The Greatest DRUMMER of ALL TIME?
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- Опубліковано 3 лип 2022
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Andy is a drummer, producer and educator. He has toured the world with rock legend Robert Plant and played on classic prog albums by Frost and IQ.
As a drum clinician he has played with Terry Bozzio, Kenny Aronoff, Thomas Lang, Marco Minneman and Mike Portnoy.
He also teaches drums privately and at Kidderminster College
Buddy’s words were when questioned by a nurse before surgery, “is there anything you can’t take?” He answered “Yeah, Country Music”. What a character he was.
Not even a mention of Tony Williams? Technically amazing, and one of the most conceptually innovative and influential drummers of all time. Vinny, Steve Smith, Weckl and a whole generation of contenders for "greatest drummer ever" all love Tony. If I had to pick one guy, it would be him.
There's an argument that Tony and not Cobham might have been the precursor of fusion drumming and Louie Bellson is probably the first double pedal user.
Absolutely. The first name to come to my mind.
Superyes, Tony is a glaring omission
When I saw the thumbnail headline, I thought, Tony Williams. There are those who think Tony Williams is the greatest drummer of all time and there are those who are wrong.
@@gaggle57 Suffice to say that you are not wrong.
The one drummer that really has moved me with his playing is the great Roy Haynes who btw is 98 years old now!
In terms of influence, Animal from the muppets has reached millions of young people.
Yeah, but his style is kinda influenced by other people
I love Bill Ward and Ian Paice. Rich live is an awesome sight.
I think Joe Morello and Louie Bellson are worth a mention, especially Joe's influence on Bonham with the use of hands in a solo also Louies first use of double bass drums.
Important names without a doubt!!
Absolutely! Joe is my favorite drummer ever
Yeah I'm there with you on Joe Morello.
I always felt that Louie was a well liked gentleman with great chops, but overrated as a drummer. His double bass drum work was nothing of merit -- just a novelty gimmick. And all his solos sounded the same.
absolutely those 2...giants... i think im right in saying bellson died on stage? he was playing still into his 80s
Neil Peart spent his teenage years in my city, we named a pavilion after him mate.
Elvin Jones is fantastic, a commanding presence and so inventive. But for virtuosity and versatility my top choice is Jack DeJohnette. Jack can do everything tremendously well. He excels in every context. He can do the heavy stuff in electric bands and he can play acoustic jazz with wonderful subtlety.
And is still playing amazingly well at age 78! I saw him a few months ago leading a tribute to electric Miles and he was phenomenal. A force of nature behind the kit. Truly inspiring.
Jack DeJohnette
ya hes my fave all time, but still gotta give it to buddy
Loved this video. It really makes you think!
This was a blast to watch....to listen to your answer unfold. Fantastic!
Manu Katche, Omar Hakim, Stu Copeland, Tony Williams ….man! So many good drummers! (And I’m a guitar player lol)
One of the most unique drummers I’ve ever seen was Gary Husband who is also a BEAST keyboard player.
Man.
So many gifted people
So many gifted people.
I saw Buddy live in 1980 in London, absolutely incredible, the best for what he did. Interesting you touched on the subject of why Buddy still amazes today, now that’s down to his artistry, and many drummers have that special feel but with Buddy his artistry was incredible eg his cymbal technique, dynamics etc and I saw first hand what he did back in 1980 with a four piece kit and young players he had in his band, that changed me forever. Both him and Krupa were superb
Great, sensible discussion. Thank you.
When I think of drummers whose drumming I want to listen to, it's one you didn't mention at all. Stewart Copeland. He was a technician, had a unique style and his drumming fit the music. Like Neil being the best drummer Rush could have had, Stewart was the best drummer the Police could have had.
Wow! I swear as I was reading these comments and thinking of what I was going to add; I read your comment and realized I didn't need to bother!!!👍
Agreed. I'm late to the party having listened to Stewart for nearly a decade without fully realising quite how amazing he was/is. And then only discovered in the last 5 years what I'd missed. Right at the top for me.
@@danguee1 You might want to listen to Sting's solo stuff too. He knew how to pick drummers. Omar Hakim, Manu Katche, Kenwood Dennard, etc. All fantastic
my guess is you're going to say buddy rich
my favorite is elvin jones - it's not the chops but how complex his rhythms are, like there are 3 different things happening at the same time - especially the 60's coltrane live recordings are unlike anything else I've ever heard from a drummer
Thanks, Andy. Enjoyed the discussion.
