Posted on 02/10/2011 9:55:55 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
Last weekend we asked our readers to name the greatest drummers of all time. Everybody from Eric Carr to Animal from The Muppets got votes, but Led Zeppelin's John Bonham led the list by a significant margin.
1. John Bonham - Led Zeppelin 2. Keith Moon - The Who 3. Neil Peart - Rush 4. Dave Grohl - Nirvana/Foo Fighters 5. Ringo Starr - The Beatles 6. Buddy Rich 7. Stewart Copeland - The Police 8. ?uestlove - The Roots 9. Ginger Baker - Cream 10. Michael Shrieve - Santana/Sammy Hagar
As big a fan of Peart as I am...he isn't top 3...top 5 yes. Buddy Rich is the greatest that has ever lived and that is just a fact. Bonham was a giant and he too deserves a top 5 nod but #1? No.
So many great drummers out there.
My top 10 is
1. Buddy Rich 2. Billy Cobham 3. Dennis Chambers 4. Neil Peart 5. John Bonham 6. Mike Portnoy 7. Carter Beauford 8. Marvin Smitty Smith 9. Danny Carey 10. Vinnie Paul
Bill Bruford
Billy Cobham
Terry Bozzio
Just wondering - where would you put Gene Krupa on that list?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Benny Goodman lately.
Gene Krupa, Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham. Hell, since about 1950 till his death whoever Miles had playing at the time rates ahead of most of these guys.
Bonham? That’s just sad.
These young folk have never heard Sing, Sing, Sing.
Lame. If they put Ringo Starr on that list they might as well put Fleetwood Mac’s drummer too. And however Phil Collins may have ruined Genesis as a singer / songwriter, he’s still a helluva drummer.
Ginger Baker is pretty funny too. Awful drummer.
Chick Webb, "The daddy of them all".
-Buddy Rich
Say what you will about his schmaltzy pop songs, but Phil Collins should be in the Top Five.
How about Sandy Nelson???
That turkey could never even do a decent drum roll! I suppose he did have rhythm though........
Agreed. Buddy puts everyone on this list to shame. Peart would be the first to admit it. Buddy is the only deceased drummer that is still spoken of in the present tense: “I love it when Buddy plays on the bottom of the high hat.” or “I love Buddy’s single stroke rolls. He’s so much faster than anyone else.”. He was a freak of nature the likes of which will never be seen again.
Definitely top 20 for sure...Krupa was a giant but in what I have seen with my own eyes and all around versatility the guys on my list really can go all out into different genre’s and literally explode and make it work.
Neil Peart not #1 = list is horsesh*t
Vinnie Colaiuta is the greatest drummer who ever lived. Terry Anybody who ever played with him will tell you so...Bozzio will too.
Phil is in my top 15. He misses my top 10 because he hasn’t really given a whole hell of a lot to drums as much as he should have in the last 15 years and playing 5 songs in a show doesn’t count.
Bill Bruford should be in the top 10. Steve Gadd too.
Done in one take.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGmB7Jksl5k
I could think of a bunch more drummers better than their list.
Vinnie Colaiuta is the greatest drummer who ever lived. Anybody who ever played with him will tell you so...Bozzio will too.
I base my assessment of Phil more on the bootlegs of the live shows during the Gabriel-era.
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