hip hop artists, while also serving as a member of the rap rock group: Transplants. He also founded the rock bands +44 and Box Car Racer. After this, he also became a member of Antemasque and Goldfinger. The California-born drummer began drumming from a young age, and is known for his fierce performances. “I can do beats all day long, and that’s something that’s been moving me. I’ve never heard of a drummer servicing beats to people like that, getting them to my hip-hop friends,” Barker said during an interview with Drum! Magazine.

53. Travis Barker

52. Steven Adler

An American drummer, Adler is best known for his role as drummer and co-songwriter of the famous hard rock band, Guns N’ Roses. Together with the band they achieved global success at the back end of the 1908s. However, Adler was ejected from the band in 1990 as a result of his drug issues. Adler had a stunning, unique style that couldn’t quite be replicated. “He had an inimitable style of drumming that couldn’t really be replaced, an almost adolescent levity that gave the band its spark”, Slash wrote in his autobiography. Adler was replaced by a few drummers, but none of them truly captured his wild, talented and youthful essence.

52. Steven Adler

51. Larry Mullen Jr.

Lawrence Joseph is an Irish musician who is most well-known for his role as drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. His distinctive, strict and disciplined style, developed from his marching band experience during his youth. He is the only U2 member that actually looks like a rock star! He was even almost kicked out of the band, due to his poor time keeping which annoyed his bandmates. A tech savvy individual, he had a surprisingly funky rhythm. He once disputed to producer Brian Eno that a click track was a fraction of a beat off of the band — after the drummer left the studio, Eno discovered it was out by six milliseconds. “The thing is,” Eno told The New Yorker, “when we were adjusting it I once had it two milliseconds to the wrong side of the beat, and he said, ‘No, you’ve got to come back a bit.’ Which I think is absolutely staggering.”

51. Larry Mullen Jr.

50. Chris Dave

Dave was born in Houston, Texas in 1973. He attended Howard University and performed professionally as a gospel drummer with the Winans. He also dabbled in jazz too, due to Kenny Garrett’s influence. He also performed on Adele’s album, 21, which won a Grammy. Dave came up idolizing jazz greats like Tony Williams — and, later, incorporated those inspirations into his work alongside improv aces such as Robert Glasper. Dave’s special power is creating ear-bending beats, often produced on a tricked-out kit with as many as five snare drums. They all fantastically blend in with an ensemble texture.

50. Chris Dave

49. Tomas Haake

A Swedish drummer, he is known for being the drummer of extreme metal band of Meshuggah. He is best-known for his polymeters and technical ability, and was even named the 93rd Greatest Drummer of All Time by Rolling Stone. Haake creates an exceptional off-kilter feel y playing a standard 4/4 beat with his right hand, tumbling polyrhythms alongside everything else. The result is often beats that sound like the mechanized revving of a Lamborghini! “The guys all write on computers, and I emulate what they have written,” Haake revealed. “This sometimes makes for awkward drumming, but at the same time it makes for a great challenge and an obstacle to overcome. It really keeps me on my toes.”

Tomas Haake

48. Ralph Molina

Molina is an American musician, best known for starring as drummer for Neil Young’s backing band, Crazy Horse. Molina was born in Puerto Rico and has been a member of Crazy Horse since they formed in 1962, originally as Danny & the Memories. Molina’s style of drumming is characterized by simple but steady beats and fills. I can start playin’ the guitar, and Ralph can pick it up on the wrong beat and play it backwards,” Young revealed to biographer Jimmy McDonough. “That happens all the time. Never happens with professional groups.” This is a great compliment to Molina’s ability. He clearly has the capability to produce magic from little. “We just start playing. The magic just seems to happen … “, Molina said in 2011.