Another great video. Very insightful. I will have to break out my Grandfather’s old record collection of Benny Goodman albums and take more note of Gene Krupa’s work.
Ian Paice on the drummmms YESSSSSSS!!!!
My personal favourite is Phil Collins, but there are so many! You didn't mention Stewart Copeland, Chester Thompson or Barrimore Barlow...or Jeff Porcaro.
It's impossible, right?
Being a non-drummer myself, I guess I fall for the ability to be 'in the song' while elevating it with mastery of the instrument.
John Densmore from The Doors also had something unique...
It’s disappointing to me that no one talks about Procol Harum’s “octopus in a bathtub” drummer, B. J. Wilson. Far from the best drummer of all time, but a truly great rock drummer - well up there with Bonzo. Listen to Procol”s live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra some time. He was one of the very few drummers who was placed up front right on the stage. Gary Brooker thought he was the key to their sound and he was right. Trouble is that there are very few clips of him playing. I will keep reminding people of him as often as I can…
Love them all. Best drumming gigs I ever saw were 7 that right now I can think of. Peart Hemipheres tour Rush. Joe Satch gig I saw. Jonathan Mover was awesome and stole the show. The Who. Moonie 76. RTF UCLA 76 Tony Williams. Zappa 78 I am thinking it was.. that was Vinnie C OFC. Terry B. with Jeff B and opening for Tull Night after Night UK. And NOT mentioned in 1980. Greek Theater. There and Back tour. Front row pit center. Jeff playing 5 feet away for a whole gig. Simon Phillips!!! Played the best drumming gig I have seen. UA-cam has the gig at the Greek. I think the great MIke M recorded it.
Billy Higgins. From Ornette Coleman to Jackie McLean to Dexter Gordon to Donald Byrd, nobody swings and propels a band with the seemingly effortless dexterity and invention of Mr. Higgins. There are lots of great drummers. He's my favorite. His name on a record cover guarantees I'll take it home.
My approach is to be as “Melodic” as I can while keeping in the tempo and beat of any song. I use my toms in various rhythm patterns to create a melody within the segments of the song that flows with the main melody. My favorites are Phil Ehart, Neil Peart, Frank Beard, Nick Mason, Simon Philips. They all play in a melodic style with large kits.
I know he's not the best drummer technically, but I don't think there was ever a more exciting drummer than Keith Moon. Every song was like a drum solo all the way through, especially when playing live. He never just played the beat. What he did was beat up the drum kit as if it had made an untoward remark about his mother's virtue. I saw the Who live at Charlton Athletic back in the 70s and they were amazing. Keith Moon played with such energy that it almost exploded into chaos, but not quite. No other drummer has ever had me on the edge of my seat like Keith Moon.
Keith most original rock drummer ever. Every song was like a piece of art work.
Great video. To start with thought you had boxed yourself into a corner....but you worked that through very logically.....well done sir!!!!
Thanks Dave...I'm getting better....
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer I love your videos Andy!!
My new Santana influenced album RITUALS was released today!!
@@davestephens6421 Well stick a link in my Santana video....
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer oh bless you Andy. Thanks
Great job Andy on this one! I'm not expert in drummers but you said almost word by word what I would said on that subject. And at the end Buddy Rich of course. I've been raised with older brothers who listened to Buddy Rich and sometimes I watch Rich vs Monster of Muppet show or Jerry Lewis, etc. Rich was available for these shows and it helps for his popularity today. He was quite interesting in interviews too.
Saw the vid where buddy rich plays a 3-4 min drum solo deploying numerous techniques while the rest of the band largely watches. I could watch that vid 20 times on a loop. Incredible.
Music is chemistry and collaboration.
I have seen many live shows, some of the greatest musicians from the last 60+ years, Sting, the Police, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Weather Report, Jack DeJohnette, Bruford's Earthworks, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, King Crimson, Yes, ABWH, ELP, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Zappa, Bowie, SRV, Jeff Beck, Rush, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Santana, the Grateful Dead to name a few. Saw Buddy once, after his bypass surgery. As I compared him to all the other musicians, he struck me as the one who was BORN TO PLAY what he was playing. His mastery was as effortless as breathing.
