I am a drummer. Okay, I was. I played in marching band, wind ensembles and orchestras in high school, and was never more than mediocre. I must pause here to apologize to the amazing and wonderful Lida Beasely, the orchestra director at my high school and one of my favorite teachers of all time. She insisted that we be percussionists and considered “drummer” a demeaning title. As in “Jon Penn, stop acting like a drummer!”. Ouch. The fact remains that I am proud of the fact that I was a drummer, especially since my dad was a drummer as is my son. We all did the marching band thing, Dad on snare, me on bass and Nicolas on quads. Far out. We were also all three percussionists and did our time in the orchestra. Apparently my dad was quite good, playing with the Charleston, WV Symphony at like 17. And I know my son is very good, because I’ve seen him. Also because the music director at his high school, an absolute stud who knows of what he speaks, said of Nicolas: “the kid can play the fuck out of the timpani”. And not for nothing he did in fact play that timpani in Carnegie Freaking Hall. Right?
Heartwarming story break. I often wished that my dad could have seen Nicolas play because he would have been beyond proud. On the aforementioned night that the Arlington High School wind ensemble played at Carnegie Hall, I pulled Nicolas aside to tell him that very thing so that he might not only further appreciate how much it meant to me, and would have meant to my dad, but also to know how much I wish Dad could have been there. I needn’t have bothered. Nicolas responded by showing me that he was wearing a pair of my dad’s old cuff links that I had given him and said “but he is here”. I’m not crying, you’re crying. Back to regular scheduled programming.
So, yeah, drumming is something I love and know just enough about to appreciate. I tell you this because I want you to love it, too. Drummers are so often overlooked and underappreciated. They sit in the back, they don’t really get to play to the audience and are often relegated to a literal back-up role in many bands. And there is an odd dichotomy to drumming in that in some ways you are supposed to fit in and not be a distraction – there is a school of thought that some of the very best aren’t known to be such because they do their job so well you don’t notice them. Like sports referees, sometimes you only remember them if they make a mistake. Someone like Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones fits that bill. Charlie was an insanely talented jazz cat but spent his career being the foundation on which one of the most aggressive bands in history could build their crazy house. Keith Richards said he could always do whatever he dared because he knew Charlie had it covered. He was great because you didn’t hear him. But here is more to it than that.
Drummers set not just the time and tempo but the tone. They are the pulse, the heartbeat, whatever, but the best also establish the attitude. The parallel examples of Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins speak to this. Foo Fighters don’t work without the Dave/Taylor power. Go back to Nirvana with Grohl just beating the everloving hell out of his kit. I would send you all the way back to Scream but those videos are pretty crappy. Then watch Hawkins. It is no accident that the Foos first drummer, William Goldsmith, didn’t last long: he didn’t drum enough like Dave and Dave knew what he wanted Foo Fighters to be. The kit men also don’t get enough credit for what a band actually sounds like.
Whether subliminal or overt, you are hearing those drums – and cymbals! – and how they sound, as in the actual noises they make, are having a huge effect on the overall aural experience. There is a reason some of those kits are so huge. They have different sounds for different contexts and most of the greats are constantly tinkering and refining those sounds. Go listen to some Traffic (I am not doing links to songs or bands because god forbid I could send you to your non-preferred streamer) and really lean into what Jim Capaldi’s drums sound like and how much it contributes to that amazing and unique Traffic sound. It is worth noting that Capaldi was a principal songwriter for Traffic and way beyond a drummer, so it isn’t too surprising.
It is also really fun to marvel at the pure skill of drummers. Stop to consider that they are using all four limbs, are in almost constant motion and adjusting where and how hard they contact all while having to keep time. We kind of take it for granted but it is really pretty amazing. And don’t get me started on drummers who sing. That shit ain’t right. There is definitely a place in my heart for the technicians, the savants, the virtuosos. I love it when I can’t even figure out what they’re doing, fever mind how. Some of them will come up below.
Now that I’ve kind of explained my love of drummers and what they do, here are some of my favorites. It is a mashup of all of the above and in no way intended to start a GOAT debate. These are just the drummers I admire, marvel at and just love to listen to. Caveat for the jazz fans: I am mostly not going there because I am appallingly ignorant of both the genre and its best practitioners. Sorry. In no particular order.
John Bonham, Led Zeppelin – Bonzo regularly tops greatest drummer lists, for what they’re worth, and while I don’t necessarily agree, I lead with him because he brings all of the above traits to the kit. He was heavily influenced by the jazz greats and obviously among the best in sheer mechanical skill. Zep sounds like Zep – and there few bands more readily recognizable – in large part because of the timbre of Bonham’s kit and his compelling drive. So meaty, so thumpy and so heavy as to be leaden. I swear to god that was not an intentional pun. A good example of it all. By the way, I highly recommend the rock doc that came out this year, “Becoming Led Zeppelin”.
Neil Peart, Rush. You will never get pushed back harder talking about drummers than if you claim Peart isn’t the greatest to someone who thinks he is. It is crazy. For my money, he runs away with the sheer prowess, technical ability, virtuoso title. He does ridiculous shit and does it faster and cleaner than anyone. Things made much more sense to me when I found out that not only did he compose his drum parts but did it in conjunction not just with guitar and bass but also the vocals. You know, like you do. Jeez. But it might be the thing that makes him incredible that keeps him from the top of my faves. Can you be too clean, too perfect? Maybe. But huge props for also being the principal lyricist for the band. There are lots of Peart drum solo videos, but I prefer this one watching him play during “Tom Sawyer”. I wish you could see his feet.
Bill Bruford, Yes and King Crimson, among others. Prog rock can be hard on a drummer. There is so much synth and guitar effects and atmospheric stuff. Thankfully, the best of the genre, like these guys, are also almost inevitably rhythmically complex to the extreme. Enter Bill Bruford. What a beast. Not only is he keeping up with the likes of Rick Wakeman, Chris Squire, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp and Tony Levin – holy crap – but taking whatever that cast of mutants wanted to do and going beyond. Take a listen to “Roundabout” by Yes. I chose this over any King Crimson, which is probably Bruford’s best, because not only have you probably already heard it, but it really is a great example of him doing so much and then doing more. It is hard not to be distracted by the absurd bass of Chris Squire, but try.
Keith Moon, The Who. It is a good thing that Moon the Loon played with one of the great bass players of all time, John Enwistle. There was never a greater drummer who was so all over the place. You can almost find the beat most of the time, but sometimes listening to Moon was like heating a drum kit thrown down a flight of stairs. And it was awesome. If you can remember Rock Band and Guitar hero, I defy you to go play with Moonie. He just doesn’t do anything the way you’re supposed to but somehow gets it there. Sooo much fun and sooo hard. Make no mistake, he could not have done all of that crazy flying around if he didn’t have serious chops. I love this video for so many reasons: it is quintessential Keith (they had to tape his headphones to his head because they needed him on time but he kept losing them during his antics; you get to watch him be the utter goofball that he was, best drum face ever; and watching The Who goof off is a treat. And speaking of ridiculous bass, go here and start at 2:35. Rock Band thought this was the guitar track because there was no way in hell it was bass. Jesus, John.
Stewart Copeland, The Police. I probably enjoy listening to Stewart more than any other player on this list. He is just so much fun! Also a veritable mutant in terms of prowess and technique, I think what sets him apart is his creativity. He is a student of rhythm – check out “The Rhythmatist” – and always on the look out for new feels and styles. I swear he never plays the same lick twice and has more fills for the same spots than anyone I can think of. He is also one of those drummers who defines the sound of a band. This was finally even acknowledged by Sting. I got to see them on their reunion tour and his Stingness said as much, right there on stage, far out. Fun fact, Copeland played on both “Red Rain” and “Big Times” on Peter Gabriel’s So because of his hi-hat mastery. Oh, and he has a whole other career writing scores for film, TV and video games. But he’s not talented at all, no. He is also a stone weirdo. I love him. He is very active on the net, but just going here and then scrolling gets a bunch of good stuff.