Ralph Molina

47. Brian Chippendale

An American musician, primarily known for being the drummer (and vocalist) for rock band, Lightning Bolt; he is also known for his graphic art skills. Chippendale featured as drummer 77 in the Boredoms’ 77 Boadrum performance in July 2007, as well as performing the drums on Björk’s 2007 album, Volta. Since releasing their debut album in 2020, he has featured as half of the duo, Wasted Shirt alongside Ty Seagall. He is featured at 91 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time. Chippendale’s long-running duo Lightning Bolt considers noise-rock to be like body music, his bass drum expertly throbbing alongside Brian Gibson’s fuzz-gush bass, and his high-velocity snare machine-gunning through a Day-Glo fog. “I’m gonna keep drumming for as long as I can”, revealed Chippendale.

47. Brian Chippendale

46. Bill Stevenson

John William Stevenson was born on September 10, 1963 in Torrance California, and is a famous American musician and record producer. Stevenson found fame as the drummer, lead songwriter and the only regular member of punk rock group, Descendents. The Descendents produced heartbreaking proto-emo anthems — joined with Stevenson’s signature machine-gun snare rolls. This accompanied with the songs written (very often by him) laid the groundwork for the likes of Green Day, Blink-182, Fall Out Boy and Weezer. He also stood in as the drummer for rock band, Black Flag, when their drummer was detained in England. He recorded with the band until 1985 where he refocused his attention on the Descendents.

46. Bill Stevenson

45. Jon Theodore

American-born drummer, Theodore, is bet known for being the drummer for The Mars Volta, but remains active as the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. Additionally, he serves as a member of One Day as a Lion. Theodore is the contemporary rock world’s most visible super-drummer. He has internalized the styles of key Seventies touchstones – the otherworldly facility of Billy Cobham, the elephantine swagger of John Bonham – and altered their approaches to suit the requirements of the modern arena show. When Skrillex, Diplo and Justin Bieber gave “Where Are Ü Now” a live-band makeover at the 2016 Grammys, Jon Theodore was the drummer behind the kit.

45. Jon Theodore

44. George Hurley

Hurley, born in 1958, is best known for his drumming work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Hurley actually began as a promising surfer, before ultimately deciding to pursue music full time. Hurley is a self-taught musician, even creating his own drumsticks out of Plexiglas and wood. He finally obtained his first drumkit aged 19 after trading his motorcycle for it. Known for his punk rock drumming, his early influences are actually jazz based. Minutemen’s frenetic and counter-intuitive — yet oddly natural-sounding — music would’ve dissembled into chaos without George Hurley, whose impossible speed, versatility and nuance made him the most inventive drummer to come onto the American indie-rock scene of the 80s.

George Hurley

43. Phil Rudd

Rudd, an Australian drummer, is best known for his time playing the drums for AC/DC across three different stints. He entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside the other members of AC/DC in 2003. He released his first solo album in 2014, titled Head Job. Rudd was unable to join AC/DC’s Rock or Bust World Tour in 2015 due to legal problems, and so was replaced on drums by Chris Slade. It was announced that Rudd would be rejoining the band for their comeback album, Power Up. Rudd’s economic style and monster groove helped pave the way for the iconic band’s stardom, but recently his drug issues and outside lifestyle has drawn more attention than his ability. A shame.

43. Phil Rudd

42. Tommy Lee

American born Bass is best known for being one of the founding members of heavy metal band, Mötley Crüe. Lee serves as the band’s long-term drummer, and has also founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem. Additionally, he has pursued many solo musical projects. His younger sister, Athena, also plays as a drummer. Having received his first set of drum sticks at 4 years old, he received his first kit at 14 and never looked back. He even dropped out of high school in order to properly pursue a career in music, beginning with L.A. club band Suite 19. His influences come from John Bonham, Tommy Aldridge, Alex Van Halen and Terry Bozzio.

42. Tommy Lee

41. John Stanier

An American drummer, he is best known for his time working with alternative metal band, Helmet. Currently, he is playing in experimental rock ban, Battles. Stanier is best known for his speed, endurance, and precision as a drummer. Having grown up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Florida, Stanier knows the local hardcore music scene very well. Stanier endorses Tama drums. Helmet broke up in 1998 sadly, apparently with no hard feelings. “There’s no big story or anything. It was just… time to call it a day. We’d been around for 10 years… no drama or fights or anything like that”, Stanier revealed. Stanier distilled rock drumming to its bare essentials, a move that would reach peak usefulness during Battles.