I think you are right...Louis has this on trumpet, Charlie Christian on guitar...they are the definitive musician on that instrument
been clicking on all your stuff lately
Ian Paice converting Rich to Rock!
Buddy had incredible hands and was a real entertainer.. Papa Jo Jones was the most natural drummer of all time, so relaxed.
I agree
Great explanation for your choice of Buddy Rich. I think the same would apply to Art Tatum in a piano great ranking. May not love the recordings of both of these artists but no denying the talent and influence .
For me the drummers that move me emotionally are as follows Mitch Mitchell, Jack de johnette, narada Michael Walden Sean Rickman
MICHAEL PORTNOY is a monster..
HAL BLAINE.his fills are etchedin every musicians bag of tricks. HAL BLAINE.
You have to be lucky to enter as a drummer the lime light but I always will remember Andre Borgman on the album Decipher of the band After Forever only to be eclipsed bij Daniel Presland of Ne Obliviscaris. They both play not only extremely skillful but are part of the the whole sound experience of the songs.
Greatest how? Great in technical virtuosity? Great on being an influence to many? Great on being a musician first and be part of a larger artistic experience? Great by pushing the envelope and be able to switch and successfully adapt to music styles, preferences?
Some drummers played essentially with the same band (same genre) all their lives while others played with many musicians across a broad spectrum of styles. Some drummers never composed anything and others were leaders, composers, teachers, pioneers.
So, how do you measure greatness?
I like Al Jackson Jr. drumming on those tunes with Al Green
One of the most innovative drummers I've ever heard is Drumbo (John French) on the early Captain Beefheart albums. He hits his kit with every drum having almost equal emphasis. Nothing sounds like it.
Apart from Arthur Tripp. Bill Bruford is another to travel obscure musical paths. Chris Cutler is a bizarre player, and Charles Hayward has had his eccentric moments on the kit too.
I saw French,Frith Kaiser and Thompson in a 75 person room. It was something.
certainly a tough one . . . can't argue with Buddy though. personally I couldn't ignore Hal Blaine, who inspired me to start playing drums at the age of 8, even though I had no idea who he was, I only figured out 30 years later was the guy he played on all the records that got me so excited as a kid that I had to start banging things. Billy Cobham remains the touchstone of technique and innovation for me and Buddy Rich was a major inspiration, but along with the drummers you mentioned I'd include Charlie Watts, Tony Williams, Jimmy Gordon, Mitch Mitchell, Stewart Copeland, Elvin Jones, Ian Paice . . .
HAL PLAYED TIMELESS FILLS FITTING PERFECT WITHIN A SONG.FILLS THAT ARE LEGENDARY.HAL HAL HAL.!!!
Billy cobham
Gene Krupa was my first ever influence learning his solos note for note and of course Buddy and Max Roach. Vinnie/Steve Gadd/Weckl were my later influences
Will listen to this tomorrow, I hope you talk some Pierre Moerlen.
Bruford, Peart and Moerlen are my favourites.
Also Ordy Garrison.
There are very few true music/cultural critics of this depth on this channel. Most are just (mostly) guys listing their top whatever or reaction videos from know nothings. I remember reading Greil Marcus on Bob Dylan and h ow fascinating Marcius is.. Your knowledge , range, perception and intellectual prowess is just a pleasure to be with, even on topics I know little about.
bloody love the fact that i found this channel
100percent agree.
Well, I never saw this one coming...I thought Tony...maybe Elvin, Cobham or Gadd.
I liked the Stream Of Consciousness video. Well-done!
Glad you enjoyed it...will do more
I’ve been waiting for someone to do a video with this topic. I’ve heard many contemporary drummers refer to drummers of the late 30s thru the 50s with great reverence. I understand the respect they have for those who came before them. Those drummers of yesteryear created the foundation of how drums are played today. But I always wondered that yes, early drummers created a fundamental but that drummers like Cobham, Walden, Bozzio..elevated that fundamental or added much much more to it. Could Krupa, Rich play in the odd time signatures and make it musical?
I’m not a drummer but a great appreciator of percussionists. I’ve had the exact question of who is the best drummer. Of course Krupa and Rich’s names popped up but I didn’t want them to be. I wanted the best to be ‘my’ favorite drummer.
