Greatest Rock Drummers

I would agree the various studio drummers listed above are probably the greatest overall drummers recorded (Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Jim Keltner, etc.). Yes some will go on tour  with certain acts (James Taylor/Steve Gadd), but I don't think they are correctly classified as "rock" drummers. I saw The Killers this weekend. The Killers’ Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. rocked his drums for 2+ hours non-stop. Terrific show--I highly recommend it. Is he the greatest rock drummer ever? I doubt it. Do we know who was or is? No. Does Vannucci play with power, speed, and creativity plus know what a rock drummer needs to do in concert to make the audience feel good about spending big money to be there? Yep.  
 

Say what you will about John Bonham, he was the perfect drummer for LZ. He defined their sound, often imitated but never duplicated.

Even the great Carmine Appice can't play Zeppelin...

https://youtu.be/lC2DOsS88hw

Forgive me if I post this wrong..

Jethro Tull "Improvisation #9"

I was reminded of it when I heard on the radio the other day.. F...#ig Awesome!

Stewart Copeland

Sting wrote great melodies and lyrics and Andy was a brilliant rhythm and lead guitarist but Copeland is what actually made the Police really interesting vs everything else at the time. I remember hearing Message in a Bottle for the first time and being immediately mesmerized by the drums. This is a rare thing to experience in music. Roxanne is a pop hit that is really a Tango! Crazy ideas that somehow worked. Image if Roxanne had been the Bossa Nova that Sting originally envisioned.

A great innovator

https://youtu.be/pWfP3GHMgqc

The late Richie Hayward of the immortal band LITTLE FEAT!