41. John Stanier

40. Ronald Shannon Jackson

American jazz drummer and composer Jackson, was originally from Fort Worth, Texas. He can be considered a pioneer of avant-garde jazz, jazz fusion and other types of music. It was in 1979 that he founded his own group, the Decoding Society. The band plays a type of funk known as ‘free funk’, which is a blend of rhythm and free jazz improv. Jackson incorporated parade-drumming patterns, African rhythms and funk into a singular, instantly recognizable style. “He synthesized blues shuffles with African syncopations through the lens of someone who gave vent to all manner of emotions,” Reid revealed about Jackson in a 2003 Fort Worth Weekly article.

40. Ronald Shannon Jackson

39. Glenn Kotche

American-born Kotche, is an American drummer and composer most well known for his time with band, Wilco. Gigwise named him the 40th best drummer of all time in 2008, whereas Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him at 82. Kotche has also released various works as a solo artist. His first was called Introducing, the second was Next and the third was Mobile. Kotche brought Wilco an orchestral percussionist’s sensibility, an indie rocker’s experimental urges and some real rockstar chops. Kotche explores accidental and coincidental rhythms in collaboration with So Percussion and other adventurous contemporary music ensembles. Kotche has a unique style that many would dream of possessing.

39. Glenn Kotche

38. Steve Jordan

Another American drummer, Jordan is also a musical director, producer and songwriter. He served as a member of the bands for television shows Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman in the 70s and 80s. Jordan was also a member of Eye Witness which formed together in the early 80s. On the 5th August, it was declared that Jordan was going to replace Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts on their September 2021 tour. Jordan became an honorary member of Stevie Wonder’s band WonderLove as a teenager and soon developed further into a versatile performer equally skilled in extemporaneous jazz fusion as well as sparse, straightforward, soulful rock.

38. Steve Jordan

37. Mick Avory

An English musician born in 1944, he is best known for his role as longtime drummer for British rock band, the Kinks. He remained with the band for a 20 year period between ’64 and ’84. He only left after creative differences with guitarist, Dave Davies. As Kinks’ Frontman Ray Davies matured as a songwriter, Avory would emerge as one of the Sixties more quietly innovative drummers. “I don’t know if Ray’s writing blended into my way of playing or if I blended into the way he was writing”, he revealed. He began playing with The Kast Off Kinks in 1996 and has played with them ever since.

37. Mick Avory

36. Micky Waller

An English drummer, Waller played with some of the biggest names on the UK rock and blues scene. The first band that Waller joined was The Flee-Rekkers, with whom he acheived a No. 23 hit in the UK singles chart. He achieved more notoriety with Joe Brown and the Bruvvers. 1963 saw him move onto Cyril Davies R&B All Stars, replacing drummer Carlo Little. He truly came into his own when he joined the Jeff Beck Group in ’67. He was shown to be the missing link between hard blues and heavy metal that the group needed.

36. Micky Waller

35. Earl Young

Philadelphia-based drummer, Young, rose to prominence in the early 70s as part of the Philly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps. They are best known for their hit record, “Disco Inferno”, which is still regularly played today. Young is one of the owners of record label, Golden Fleece. Young is seen as the creator of the disco style of rock drumming. Young is often acknowledged with popularizing four-on-the-floor bass drum beats, and as being the first drummer to use the hi-hat cymbal throughout the playing time of an R&B song.

35. Earl Young

34. Earl Hudson

An American musician, he is most well known for being the drummer for rock band, Bad Brains. Hudson is the younger brother of lead singer H.R and has not often recorded music for anything other than the band. The band started life as a jazz fusion crew, and Earl Hudson kept his awesome ‘do when the tempos were cranked up to light speed and thrown against a wall. Hudson will certainly be best known for being the chief architect of American hardcore.

34. Earl Hudson

33. Michael Shrieve

An American drummer, percussionist and composer, Shrieve is most well-known for being the drummer of rock band Santa. He appeared as the drummer on the band’s opening seven albums, between 1969 and 1974. Shrieve was only 20 when he preformed at Woodstock, making him the second youngest musician to perform. With Michael Carabello on one side and Jose “Chepito” Areas on the other, Shrieve laid down a tumbling, jazz-infused solo midway through “Soul Sacrifice” that remains a phenomenal memory almost 50 years on. Carlos Santana said in 2013. “He opened a whole new dimension for my heart.” Shrieve went on to work with many people, from the Pat Travers Band to the Rolling Stones, showcasing his adjustable range.

33. Michael Shrieve

32. Pete Thomas

An English rock drummer, he is most well-known for his collaboration with singer Elvis Costello. This is for both as part of his band, the Attractions as well as performing as a solo artist. Alongside working as a studio musician, he has also been a bandmember of Squeeze, which was active during the 90s and of Works Progress Administration during the early 2000s. Referred to as “one of the best rock drummers alive’ by Tom Waits, he was also referred to as the “rock and roll drummer of his generation by some considerable distance,” according to Costello.

32. Pete Thomas

31. Tommy Ramone

Támás Erdélyi, better known by his stage name Tommy Ramone, was the drummer for the Ramones, widely considered as the world’s first authentic punk band in the 1970s. According to Erdélyi, his own drumming was “somewhat unlike a quick drill on a rear tooth,” which is really all you need to know about it. He also offered his songwriting abilities to the group, penning “Blitzkrieg Bop,” which would go on to become one of the most well-known songs of all time, regardless of genre, in the process. The song, according to Joey Ramone, is “a call to arms for everyone to form their own musical groups.”

31. Tommy Ramone

30. Cindy Blackman

Cindy Blackman grew raised in a classical music-loving household, but little did anybody anticipate that she would follow a completely different road in her musical career. When Blackman was seven years old, she went to a friend’s pool party and sat down in front of a drum set, and the rest, as they say, is history. “Just looking at [the drums] touched a chord deep within me, and it felt entirely right from the moment I first laid eyes on them,” Blackman explained. I hit them and realized, “Wow, that’s exactly who I am.” Blackman began her professional career as a jazz drummer, but it wasn’t long before she was invited to audition for Lenny Kravitz, which launched her into a new phase of her career as an arena rock drummer.

30. Cindy Blackman

29. Dale Crover

Dale Crover has been a member of the Melvins, a band located in the Pacific Northwest, since 1983, and has been dubbed “the best drummer in the world” by none other than Dave Grohl. He also contributed to Nirvana’s rise to fame in its early years, recording nine tracks and B-sides for the band’s debut album, Bleach, before Grohl formally joined the group. In the event that things didn’t work out with me, Grohl speculated that they might be able to get Dale on board. Crover’s drumming is influenced by his admiration for Kiss and Led Zeppelin, among other bands.

29. Dale Crover

28. Mick Fleetwood

Mick Fleetwood is most known for his role as one of the cofounders of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. After his family purchased him a drum kit when he was a child, he began to struggle in school and pursue music as a hobby. During the early years of Fleetwood Mac, in the late 1960s, Fleetwood suffered from “rhythmic dyslexia,” a condition that caused him to panic and lose his beat while performing live on stage. In certain situations, he would sing filled pauses in order to keep the tempo. Along with that, he mastered the art of following and anticipating lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, which enabled him to match the guitar rhythm with the drumbeat.

28. Mick Fleetwood

27. Chad Smith

Chad Smith, the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is noted for his traditional funk-inspired beats delivered with the strength and loudness of arena rock. Production executive Rick Rubin was so taken with Smith’s drumming that he hired him to play on other projects. Anthony Kiedis, the lead vocalist of the RHCP, credits Smith’s drumming for encouraging him to perform on stage with innovative dancing techniques. “All I have to do now is close my eyes and listen to Chad,” he explained simply. “It’d be acting if I didn’t do it,” says the actor.