If anyone doubts Buddy's funky chops check him out here ua-cam.com/video/JyqfkhyE7GY/v-deo.html
One of the best channels on UA-cam. Good stuff!
Appreciate that
Phil Collins favourite drummer was Tony Williams. He was also a Cobham fan, as I spoke to him at a Cobham gig. (I had to name drop)
Saw Buddy Rich, John Bonham, and Phil Collins - I also really enjoyed hearing Paul Thompson, Alan White, and Ian Price. Wish I'd seen Art Blakey and Elvin Jones (and Keith Moon)!
Tony Williams
vinnie Colaiuta
Buddy Rich
John Bohnam
Billy Cobham
Joey Jordison
Max Roach
Bill Bruford
Ginger Baker
And tied for tenth:
Gene Krupa, Dave Weckl, Chester Thompson, Carl Palmer, Dennis Chambers, Mitch Mitchell, Chad Wackerman, Mike Portnoy + every 17 year old phenomenon I’ve never heard and next year’s Guitar Center drum off champ.
Love your approach to this question Andy and how you took us through this dialogue that evaluates drummers based on multiple criteria. You are correct in terms of how many of these drummers were perfect for the groups they were in: Neil Peart - Rush; Ringo - The Beatles etc... This is validated by the following thought experiment: Imagine Keith Moon playing in The Beatles. Yikes!!! It would have been a disaster from Day 1. Or Ringo in Led Zeppelin? Bonham was perfect for Zep; Moon was perfect for The Who; Ringo was perfect for The Beatles and......
Thomas Lang and Colaiuta are my favourites
Jacob Armen?......ua-cam.com/video/J99dDdCotPg/v-deo.html
...and I'm sure Buddy would agree with you. Buddy was fantastic. I remember seeing Buddy on TV when I was a young drummer and being amazed at what he was doing on just the snare drum. I remember thinking "how can a human do that?". And Buddy was on TV a lot back in the '60s and '70 here in the US. Probably the most well known drummer in the country back then. That being said, my favorite jazz drummer is Elvin Jones. Innovation supreme. Sure can't argue with anyone on your list. Any "Greatest" list always brings to mind the (sort of) other side of the coin - the "underappreciated" list. IMHO, in jazz I would include on that list Shelly Manne (50s-60s west coast hardbop), Mel Lewis (countless recordings and the Thad Jones/Lewis Lewis band), and Sonny Payne (50s Count Basie who could swing like crazy). In rock, its gotta be Ian Paice (the vastly underrated Deep Purple drummer). And I'm sure there's more. Maybe a subject for a video?
I have done a video...whats makes a drummer great, and a few others on that subject...
Andy, I’m surprised you didn’t include pocket/groove as one of your criteria, i.e. the ability to be a great “pocket drummer”. Because for me as a cover band/ wedding band keyboard player, the drummer I always want to play with is the one who creates an unmistakable pocket the instant they drop in, and that’s what elevates the song and gets the feet tapping and the heads nodding in the crowd!
Here we go..
My take on who's the "best" drummer is a little different. I have four criteria: 1. chops; 2. creativity; 3. versatility; 4. impact (on drumming/music, not necessarily the same as popularity). On the basis of these criteria I choose Billy Cobham because Buddy Rich didn't play all styles (although he probably could). Also Billy is a greater innovator than Buddy. In the end, it depends on your criteria.
Buddy played fusion in the seventies and covered a huge amount of styles in the jazz world from big band jazz, through brush work, bebop drumming etc. Buddy's influence in drummers is absolute and he was a huge influence on Vinnie. But Billy was who was in my head when I started the video.
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer I don't have a problem with Buddy (he's probably the #1 in most people's mind) but in my view Billy is the consummate drummer/musician. He's also a composer and educator. In this regard, the one that would compare him with from the big band era is Louie Bellson.
You’re a very interesting guy to listen to, I enjoy your content and points of view as much as any other of my youtube subs. Can you link to the greatest guitarist video in the description? Thanks.
You’re looking very groomed these days, with the salt and pepper matching headstock of beard and hair. Like a prog-fusion Rick Beato!
Cool, thanks
Buddy seems like logical choice. He always seemed more precise than anyone else before or since and could do more with a snare than most could achieve with a big kit.
I still remember Buddy Rich on Parkinson playing with one arm as the other was in a sling and his drum battle with animal on the Muppet show.
