Not the “best of all time,” but Greg Errico of The Family Stone was awesome.
Where is Peart in that list?
And not a single metal drummer on there? Huh?
Count me among the increasingly amusing number of voters for Neil Peart.
Lots of supremely great drummers listed here. Posting just to say…Roy Haynes.
No Clyde Stubblefield or Jabo Starks?
Neil Peart.
I will second the outrage OUTRAGE that both Neil Peart and Stewart Copeland were left off the list for they are both equally the best and, I believe, will one day merge into some sort of Drumming God of Percussion that will usher in a new age of funky beats for all of us to enjoy.
It is kind of silly to compare rock drummers with Jazz drummers. I don’t know why Tito Puente isn’t on the list, the man could rock a conga and it’s really not fair to penalize
Of the listed people Max Roach is my favorite because of the musicality he brings to the instrument and the music he wrote to play against.
If you are going to run another poll you should break out Jazz and rock drummers though. The Jazz greats won’t ever get a fair shake against the Rush fans on this board.
Came in to say exactly this! Also love me some Mickey Hart.
Good plan! And any new polls on Drummers or Drumming I do will not have an Other option!
I still welcome criticism and input in the linked thread upthread.
It is great to see this amount of interest in the subject!
Yeah. If I had to name my three favorite rock drummers, Stewart Copeland would get the nod, too, along with Bonham, and probably Phil Collins (even though I’m not much of a Genesis fan.) But it depends on context. Do I want a bluesy, behind-the-beat swagger with a lot of rock swing? Bonham is my boy. A propulsive, punky yet rhythmically intricate drummer that pushes the beat? Copeland. On-top-of-the-beat progressive rock power, without precision and soul? Collins.
Had to go with Buddy Rich. He’s superhuman!
My personal favorite drummers, though, would be (in order): Stewart Copeland, John Bonham, and Steve Gadd.
But, still, Buddy’s the best.
That would certainly be news to scores of pro drummers, many of whom you probably are very much impressed by.
Ooh, good choice! (Of course, those who raised their eyebrows at anyone describing Ringo Starr as “great” will no doubt be mystified by this, too.)
Also, the late Jeff Porcaro was certainly no drumming slouch.
Also, anyone who calls Buddy Rich a “hack” is someone who’s overly fond of utilizing hyperbole.
Am I the only one who thought of Bobby Caldwell?
I’ll throw Charlie Watts into that same circle with Ringo and Levon - the centre which holds the rest of the band together without doing anything particularly flashy. Levon gets extra points for being able to keep some great time and feel while singing freely…
I have a preference for Krupa, but Buddy Rich a “hack”? I agree. I can’t see any reasonable metric by which one could consider Rich a hack. I mean, you can dislike him as a human being if you want, but his drum skills are unassailable.
A second for Ginger Baker. Kinda sad to not see Mitch Mitchell listed either. I’d also have to put Danny Taylor (Silver Apples) up for nomination as well.