From Bonham to Peart: ten kit players who shaped rock bands
10Dave Grohl (Nirvana)
A loud punk attack, played with precision. Grohl joined Nirvana just in time to make Nevermind take off. His drumming is loud, simple, and exact. On Smells Like Teen Spirit the snare hits hard and stays in time. And live, especially at Reading 1992, Grohl played hard behind the kit, elbows out, with the chaos kept on the beat.
9Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones)
Never flashy, always needed in the band. Watts didn’t chase the spotlight. He gave the Stones their push. His jazz roots kept the band loose, and a little dangerous. On Gimme Shelter he stays back in the track and holds the beat. Keith and Mick take the front. Charlie keeps the time.
8Phil Collins (Genesis)
Before he took the mic, Collins was one of the most inventive drummers in prog rock. His work on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is detailed, strong, and built for the stage. Then In the Air Tonight arrived, with that fill. Four beats, and a drum sound radio tied to the 80s.
7Stewart Copeland (The Police)
Hard hits, placed off the straight beat. Copeland was never only keeping time. He played answering lines, and he opened reggae patterns with punk volume. Walking on the Moon needs that placement. With him, the song stays light and still hits hard.
6Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson)
A precise, schooled drummer in rock bands. Bruford brought a studied attack to prog. With Yes, he moved through odd time signatures as if they were ordinary bars. With Crimson, he played heavy parts with a jazz touch. The parts are worked out, and they still swing.
5Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
Easy to underrate. Ringo changed the band by playing less, and playing it right. His fills on Come Together or A Day in the Life are lessons in holding back. He made the parts look easy. Without Ringo, the steady beat that held the band is gone, and so is the Beatles rhythm.
4Keith Moon (The Who)
Moon didn’t play the drums in a tidy way. He hit them hard. Every fill is crowded, and the shows were rough. On Won’t Get Fooled Again he drives the track from the kit. He was not only keeping time. He pushed the tempo around. Off stage, his life drew as much noise as the playing.
3Ginger Baker (Cream)
Jazz, anger, and African rhythm, all in one scowling Englishman. Baker was an early figure, a technician, and a very loud player. His playing on Toad was one of the first extended drum solos on record, repetitive and harsh. He set the tempo, and he set a mark later drummers aimed at.
2Neil Peart (Rush)
The studious one. Lyrics, concepts, and long winding grooves. Peart brought arranged parts to rock percussion. Every fill on Tom Sawyer is deliberate, built in sections like a long score. And live, he played for three hours straight, without dropping the parts, and the sticking stayed clean.
1John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
Loud and heavy, and the parts still flow. Bonham was the loudest and the heaviest here. When the Levee Breaks is a drum sound later producers still study. His footwork on Good Times Bad Times is hard to copy. What made Bonzo the best was feel. No click tracks. No corrections. A deep rhythm that stays put.