27. Chad Smith

26. Phil Collins

Before he became the great pop vocalist that we all know and love today, Phil Collins worked as a drummer for a number of various groups in the 1970s, including Brian Eno’s Brand X and, of course, Genesis. The late ’70s were the years in which he invented his characteristic gated snare drum sound, which was later emulated by a slew of other performers throughout the ’80s. Following the publication of his smash single “In the Air Tonight” in 1981, he was sought after by major performers such as Eric Clapton and Robert Plant, who recruited him to drum on their respective albums.

26. Phil Collins

25. Steve Smith

In the music industry, Steve Smith is most known for his stint with the band Journey, which spanned 1978 until 1985. Readers of Modern Drummer magazine have ranked Smith the No. 1 all-around greatest drummer for the past five years in a row, while Rolling Stone has praised Smith’s drumming on “Don’t Stop Believin” as “as skyscraping as [Steve] Perry’s skyscraping vocals.” Smith has also been nominated for a Grammy Award. That’s pretty good praise, don’t you think? “How many other people could drive a band like that while also playing the hi-hat?” asked American jazz drummer Peter Erskine of Smith.

25. Steve Smith

24. Fred Below

Fred Below was a legendary blues drummer, whose work on the Chuck Berry classic “Johnny B. Goode” will be familiar to fans of the genre. He grew up on the south side of Chicago, “in a world dominated by music,” as he puts it himself. By the age of 14, Below had formed a jazz band with two of his high school pals, Johnny Griffin and Eugene Wright, both of whom went on to achieve success as musicians in their own right after graduating.

Because Below grew up listening to jazz, he had to work hard to get into the blues genre. It was because it was a style of music that I was unfamiliar with – and that wasn’t taught in school –that I found the blues so fascinating. The information below has been recalled. Therefore, it was imperative that I play it in a way that made sense to me.

24. Fred Below

23. Dennis Chambers

Dennis Chambers, like a few other artists on this list, is a product of the Parliament-Funkadelic school of music. He joined the band in 1978, when he was barely 18 years old, and remained with them until 1985, when he left. Many gospel and hip-hop drummers are said to have been inspired by Chambers’ flamboyant beats, and Rolling Stone magazine compared his timeless drumming technique to that of Buddy Rich (who is also on this list!). Since the 1990s, Chambers has toured the world with artists such as Carlos Santana, Steely Dan, and John McLaughlin, in addition to releasing solo albums.

23. Dennis Chambers

22. Janet Weiss

While a member of the Pacific Northwest punk band Sleater-Kinney, Janet Weiss played a significant role in the feminist riot grrl movement of the early 1990s. Several critics have described her drumming as “primal and forceful.” “Music, in my opinion, is the most urgent of all artistic expressions. Perhaps it’s because I’m physically active… I’m a thug who bangs on things. Our music has a tangible solidity to it. When it comes to being a member of the band Wild Flag, Weiss says, “we’re using every part of our bodies.” Since leaving Sleater-Kinney, Weiss has performed with a variety of bands, including The Jicks, Bright Eyes, Quasi, and others.

22. Janet Weiss

21. John ‘JR’ Robinson

John Robinson, widely known by his stage name “JR,” has been hailed as one of the most recorded drummers in the history of the instrument. On Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall album, as well as smash singles by the Pointer Sisters and Steve Winwood, he has collaborated with famed producer Quincy Jones, among others. “He’s the only drummer I’ve ever asked to do a bar introduction on Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock With You,'” remarked Quincy Jones of his collaboration with Michael Jackson. The drum lick I wanted was something that everyone in the globe could sing along to… “It was sung by them.”

21. John ‘JR’ Robinson

20. Moe Tucker

Maureen “Moe” Tucker of The Velvet Underground is one of the few drummers that can be described as having an unusual style. Tucker’s drumming has been credited with influencing a slew of well-known bands, including Nirvana, R.E.M., and Patti Smith, just to name a few. Tucker performed in the avant-garde manner of the 1960s by standing rather than sitting at the drum set, playing with mallets rather than drumsticks, and avoiding the use of cymbals unless it was absolutely necessary to do so. When Lou Reed commented, “I think Maureen Tucker is a fantastic drummer,” he was referring to Maureen Tucker. “Her style of drumming, which she devised, is absolutely incredible.”

20. Moe Tucker

19. Questlove

Known by his stage name “Questlove,” Ahmir Thompson is a hip hop musician and co-founder (together with Black Thought) of the hip hop group The Roots. It has been since 2014 that The Roots have been the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. As a highly adaptable drummer, Questlove has created a name for himself as someone who can adapt his technique to match the needs of any guest on the show. In the words of Charlie Hunter, a guitarist who has worked with Questlove on occasion, “That’s what’s so wonderful about Ahmir.” “He has the ability to sit in that pocket and drive it while thinking about a larger landscape.”

19. Questlove

18. Ramon ‘Tiki’ Fulwood

In the late 1960s, Ramon “Tiki” Fulwood began his professional musical career as the house drummer at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His discovery was made by Eddie Hazel, the guitarist for the band The Parliaments, who immediately pleaded with the group’s leader, George Clinton, to include him in their lineup the next day. Clinton then pleaded with Tiki’s mother to allow him to accompany the band on tour, despite the fact that Tiki was only 17 years old at the time. His inclusion in the group was a contributing factor to the group’s transformation from a suit-wearing outfit to its now-iconic psychedelic appearance.

18. Ramon ‘Tiki’ Fulwood

17. Alex Van Halen

Alex Van Halen, the lead singer of the eponymously called ’80s rock band Van Halen, is noted for fusing jazz-inspired beats with arena-rock ferocity in his music. But it was his passion for music that was perhaps most astounding since he famously performed as an opening act for The Rolling Stones despite having his hand fractured in four places on stage. ‘He couldn’t even grasp a drumstick,’ observed music journalist Debbie Miller of the musician. In order to keep his stick from falling off his wrist, he knotted it with a shoelace and continued performing.

17. Alex Van Halen

16. Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann

The Grateful Dead established history as one of the first major rock bands to ever employ two drummers, and they continue to make history today. Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann collaborated to design a system in which Kreutzmann put down a steady beat and Hart adopted a drumming style that strayed from the traditional rock style of the time. “The language that Bill and I share is not spoken,” Hart remarked of their on-stage interaction with Bill Clinton. There is a secret language that we cannot describe, and it is expressed through body language, winks, and movement…”

16. Mickey Hart And Bill Kreutzmann

15. Tony Allen

For the period 1968 to 1979, Tony Allen served as the drummer and musical director for Fela Kuti’s band Africa 70, and, along with Kuti, he is widely regarded as a co-founder of the Afrobeat genre of music. Allen has been referred to as “possibly the greatest drummer who has ever lived” by Brian Eno in the past. Due to Kuti’s tyrant-like band politics, Allen was forced to leave Africa 70 in 1979, although he went on to have an impact on a wide range of bands, including Talking Heads and Gorillaz, among others. “I’m a laid-back kind of guy,” Allen stated. “I’m behaving in my drumming the same way I do in my life.”

15. Tony Allen

14. Jerome ‘Bigfoot’ Brailey

Jerome “Bigfoot” “Bigfoot” “Bigfoot” Brailey was a member of Parliament-Funkadelic from 1974 to 1978, when he left to start his own band, Mutiny, which he named after his disdain for then-president George Clinton at the time of the band’s formation. His new bandmates dubbed him “Bigfoot,” most likely as a result of his solid kickdrum abilities. “It’s extremely simple to do funk,” Brailey explained. “It’s all about the excitement of the moment.” Funk emanates from within… My gigs with Parliament have been so zany that I could feel it deep down in my bones, and it’s at those moments that the audience can feel it as well.”

