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