# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/81 "2011-06-18T17:50:24Z")
I must be on lots of people’s Ignore Lists! At the risk of boring those who did notice [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13904459&postcount=12](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13904459&postcount=12) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13904655&postcount=17](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13904655&postcount=17) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13904791&postcount=26](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13904791&postcount=26) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13907277&postcount=51](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13907277&postcount=51) Here are some other recent threads on Drummers and Drumming where further discussion about the proper polls to be posted might be better held. > **[What Drummers Fall Below the Mickey Dolenz Line?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=612638)** > > This thread made me consider who some of the \*worst \*rock/pop drummers of all time were, but it’s hard to construct a poll with a lot of candidates for worst drummer of all time. Still, I thought it’d be fun to rip on terrible drummers, because... What Drummers Fall Below the Mickey Dolenz Line? 06-15-2011, 09:44 PM bup Yesterday 07:11 PM by ralph124c 57 1,810 Cafe Society > **[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 06-13-2011 07:47 AM by Zeldar 56 1,406 Cafe Society > **[Pick the best drummer of these five (See OP before voting)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611952)** > > Listen to as much of these clips as you need to before picking the drummer that you feel is the best of the five. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5mDDD2\_I94 Steve Gadd - drum solo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stPpXxkcd\_8 Omar Hakim - Drum solo ... Pick the best drummer of these five (See OP before voting) 06-10-2011, 05:15 PM Zeldar 06-11-2011 07:42 PM by Tamerlane 10 484 Cafe Society > **[Calling all Doper Drummers and fans of Drumming!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611881)** > > The thread Next week is Drum Solo Week on Letterman! started 06-04-2011, 10:46 AM by Dietrich K is developing into a discussion about building a poll or polls for Greatest Drummer or something of the sort. If you have interest in drumming and... Calling all Doper Drummers and fans of Drumming! 06-10-2011, 08:20 AM Zeldar 06-14-2011 08:00 AM by Zeldar 5 280 Cafe Society ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/82 "2011-06-18T19:19:28Z")
I see one mention of Mickey Hart above. He should certainly be in any general discussion of great and important drummers, maybe as much for his expansion of the reach of rock drumming as for his actual performances. He advanced the incorporation of certain non-Western traditional instruments, then invented a few entirely new ones, and _then_ made notable contributions in the area of percussion-driven synthesizers. Bill Kreutzmann is also as solid as they come. Sometimes the Rhythm Devils were the best part of a Grateful Dead show. “We’re not in the entertainment business, we’re in the transportation business. We move minds.” ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/83 "2011-06-19T03:15:37Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > I voted other. > > Animal. 😃 My answer exactly. A-ni-mal! A-ni-mal! ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/84 "2011-06-19T04:06:51Z")
Keith Moon. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/85 "2011-09-19T01:45:02Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > And yet when picking the best movie, you had no problem. > > There’s one in every group… Uh, that’s a joke. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/86 "2011-09-19T01:46:02Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I sincerely agree. > > The best drummer ever is Levon Helm. One of my favorites as well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/87 "2011-09-19T18:31:49Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Am I the only one who thought of Bobby Caldwell? No. His performance on the first _Captain Beyond_ album is one of the best I’ve ever heard. I think that album would be much more famous today had it not been for the band name, album name, and album cover, all of which were idiotic. . ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/88 "2011-09-19T18:34:57Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Mickey Dolenz. I’ll see your Mickey Dolenz and raise you Dave Clark. . ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/89 "2011-09-19T19:07:23Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Neil Peart. Seriously… Peart didn’t even make the list? ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118/90 "2011-09-19T20:37:24Z")
I’d vote for Neil Peart…if he was on the list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-best-drummer-of-all-time/585118.md?page=4)