14. Jerome ‘Bigfoot’ Brailey

13. Meg White

Back in 1997, when she was goofing around with future bandmate Jack White’s drum kit, Meg White decided to give drumming a try on the spur of the moment. Inspire by her basic, distinctive abilities, Jack enlisted her assistance in the formation of their own group of musicians. Within two months, they were on the road with The White Stripes, performing live. Meg White is best known now for her straightforward backbeat drumming, which helped to define the White Stripes’ sound during the late ’90s and early ’00s period.

Aside from that, Jack White has nothing but kind things to say about his former bandmate, Chris Cornell. During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2014, he described how he would often gaze at her onstage and think, “I can’t believe she’s up here.” “I don’t think she realized how essential she was to the band, to me, and to music until it was too late.” But the White Stripes disbanded in 2011, and Meg White has not been seen or heard from in the music world since that time.

13. Meg White

12. Sheila E.

Sheila Escovedo, better known by her stage name Sheila E., is a multi-faceted artist who performs as a singer, actress, author, and, most importantly, drummer. Her professional musical career began in the mid-1970s, when she began performing with legends such as Marvin Gaye and Herbie Hancock. Following a live performance she gave with her father in 1977, she was approached by Prince, who expressed interest in having her join his band in the future.

During an interview, she said, “It’s quite amazing how everyone claims how [Prince] affected me, but the truth is that I actually influenced him first.” “When I went to introduce myself, he recognized me right away… and he responded, ‘I already know who you are.’ My interest in your profession has been piqued for a long time, and I think you’re fantastic, and I’d love for you to join my band.”

12. Sheila E.

11. Stewart Copeland

Despite the fact that Stewart Copeland isn’t the most well-known member of The Police, his drumming style has undoubtedly had a greater impact on the band than that of the other two members. It has even been said by Sting himself that the band’s debut album was completely a homage to Copeland’s “energy and focus.” As noted by MusicRadar, Copeland’s “distinctive drum sound and individuality of style have elevated him to the status of one of the most popular drummers to ever sit behind a drum kit.” Since the disbanding of The Police, he has gone on to become a successful composer, having written music for ballet, opera, and a variety of television series.

11. Stewart Copeland

10. Charlie Watts

As Keith Richards recalls, there was a moment when the Rolling Stones couldn’t hire the late Charlie Watts since he was already established with the band Blues Incorporated at the time. He was first reluctant to join the Stones, but they finally won him over, and he became a regular member of the band, his modest style perfectly complementing Keith Richards and Mick Jagger’s. “When we received Charlie, that was the turning point in our lives,” Richards said. “Charlie can run around like a madman and still make you feel good. ” Drum! magazine quoted session drummer Jim Keltner as saying, “That’s his style.”

10. Charlie Watts

9. Mitch Mitchell

Mitch Mitchell was well renowned for his jazz approach and for introducing a heavy improvisational character to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which was a good counterpoint to Hendrix’s guitar playing. Mitch Mitchell passed away on January 25, 2018. Stewart Copeland has stated that Mitchell had a significant impact on all of his greatest achievements during his career. In light of this, it may come as a surprise that Mitchell was only selected for the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966 after winning a coin toss over Aynsley Dunbar, who was the other candidate.

9. Mitch Mitchell

8. Bill Ward

Bill Ward (second from left) was a founding member of the heavy-metal pioneering band Black Sabbath, and he introduced an adaptable technique that almost seemed to emulate R&B rather than hard rock to the band’s performances. As Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk put it, “Bill Ward could be sampled for days on end on hip-hop tracks.” Ward was actually schooled by listening to jazz greats such as Gene Krupa and Joe Morello, which would explain why his approach hasn’t been reproduced by the Sabbath drummers who have taken over for him over the years.

