Greatest Rock Drummers

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!

There is never a single "best" in any art form. Both Hendrix and Segovia are great, but they can't be compared to each other. The same is true of painters, composers, writers, etc. It's not a foot race where one will have the best time - these people are going to different finish lines!

But there are some great drummers who haven't been mentioned here:

Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull)
Danny Seraphine (Chicago)
Terry Bozzio (Zappa)
Colaiuta (mentioned already, I know)

And that's just rock. We won't even get into jazz. But the same holds true - there is no single "best" in art. 

Did anyone mention Michael Shrieve? He was just a pup at Woodstock and earned his post as the drummer for Santana because of this performance.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZceAQSJvc

I just saw Keith Carlock playing with Steely Dan last night in Dallas. It was the finest drum kit performance I have seen live that wasn't straight ahead jazz. His Aja solo was terrific and his own. It paid homage to Steve Gadd without sounding like Gadd. Carlock is 47 years old. Worth seeing if you get the chance.