Best Rock Drummers

Just reading through this list, and some truly amazing talents have been mentioned. More than a few!  It gives one pause, as someone who has been a player (and will be returning to the passion soon, as retirement is affording me). But I do need to mention a few more:

Louie Bellson (introduced using double bass drums)

Gavin Harrison (truly astonishing talent)

Steve Gadd (one of the most acclaimed studio drummers, nay musicians ever)

Just out of curiosity, how many posters to this thread are, or have been, drummers?

Listen well and enjoy it all.

I started drum lessons at 5 years old in 1967. My parents bought me a set in 1968. I played up through college then gave it up. I liked Jazz more than Rock. My influences were Philly Jo Jones, Art Taylor, Paul Motian and lately Joey Baron.

I should clarify, transcribing Joey Baron recordings while playing with Masada,

In Rock, to me the most musical, melodically that there was is Ringo Starr. he didn't need to be an army marching in on a thunderous, deafening attack. he was just the right drummer for the Beatles. He made it all look simple. I saw the likes of Karl Palmer, Keith Moon, Charlie Watts, Nick Mason, Stewart Copeland, etc., but I still prefer Ringo.

Not a rock drummer but excellent.

Buddy Rich: Drum Solo - 1974 - YouTube

Ringo’s drumming on Rubber Soul is fantastic! So is his drum sound. For whatever reason his playing on Revolver---as well as the sound of his drums---changed dramatically on that album. But then the sound of the whole group had changed too.

Another very musical drummer rarely mentioned is Kenny Buttrey, the Nashville studio drummer heard on Dylan’s John Wesley Harding and Neil Young’s Harvest, amongst many others (Blonde On Blonde, Self Portrait, Ringo’s Beaucoup Of Blues. Ringo loves Kenny’s playing). He is also real good at getting a great sound, his 1960’s Sonors sounding fantastic on Harvest.

Currently there is Harry Stinson, playing drums and singing harmony in Marty Stuart’s band The Fabulous Superlatives. You can also hear Harry on multitudes of albums recorded in Nashville over the past few decades. He too gets a great sound out of his 1960’s Rogers drums. He is also a studio harmony singer for hire, apart from his drumming.

One of the best drummers I’ve heard live is a guy named Jim Christie. I didn’t see him when he was in Dwight Yoakam’s band, but rather with Lucinda Williams. Fantastic! A Jazz drummer out of NYC, he uses his formidable chops in a musical fashion, in service to the song. In the circle I travel in, THAT’S what makes a drummer great.