8. Bill Ward

7. Ringo Starr

When it comes to his drumming, Ringo has traditionally been the brunt of a lot of jokes, but in the end, his no-nonsense rock approach was the backbone of the greatest band that ever lived. As a left-handed drummer playing on a right-handed drum kit, Ringo frequently found ways to incorporate his own embellishments and distinctive style into the mix. “He was the guy who we all sought to play like in the studio,” Jim Keltner recalled of the late musician. A similar assessment of Ringo may be found in Dave Grohl, who refers to him as “the king of feel.” “He’s incredibly gentle,” Yoko Ono said about him. And he truly believed in the power of love and peace.”

7. Ringo Starr

6. Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl’s drumming style evolved during the Virginia punk movement of the 1980s, and he quickly gained a reputation as one of the most hard-hitting drummers in the world. He never took professional drum training and instead drew influence from musicians such as Neil Peart of the rock band Rush. In his words, “When I bought [a Rush record] when I was eight years old, it… changed the course of my life.” “I could hear the drums.” It inspired me to pursue a career as a drummer.” Kurt Cobain remarked that Grohl played “louder and harder than anyone I’ve ever met” during his audition for Nirvana and that this impressed him.

6. Dave Grohl

5. Buddy Rich

Buddy Rich, a bandleader and jazz drummer, was well-known for his rapid and strong drumming, which was never at the expense of skill. At the age of four, he was already playing on Broadway and in vaudeville shows, thanks to his self-taught genius status as a child. By the age of 15, he was the second-highest-paid child entertainer in the United States during the 1930s, and he went on to perform in play sessions with artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, among others. Given this, it is certainly not surprising that many people consider him to be one of the most influential drummers of all time, especially in the music industry.

5. Buddy Rich

4. Ginger Baker

Ginger Baker’s name may not be as well-known as that of his former bandmate Eric Clapton, but he has had just as much of an impact on the music industry. Baker was a founding member of both Cream and Blind Faith during the 1960s and 1970s, earning the moniker “rock’s first superstar drummer.” He was one of the first to use two kick drums and to record long solos, making him a pioneer in the genre. Some even consider Baker to be one of the founding fathers of heavy metal drumming, however, he was adamantly opposed to the term “father of heavy metal drumming.”

4. Ginger Baker

3. Neil Peart

It was for very good reason that Rush fans referred to Neil Peart as “The Professor,” as his drumming was renowned for its technical proficiency and incredibly demanding live performances. Peart, a lifelong Keith Moon enthusiast, was a theatrical performer who, early in his career, would produce hard-hitting stamina that approximated hard-rock drumming. He was also a dedicated Keith Moon fan. His style, on the other hand, eventually diverged from Moon’s, and he became noted for his thorough attention to detail and ability to adapt to new situations. Later in his career, he began mixing jazz and swing elements into his music, drawing inspiration from musicians such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.

3. Neil Peart

2. Keith Moon

Due to his distaste for the monotony of traditional rock drumming, the late drummer for The Who entirely reinvented himself and declared himself “the greatest Keith-Moon type drummer in the world.” He was infamous for refusing to play drum solos, but it didn’t seem to matter because he handled the drums as if they were the most important instrument in the band. With his playing, he was also a showman who would break his drum sets on stage to make a spectacle of himself. “His breaks were melodic,” The Who’s John Entwistle, who plays bass, stated. As a result of his efforts, he was unable to play with everyone in the band at once. Fun fact: Moon was also the inspiration for the Muppets’ Animal, who was created in his honor.

2. Keith Moon

1. John Bonham

The drum solo on the Led Zeppelin track “Moby Dick” will help you understand why John Bonham is ranked first on our list of the greatest drummers of all time. Innumerable brilliant drummers have drawn inspiration from him and spent years studying his work in order to develop their own distinctive style.

One of these drummers is Dave Grohl, who said in an interview with Rolling Stone that he “spent years in my bedroom listening to Bonham’s drums and trying to replicate his swing or his behind-the-beat swagger or his speed or his strength.” Getting myself into a position where I would have the same innate direction as he did on those albums was important, as well as memorizing what he did on those albums.

1. John Bonham