Have seen when he gets Buddy tap dancing and then in walks Sammy Davis Jr? Brilliant interview
Yeah, i also thought of Buddy. The criteria kind of defines technical proficiency on the drums, right? And i never saw anybody else had that much command over the sticks like he had. Wasn't he also a moeller-guy? Listen to his left hand 🎉 awesome
After watching this video, I went and watched some Buddy Rich videos, including some of the stuff he did on the Tonight Show. My biggest impression of Buddy Rich is that he almost had too much life for one body to contain -- you're almost waiting for him to explode -- and that's the way he played the drums as well. But he only seemed to play at one dynamic level: LOUD.
Buddy Rich is my personal pick ,
Jeff Campilelli has been the biggest drumming influence on me - just incredible
A friend of mine plays in the Nardia Michael Walden band and just loves him
Billy Cobham is amazing
Gene Krupa
Steve Gadd
Then the list goes on and on and on. 😂
I have seen Buddy Rich video slowed down and every beat of a fast double stroke roll was absolutely perfect in time, dynamics and execution. Technical perfection. He was supreme in a small combo but was known for his big band gigs and showoff solos. To really appreciate his genius you need to listen to his lesser known recordings where he compliments the music with unbelievable sensitivity!
Andy, you make me laugh! I love that about you! I'm writing these words right now right from the middle of this video, not knowing what conclusion you will arrive at, if any. But you crack me up how you're working your way along. You've just mentioned Gene Krupa. And several other drummers popped into my head when you said his name. You know, Max Roach, Joe Morello, Buddy Rich, Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey etc etc. How many jazz musicians has Art Blakey (the Art Blakey "jazz academy") influenced who have gone on to influence everyone else? I just love your spontaneity with all these videos and the light hearted way you approach all of these unanswerable questions : )
Elvin Jones joe morrello and Tony Williams for me but there are so many!
Hello Andy I am such a fan of your presentations I'm 75 years old and have been a student of drumming since I'm 14 play professionally in top 40 Rock and show bands for 16 years six nights a week and live to speak about it who is the greatest drummer of all time is still up in the air right? I certainly agree with the names that you brought forth. There are just so many more!! It's like asking who's better Bach Beethoven Debussy Chopin Count Basie Duke Ellington or even Cab Calloway who had a totally Kick-Ass band I'm always fascinated by your thought-provoking and insightful presentations thanks
So you have been playing for 61 years!!! You must be pretty good then!
HA HA no just a listener with ears... Actually i've been an Acupuncturist for the last decades .But I still have a nice kit set up where I kick out some time figures and have fun ... Thanks.
If I'm not mistaken, the drummers in the thumbnail are: Mayer, Grohl, Cobham, Peart, Narada, Ringo and Sugarfoot.
buddy rich live at ronnie scott's is a fantastic album. but there are so many great and under rated drummers out there. russell gilbrook, stewart copeland, nicko mcbrain, steve gadd, simon phillips, andy edwards … endless list!
Ha! Russell is a mate of mine...he used to call me A+E....thanks for including me on that esteemed list
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer lovely!! i took my daughter to see UH in Cardiff last month, and we went up to our seats in a lift with Mr. Gilbrook. lovely chap and he certainly hits his drums very hard!!
Yes
I'm a rock guy and don't really know jazz that well, so my list will be skewed. Here are the ones I appreciate the most, in no specific order ... they're the ones I've heard and/or seen play:
Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Chester Thompson, Ian Paice, Phil Collins, Bill Bruford, Carl Palmer, Barriemore Barlow, Terry Bozzio, Stewart Copeland, Chad Wackerman, Mick Fleetwood, Neil Peart, Nigel Olsson, Nick Mason, Chad Smith, Michael Giles, Steve Gadd, Bill Ward, Terry Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Densmore, Paul Thompson, Narada Michael Walden, Michael Shrieve, Ringo Starr, Taylor Hawkins, Ralph Humphrey, Clive Bunker, Ainsley Dunbar.
Couldn ´ t agree more with your choice. But it reminded me of a quote by Joe Zawinul to one of his fine drummers, don ´ t know which: if I ever catch you doing 16 ths over the toms, you ´ re sacked. And this brought me back to Billy Cobham to whom I took a certain reserve, if only in hindsight: let alone virtuosity, does one really enjoy so many (syncopated) 16 th or 32 nds when listening to music or is it just showing off skillfulness? I prefer drummers that just support the song: Ringo, Steve Gadd, Harvey Mason, even Keith Moon with Who.
