# Who is/was the Best Drummer of All Time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118 "2011-06-11T15:40:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/1 "2011-06-11T15:40:06Z")
Poll on the way. Source: [Choose Your Drummer - Drummerworld](http://www.drummerworld.com/drummerchoice.html) Top 15 Drummers of all time in alphabetical order: Louie Bellson John Bonham Dennis Chambers Billy Cobham Vinnie Colaiuta Steve Gadd Roy Haynes Elvin Jones Gene Krupa Joe Morello Buddy Rich Max Roach Ringo Starr Dave Weckl Tony Williams ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/2 "2011-06-11T15:47:21Z")
Joe Morello. You can close the poll now. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/3 "2011-06-11T15:49:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Joe Morello. You can close the poll now. Roger that! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/4 "2011-06-11T15:52:10Z")
Neil Peart. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/5 "2011-06-11T16:06:11Z")
Art Blakey ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/6 "2011-06-11T16:08:06Z")
Bill Berry ---
**Author:** ![scruffycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scruffycat/32/200_2.png) [@scruffycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scruffycat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/7 "2011-06-11T16:20:42Z")
Keith Moon ---
**Author:** ![turner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/8 "2011-06-11T16:33:59Z")
Another for Neil Peart ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/9 "2011-06-11T16:40:58Z")
D.H. Peligro ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/10 "2011-06-11T16:53:19Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Neil Peart. Agreed! ---
**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:** [June 11, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/11 "2011-06-11T17:01:20Z")
> [@scruffycat](#): > > Keith Moon I don’t recognize the names of many of the drummers in the original poll, but any such poll which omits both Moon (who gets my vote, as in “post and say ‘Who’”) and Peart, but includes Ringo Fucking Starr (who doesn’t suck but doesn’t belong within a light year of such company) is highly suspect, at best. I’d recommend a reload, or perhaps a nomination thread first. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/12 "2011-06-11T17:07:34Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I don’t recognize the names of many of the drummers in the original poll, but any such poll which omits both Moon (who gets my vote, as in “post and say ‘Who’”) and Peart, but includes Ringo Fucking Starr (who doesn’t suck but doesn’t belong within a light year of such company) is highly suspect, at best. I’d recommend a reload, or perhaps a nomination thread first. Funny you would mention that. > **[Next week is Drum Solo Week on Letterman!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611151)** > > Rejoice! Here’s the lineup. What do you think? Obviously, I’m goddamn pleased as fucking punch about them rounding out the week with the Professor. And I really dig Sheila E. and Roy Haynes. And and it’ll be cool to see the World’s Most... Next week is Drum Solo Week on Letterman! 06-04-2011, 10:46 AM Dietrich K ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/13 "2011-06-11T17:19:45Z")
Jan Axel “Hellhammer” Blomberg. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/14 "2011-06-11T17:57:48Z")
Neil Peart ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/15 "2011-06-11T18:11:09Z")
Danny Carey gets my vote. Reason: He participates in music I love. None of the other drummers do. What good is virtuosity if the result is blended into an unsatisfying product? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/16 "2011-06-11T18:13:40Z")
Buddy Rich with a side-order of Keith Moon. Also y’all are mistaken. Neil Peart is not a drummer. He’s a man struggling with a drum addiction :). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/17 "2011-06-11T18:24:28Z")
This thread and poll have been another trial to find a reasonable way of dealing with issues raised and discussed at > **[Next week is Drum Solo Week on Letterman!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611151)** > > Rejoice! Here’s the lineup. What do you think? Obviously, I’m goddamn pleased as fucking punch about them rounding out the week with the Professor. And I really dig Sheila E. and Roy Haynes. And and it’ll be cool to see the World’s Most... Next week is Drum Solo Week on Letterman! Started 06-04-2011, 10:46 AM by **Dietrich K** and with several people offering ideas and suggestions for how to go about polling such a huge topic as Drumming. Please join in that discussion and with any luck we can have a much smarter poll to replace this one! ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/18 "2011-06-11T18:36:50Z")
Neil Peart. ---
**Author:** ![Docta\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Docta\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Docta_G)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/19 "2011-06-11T18:54:54Z")
Ridiculous question. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/20 "2011-06-11T18:57:43Z")
> [@Docta\_G](#): > > Ridiculous question. How so? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118.md?page=2)