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10 The Best Drummers of All Time

Today it is difficult to imagine any of the modern musical genres without drum rhythms. Often, the drummers are leaders and ideological inspirers of groups, write poetry and music, and sometimes even manage to sing! We invite you to learn the outstanding heroes of percussion, who left their mark on the history of "classical" rock.

Keith Moon (1946-1978)

The Who was the drummer of the group who was one of the first who brought the drums to the forefront, raising the role of this instrument to a new level in the rock band. The style of playing Moon was on the verge of genius and insanity - a fast and highly professional drumming game was superimposed on the "explosive" behavior of the drummer on stage. Moon became one of the most famous musicians of his generation and was later recognized as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music.

Phil Collins (born 1951)

In five years, parents gave Phil a toy drum kit, and this was the start of his dizzying musical career. In 1969, he received his first contract as a drummer for the Flaming Youth group, and a year later he responded to an ad that said: "The ensemble is looking for a drummer with a good sense of acoustics." The ensemble was an innovative prog-rock band, Genesis. After the departure of vocalist Peter Gabriel in 1975, the team listened to more than four hundred applicants, but the microphone was given to a talented drummer. Over the next twenty years, the group has become one of the most popular in the world. Comparing with Genesis, Collins worked with the jazz instrumental project Brand X, and in the early eighties began to produce solo albums.

John "Bonzo" Bonham (1948-1980)

For 10 years of playing in Led Zeppelin Bonham has become one of the greatest and most influential drummers in rock music. In 2005, the British magazine Classic Rock put him in the first place in the list of the best rock drummers of all time. The first skills of playing drums John acquired at the age of five when he assembled a self-made installation of boxes and coffee cans. The first real installation, Premier Percussion, he received as a gift from his mother at the age of 15. During the first Led Zeppelin tour of the United States in December 1968, the musician made friends with the drummer Vanilla Fudge, Carmine Eppis, who recommended him the Ludwig drum kit - her Bonem used until the end of her career. The rigid manner of playing become in many respects a characteristic feature of the whole style of Led Zeppelin.

Iain Pace (born 1948)

He is the only one member of Deep Purple, who was there throughout the entire existence of the group. Of course, he is recognized by critics as one of the best drummers in the world. In his early youth, Pace was more interested in the violin, but at the age of 15 he switched to percussion and began to accompany his father, a pianist, playing waltzes and quicksteps. A strong influence on the musician was provided by jazz players (Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich) - Pace became one of the first drummers who managed to make hard rock elements of swing and jazz technique.

Bill Ward (born 1948)

This well-known drummer was loved by the audience for his powerful and unconventional jazz style of playing on classic albums of Black Sabbath with Ozzy Osbourne. "I prefer to use instruments that have complex sound tones, I always try to make the sound more melodic and expressive, trying to extract 40 sounds from one drum," Ward told in a later interview.

Roger Taylor (born 1949)

The Queen's drummer, widely known for her "voluminous" unique sound, is considered one of the most influential drummers of the seventies and eighties. On the early albums, Taylor personally performed songs of his own composition, but in the future give them to Freddie Mercury. On his solo albums, Taylor himself performed bass, rhythm guitar, and keyboards parts. The musician often collaborated with such performers as Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Robert Plant and Elton John, and in 2005 he became one of the ten greatest drummers in the history of classic rock, according to Planet Rock Radio.

Bill Bruford (born 1949)

The famous English musician, known for his violent, virtuosic, polyrhythmic style of play, was the first drummer of the prog-rock band Yes. Later he played with King Crimson, UK, Genesis, Pavlov's Dog, Bill Bruford's Earthworks and many others. Since the eighties, Bruford has experimented a lot with electronic drums and percussion, but eventually returned to a conventional acoustic drum set. Unfortunately, in 2009 he stopped active concert activity and studio work.

Mitch Mitchell (1947-2008)

The seventh in the list of the 50 best rock drummers according to the version of Classic Rock, first of all, is Mitchell, who is known for his extraordinary play as part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The sudden death of Hendrix on September 18, 1970, put an end to the band - records of one of the most talented rock drummers of the sixties no longer enjoyed such popularity and he started producing young bands.

Nick Mason (born 1944)

The only member of Pink Floyd, who took part in recording each album since the band was founded and played at all concerts. Moreover, the drummer has written such compositions as "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party Parts 1-3" (from the experimental album "Ummagumma") and "Speak to Me" (from "The Dark Side of the Moon"). In addition to working at Pink Floyd, Mason recorded two solo albums in which the light jazz-rock sound was replaced by the experimental rock Pink Floyd.

Neil Peart (born 1952)

At the beginning of his career, the odious drummer Rush was inspired by the play of Keith Moon and John Bonham but eventually decided to modernize and develop his style of play, including elements of swing and jazz. Most of all in the musical world, Peart is known for his virtuosic technique of performance and extraordinary endurance. He is also the main author of the texts of the Rush band.


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