Ringo. See what I did there? So iconic that is all you need. Mr Starkey is easily the most divisive drummer to be discussed in greatest lists. Full confession, for a very long time I considered him the weak link of the Beatles and was dismissive about his drumming. I was dumb and wrong. Ringo is amazing. That whole “so good you don’t notice him thing” I talked about earlier? He’s it. His drumming fits so well you don’t even realize that he is not only making the music better, he might even be what makes it work at all. And he does it differently in every song. And he did it with four drums! I probably wouldn’t have figured this out if not for Rock Band. Remember that I copped to being mediocre at best early on, so when the family was jamming – amazing family activity, by the way – I figured I was safe on the drums because who couldn’t play Ringo. Well, I couldn’t! What he does is amazing and different and often really goddamn hard! Come to find out part of the reason some of this was true, especially the different and hard parts, was because Ringo was left-handed but never got a left hand kit. Aha! I have had so much fun basically listening to The Beatles all over again with my new found love and admiration for Ringo. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention that another reason to love him is that he so obviously loved drumming and had so much fun at his kit. These guys explain it very well.
D.J. Bonebrake, X. I consider it a crime against humanity that I have never, not once, seen this absolute monster of a drummer on a best of list. Ranker had a Top 250(!) that Don Henley was on (really?) that D.J. didn’t make. Grrrrr. I know of my bias towards all things X, but c’mon people. You have only to drop the needle on Los Angeles, anywhere, to recognize his ability. So clean, so precise, so bloody fast. He metronomic in his ability to keep time – very useful in the band as John and Billy could, ah, meander – is matched only by his creativity while doing it. But to see him play live is to become a disciple. I lost count years ago how many times I have seen X play, but over forty years he has never not made my jaw drop at least once. He got better even if a little less explosive – that video of Grohl wailing is close to D.J.’s early power – but never slowed down. He was 69 the last time I saw him – which will be the last time, much to my heartbreak – and was still just nuts. He is also goofy and fun and I take great glee that he followed the same path as the Penn boys – marching band to orchestra to albeit briefly for us, to the kit. I have just realized as I wrap this up that it is very likely that I love D.J. so much because he brings everything I have talked about regarding great drummers to the table. He has the tone setting and drive of Bonham, the chops of Peart, the stretching of Bruford, the lunacy of Moon, the creativity of Copeland and the band defining sound of Ringo. I’m not saying he is as good at all of those things as all of those guys, but he brings them all. A drummers’ drummer, many of the modern greats bow to and are inspired by him. I wish he would get his due. All hail D.J..
Other must mentions: Tre Cool, Green Day, just insane; Martin Chambers, The Pretenders, what a sound; Moe Tucker, Velvet Underground, they had a drummer? – exactly; Levon Helm, The Band, singing and oh so part of the sound; Meg White, White Stripes, innovative and tight; Chad Smith, RHCP, goes head up with Flea, what else do you need to know; Questlove, The Roots, cool as the other side of the pillow; Carl Palmer, ELP, brought an orchestra mindset to prog rock; Ginger Baker, Cream and Blind Faith, put jazz into a power trio.
And I know I said I wouldn’t go into jazz, but I have to mention having the incredible good fortune to see Buddy Rich play, and up close. In the auditorium of my high school if you can believe it. I still don’t know how that came to be. There are no words. He sat down with his band – classic big band with sax row, trumpet row, trombone row, bass, guitar and piano – and started to play. Just noodling, goofing off, riffing while he chatted. He would pick a song out of his head, tell the band, who would then wildly scramble to get their books open to the right chart, and off they would go. The song would end, he would keep going and they would do it again. He never stopped and did utterly mindblowing stuff so casually it just didn’t seem possible. What a gift to have seen him.
Next time you’re listening to your favorite stuff, don’t forget the drummer. They’re working hard back there and deserve some love. Thanks for reading.