# Lead vocalists who play drums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026 "2006-05-02T00:46:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/21 "2006-05-02T22:35:06Z")
Chris Mars, drummer for The Replacements, later released several solo albums (on which he sang and played most of the instruments). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/22 "2006-05-03T00:07:31Z")
Fred LeBlanc of Cowboy Mouth. A great singer with the kit up front. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/23 "2006-05-03T00:17:10Z")
Pete Rivera of Rare Earth. Pretty distinctive voice, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/24 "2006-05-03T00:32:10Z")
Neko Case played drums in Cub before becoming a solo artist (singer/guitarist) and also singing in the New Pornographers. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/25 "2006-05-03T01:47:18Z")
I believe Stevie Wonder played the drums on many, if not most, of his studio recordings in the 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ass_For_A_Hat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/26 "2006-05-03T01:56:54Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Well, if we limit consideration to drummers who were the primary lead singers of their bands… > > 1. Levon Helm of the Band. I’m not a Band aficionado, but if one of them was to be considered the primary singer, wouldn’t it be Richard Manuel? Also, Grant Hart of Husker Du sang lead on his 49% of the group’s songs. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/27 "2006-05-03T02:11:24Z")
Speaking for us “non-famous” drummers who also sing, the last band I played for allowed me to sing lead on the old Stones cover “It’s All Over Now” (we did the Molly Hatchett version, which is more of a “talkin” tune, so I was able to carry it off pretty well.) **However** , when it came time for harmonizing, our sound man very wisely turned my mic off, so I _looked_ like I was singing, but didn’t conflct with the voices singing lead. 😃 Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/28 "2006-05-03T06:14:53Z")
> [@CrisLander](#): > > Technically not what you asked for, but Dave Grohl was Nirvana’s drummer and is Foo Fighters’ lead singer. I think he has done the drums in more than one of Foos’ songs too. He did sing lead on one Nirvana song I’m aware of - a B-side called “Marigold.” Speaking of which, Kurt Cobain was a former drummer (as was Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, and probably plenty of other singers I don’t know about). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/29 "2006-05-03T12:32:01Z")
The drummer from Grand Funk sang _We’re an American Band_… **Andy Sturmer** sang for **Jellyfish** **Jim Capaldi** sang some of of **Traffic** ’s songs, IIRC \*\*Tim O’Reagan \*\* of **The Jayhawks** ---
**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:** [May 3, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/30 "2006-05-03T12:48:39Z")
> [@Ass For A Hat](#): > > I’m not a Band aficionado, but if one of them was to be considered the primary singer, wouldn’t it be Richard Manuel?. The Band had three lead singers: Helm, Manuel, and Rick Danko. Helm was lead singer on “The Weight” (with Danko), “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “Rag Mama Rag.” Manuel did “Tears of Rage,” “Chest Fever,” “I Shall Be Released,” “King Harvest (Has Surely Come)” and “The Shape I’m In.” Danko did “Stage Fright,” among others. No one was really primary, though the three best-known songs all had Helm as lead. ---
**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:** [May 4, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026/31 "2006-05-04T01:14:32Z")
One more: Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues occasionally did vocals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-vocalists-who-play-drums/355026.md?page=1)