I can not stop laughing at this one Andy. Because we all don't want to say Buddy Rich, but it always ends up being Buddy Rich. I have the same problem when talking about the greats, and my conversations go pretty much exactly like yours. The fact that a Jazz drummer from the 30s onwards can play proper funk (and convincingly so), and bring to it his lifetime of outrageous chops which you don't normally hear in funk, is realy something. He doesn't play it like Cobham, or Mason, Bohnam, Lenny,
Chester, Clark, Garibaldi. Although you can make out the Jabo n Clyde influence except with his whole array of chops built in from the previous 40 years it realy is one of the best things to listen to rhythmically speaking. Notice that he doesn't play a bossanova though (not that I could find anyeway which is my only BR reservation) Great vid Andy.
Carl Palmer Stewart Copeland
This is the best discussion about the greatest drummers historically I have seen.
My number one has rotated with the top spot going to Krupa, Bonham, Vinnie, and Buddy.
My current list is :
(Let me know who you would remove or add)
How can you leave out Carl Palmer
@@brucebrown73 I have Carl in a tie for tenth place
@@johannhauffman323 wow. I’ve seen most, and Carl rose to the top in my books. Top 3 I felt.
The most frequently sampled drummer in hip hop is the funk drummer Clyde Stubblefield. So as an objective measure of impact on pop culture, perhaps he should make the list.
Boris Fiske of the Pus Casserole. The best - hands down.
Keith Moon was another one of those great band member drummers. Like Ringo Starr, in how he complemented what the band wanted to achieve.
Hi Andy.. and all you ‘skin’-heads out there..
Sorry to be 3 months late to the party but I’d just like to say that.. in terms of trying to come up with an answer to
“Who is the greatest drummer ever with an addendum of.. who was innovative and fantastic in their own right but who also, not just supported their lead instrument in the band (or singer) but also helped to fully realise the lead instrument player’s’ ‘vision’ it would be Elvin (RIP).
Sadly I never got to see him.. but I bet it would’ve been.. ..Emotional!
Thanks
Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Roy Haynes, Manu Katche, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones, Bernard Purdie, Max Roach, Buddy Rich, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Bruford, Jeff Porcaro, John Bonham, Stewart Copeland, Omar Hakim, Jo Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Terry Bozzio, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke. There's your Top 20. Put them in any order you want.
I was vibing Gene Krupa at the screen, but my mind-powers are obviously not strong enough. 😂
Clearly I'm going to have to work on them as hard as I have to on my left-hand tones... 🤪
I don't know, but Bonham is definitely the most sampled and is present (Presence) in more recordings than anyone else.
Having said that, who introduced the backbeat?
Great video Andy! There's an old joke about Buddy Rich (I'm sure you've heard) -- After Buddy's death one of his former sidemen repeatedly called Rich's home and asks to speak with Buddy. After the third call, the reply from Rich's widow was "Buddy's dead - why do you keep calling?" "I know -- " the sideman replies " -- I just like hearing it."
In terms of influence you have to give it up to Gregory C Coleman, drummer with The Winstons and inventor of the 'Amen break, which lies at the roots of hip hop, Jungle/drum' bass and dance based music at large. Sad to say they didn't get a sniff of royalties at the time and he died broke and homeless.
Drumming is not a area on which I feel able to add much. However, having seen many bands over the years, I personally have only seen one drummer who was able to carry a great, but underrated, rock band in front of a thousand people but also able to front a genuine jazz combo in a small smoky jazz club with personal warmth and character and that is the late Jon Hiseman. Not only a great drummer but also the front man in both bands as well as being a recording engineer and music producer, with all the responsibility that carries.
Jon was not technically the greatest drummer of all time but, in terms of his breadth of impact across the music industry over so many years, I can't think of any drummer with more significance.
Richard
Andy I understand your subjective take on the "greatest drummer" , I think Bellson is also up there as is Alan Dawson ( Brubeck and many jazz sessions), was amazing, as was little know Paul Johnson (The Peddlers), who has been one of the most innovative players I have heard, his intelligent fills and improvisation.....amazing, check out The Peddlers " Live in London". From an instrumental rock angle, Marco Minnemann does is for me, in this era.
