What’s the difference between a drummer and a drum machine?
You only have to punch a drum machine ONCE to make it keep time correctly.
Seriously, the best drummer I’ve seen recently is Antonio Sanchez, who plays with the Pat Metheny Trio.
Oh yeah! I saw him backing up Joni Mitchell about ten years ago. He was pretty amazing.
Keith Moon makes the drums talk. No comparison.
These, plus Roy Haynes. Among drummers I’ve seen live, I’m partial to John Betsch, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Ben Riley.
A hard-core blues nutcase’s opinion: You can’t get finer than Freddy Below. He also knew the best rib joints, chicken shacks, & chili parlors in ChiTown! 
I used to hate Keith Moon, but I’ve since come to respect him, if not actually like his style of playing. I must say, he did have some of the most idiosyncratic drum parts ever and really played those drums with his own distinct voice. I cannot think of a single other drummer that approaches the kit like him, and that is part of why I have to respect and admire him. When I hear post-Keith Moon Who, it sounds all wrong to me. It sounds like a completely different band. I think that is the mark of a great drummer. And while we’re add it, I’m going to add Ringo Starr to the list for this reason.
Mitch had a tough job, being part of only a three-man group, and made a significant contribution to the bass/drummer combination of the rhythm section. Kudos to him and also the late Al Jackson Jr. who worked so closely with Duck Dunn of Booker T and The MG’s.
Most of the soul groups I played drums for, I used Al’s licks on my Ludwigs.
Quasi
If hotness is a consideration, Meg White.
Glenn Kotche
Doug Clifford
Kenny Aronoff
Mini-Hijack: I feel bad that Fogerty didn’t recognize Doug and Stu when Creedence was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame.
Those three really need to mend fences.
Back to the thread.
Q
Love the drummer jokes!
One of my favourites is Stanton Moore, he was awesome with Corrosion of Conformity on their last album.
My favorites are:
Keith Moon.
John Bonham.
Phil Rudd.
They’ve both already been mentioned, but my two favourites are Tony Williams and Clem Burke. Both fantastic players.
Stanton Moore rules.
I have a bit of a mancrush on Ken Schalk because of this vid.
Morgan Agren kicks a lot of ass.
Dave Witte is the man.
Have to agree. Stewart Copeland and many, many others do wonderful things, but I keep coming back to these three. I will add a shout out to Ginger Baker, simply because his tom-tom beat on Sunshine of Your Love - and my abilty to pick it out and understand how it drove the song - was an essential epiphany in my listening skills as a kid.
From a jazz standpoint, I have always tried to understand **Max Roach **- between him for bop and **Buddy Rich **for swing, I learned how to listen for jazz drums.
I can’t believe I forgot about Joey Baron!!! Definitely one of the best drummers around.
I’ve been listening to “A Christmas Gift to You From Phil Spector” a lot this season, and I find the drumming of Hal Blaine absolutely breathtaking! It’s a shame his name doesn’t show up more in these “Who’s Your Favorite Drummer” threads.
I was always a fan of Buddy Rich and Ed Shaunessey back when I was playing the drums as a kid. Later on, I developed a real appreciation for Phil Collins as a drummer. More recently, I’ve really gotten into the highly under-rated Tony Thompson as well as Funk Brothers Uriel Jones and Benny Benjamin.
Antonio Sanchez.
(zoom ahead to 1:50 or so)
Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks