# Lead singers who are drummers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571 "2007-08-06T03:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/1 "2007-08-06T03:25:27Z")
Other than Phil Collins, I come up blank. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/2 "2007-08-06T03:41:25Z")
Don Henly. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/3 "2007-08-06T03:46:42Z")
The greatest singer/drummer of them all (not that there are that many): Levon Helm. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/4 "2007-08-06T03:48:26Z")
An offboard [discussion](http://ask.metafilter.com/42852/What-bands-have-drummers-as-lead-singers) on this issue. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/5 "2007-08-06T03:51:25Z")
Grant Hart from Hüsker Dü split lead singing duties with Bob Mould. The drummer from Cowboy Mouth is also the lead singer. ETA: [Scrantonicity!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrantonicity) ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/6 "2007-08-06T04:02:55Z")
Peter Hoorelbeke of Rare Earth was their lead singer. The drummer of the mid-'70s version of The Four Seasons sang lead on “December 1963 (Oh What A Night)” although I don’t know what his name is, and it’s not listed at [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com). Occasionally, Ringo Starr still sings lead while playing the drums, but we all give him a pass for being Ringo. ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/7 "2007-08-06T05:59:30Z")
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters can do it. He was the drummer for Nirvana from “Nevermind” on, and now plays lead guitar and lead vocals for the Foos. He doesn’t often sing and drum at the same time, though. He did, however, have a second drum kit on the stage last time I saw the Foos, and he and the drummer had a “drum-off” that was really good. Henley drummed and sang lead quite a bit. I know he did on “Life in the Fast Lane” on Hell Freezes Over. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/8 "2007-08-06T07:12:35Z")
[QUOTE=fishbicycle] The drummer of the mid-'70s version of The Four Seasons sang lead on “December 1963 (Oh What A Night)” although I don’t know what his name is… [/quote] Gerri Polci was his name. And he shared lead with Valli. Frankie did the bridges. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/9 "2007-08-06T08:15:16Z")
Buddy Miles. I seem to remember that Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Peter Gabriel (Genesis) and Peter Wolf (J Geils Band) all started out as drummers. ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/10 "2007-08-06T09:07:52Z")
Jim Rutledge, Bloodrock. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/11 "2007-08-06T09:13:08Z")
Karen Carpenter ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/12 "2007-08-06T09:13:31Z")
Didn’t Mickey Dolenz sing a lot of Monkees songs? Wikipedia says yes. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/13 "2007-08-06T09:15:51Z")
two women drummer/singers: Georgia Hubley from Yo La Tengo Shivika Asthana from Papas Fritas ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/14 "2007-08-06T10:51:11Z")
Keish from the Hard Ons. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/15 "2007-08-06T10:56:26Z")
Karen Carpenter ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/16 "2007-08-06T11:18:38Z")
I don’t believe the use was needed, and neither did some people that were in better position to know than I… > [@](#): > > MacArthur biographer William Manchester has described MacArthur’s reaction to the issuance by the Allies of the Potsdam Proclamation to Japan: “…the Potsdam declaration in July, demand[ed] that Japan surrender unconditionally or face ‘prompt and utter destruction.’ MacArthur was appalled. He knew that the Japanese would never renounce their emperor, and that without him an orderly transition to peace would be impossible anyhow, because his people would never submit to Allied occupation unless he ordered it. Ironically, when the surrender did come, it was conditional, and the condition was a continuation of the imperial reign. Had the General’s advice been followed, the resort to atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki might have been unnecessary.” William Manchester, American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964, pg. 512. > [@](#): > > “During his recitation of the relevant facts, I had been conscious of a feeling of depression and so I voiced to him my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary, and secondly because I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of ‘face’. The Secretary was deeply perturbed by my attitude…” Dwight Eisenhower, Mandate For Change, pg. 380 I think McArthur had it right on- if the US had initially agreed to allow the Emperor to remain, a surrender could have been achieved without the bomb. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/17 "2007-08-06T12:08:24Z")
Ringo Starr ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/18 "2007-08-06T12:19:58Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] I think McArthur had it right on- if the US had initially agreed to allow the Emperor to remain, a surrender could have been achieved without the bomb. [/QUOTE] Gosh! I didn’t even know MacArthur could drum! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/19 "2007-08-06T13:04:13Z")
Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine (and as a solo artist), though I believe he had to give up the drums after he broke his back. Jim Capaldi of Traffic occasionally sang lead. He did sing a lot of harmony vocals for the group. Emitt Rhodes, since he did play drums – as well as all other instruments – on his albums. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571/20 "2007-08-06T13:10:51Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] I think McArthur had it right on- if the US had initially agreed to allow the Emperor to remain, a surrender could have been achieved without the bomb. [/QUOTE] Especially if we’d’ve air-dropped Buddy Rich on the suckers. 😃 In other news, I read the header as **Lead singers who are _dummies._** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-drummers/414571.md?page=2)