Alfonse Mouzon, Ian Paice, Walden, Cobham, Gadd, Blakey, my fav. unranked
Bonzo!
I'll take Billy Cobham best of all time , theres a reason why Neil Peart did a buddy Rich tribute record. my favorites though are Bill Bruford Simon Phillps , N Peart. V Callaiutta .for jazz I always liked Jack Dejohnette. of course all those pioneer player philly Joe Jones Ringo, keith moon list goes on . Stuart Copeland did some nice things.
I think it was Dee Dee Chandler in the late 1800s (New Orleans) that was the first to attach a pulley to a bass pedal to free up his hands for the snare drum.
He was...he may well be the most important single musician in terms of how 20th century music developed..
I expected that Edward will say something unexpected.
Near to end I started to suspect that Bruford will be named N1
Karen Carpenter had the greatest voice.
Buddy Rich, though not an "innovator" per se (because his soloing "innovations" were things that only HE could do) can be seen as the epitome of big band swing drumming.
I think it makes sense Andy chose him, he was next to Krupa the most influential drummer or all time, but he specifically is also an alien at the drums, doing things at the kit that nobody else has been able to fully replicate up until today.
I thought Andy was gonna choose Cobham or Gadd, I'm pleasantly surprised he chose Buddy, given most critics tend to understate his influence when in fact it is HUGE: Weckl, Colaiuta, Paice, Bonham, Mayer, Bissonette, Collins, Ward, Copeland, Smith, Carey, Chamberlin, Palmer, Chambers and even young guys like Nekrutman.
Buddy’s Achilles Heel was his left hand. That’s why few drummers can imitate his playing.
Carl Palmer is one of the most underrated drummers no one ever talks about
Thank God there are so many great drummers to listen to. I've been playing for almost 40 years and love all the drummers mentioned.
I would have to say that as far as rock goes, if you came right down to it, the two drummers always mentioned are Peart & Bonham, yes there's also Moon, Baker, Ringo...but in the end the two biggest influences are Peart & Bonham no question. Those two guys are the yin and yang of rock drumming.
As far as jazz goes, I'd have to go with Krupa & Rich with Tony Williams in there as well. When it comes to fusion, Billy Cobham takes it easily. Prog, I would say Bruford and Palmer.
Honorable mentions for me would be Ian Paice who hardly ever gets a mention, the underrated Michael Giles, Mitch Mitchell's jazz influence on rock, Phil Collins' work with Genesis is amazing, Bill Ward might not be the most technical but he influenced tons of drummers. Too many greats. Always a great discussion.
Having a set of discernible categories is a great start and I must agree with yours. Your 'favorite' drummers at the start are fantastic. But I am surprised you didn't mention other Zappa drummers than Bozzio in your run down. Perhaps the top 10 (you like groups of ten it seems) would be more fair. I'll bet you come up with a list soon.
While Buddy should be near the top it, seems to me he was much more a technician than a musician. Now I must confess my ignorance, since I myself am not a drummer. But I think your top 10 list in addition to Krupa and Rich must include Ringo and Bonham. Yikes only 6 left! Well yes, Cobham must be on it. For me one of the innovative, technical and perhaps most MUSICAL is Phil Collins. Not just that he could write a tune and could sing, but because he brought all of that into his drumming. He would be up there with Cobham and Bonham.
Would Ruth Underwood be considered (or is she more a percussionist)? Anyone who can hang with Weather Report must also be considered....Hakim? I heard him live with WR and was blown away. And I can't slight Vinny or Steve Gadd (Steve IS on my list). Oh, and Ginger Baker. Well, I quit. I am over 11 and must include Copeland. Impossible. And I do like Bruford and so many more. Hell, I am just going to say the best drummer is a tie. Bonham and Collins!
Please watch my video on Terry Bozzio....
Oh shite. Gadd with DiMeola at the country club in reseda.
Any of the drummers in Spinal Tap. They gave their lives for their art.
There are just too many drummers to name to single out any one.
There's a good reason for naming Buddy Rich as the greatest of all time. The fact that he was always so technically brilliant, yet always played to the song. What people always overlook about Rich is his time.
It's really sublime what he brings to anything he performs. This is never more evident than his playing for small trios and other small combos during his earlier years. More poetic than Tony Williams; and Williams is another one that could be mentioned.