The 25 best Classic Rock drummers

1 December 2024, 10:00

Let's take a look at some of the greatest rock and indie percussionists in history. Is your favourite in here?

By Radio X

@RadioX

They sit at the back. But they're part of the engine room that keeps every band running. They may be the butt of a thousand jokes, but we've picked out a collection of our favourite Classic Rock tub-thumpers.

1. Roger Taylor - Queen

   With Freddie Mercury on vocals and Brian May on guitar, getting any attention in Queen was a tough job, but Taylor managed admirably, with a bombastic but versatile style.

   Best drumming moment: the operatic section seguing into the rock climax of Bohemian Rhapsody.

   

   Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video Remastered)

2. Ginger Baker - Cream

   Starting his career at Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation, Baker joined Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce in the supergroup Cream, whose brief but stellar career made him a superstar.

   Best drumming moment: the solid thwack of Sunshine Of Your Love.

   

   Sunshine Of Your Love

3. John Densmore - The Doors

   Densmore brought a jazz influence to the LA band's psychedelic blues sound, offering a tight punctuation to frontman Jim Morrison's most lyrical moments.

   Best drumming moment: the epic When The Music's Over

   

   The Doors - When The Music's Over (Live At The Bowl '68)

4. Ringo Starr, The Beatles

   Everyone mocks old Richie Starkey for "not even being the best drummer in The Beatles", but thousands of bands have tried to copy his particular, steady but distinctive thwack. He even wrote a song called "Drumming Is My Madness". Best moment: The manic ending to Strawberry Fields Forever.

   

   The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

5. John Bonham, Led Zeppelin

   Much sampled, much admired, never equalled. Best moment: The solo in Moby Dick.

   

   Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick (Official Audio)

6. Charlie Watts, The Rolling Stones

   Poor old Charlie. He's had to put up with a lot, hasn't he? He's pretty much kept the Stones together for 50 years. Best moment: The satanic samba of Sympathy For The Devil.

   

   The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil (Official Lyric Video)

7. Moe Tucker, The Velvet Underground

   Moe Tucker - born Maureen Ann Tucker - might not necessarily be the first name that springs to mind, but the Velvet Underground wouldn't have been the same without her. She was known for her unconventional playing style (standing up rather than sitting down) and even began playing with mallets rather than drumsticks.

   Not just a drummer, Tucker famously sang on three Velvet Underground songs; After Hours, The Murder Mystery and I'm Sticking With You.

   

   I'm Waiting For The Man

8. Lars Ulrich, Metallica

   One of the most high profile drummers in rock, Lars was a thrash metal pioneer. Best moment: The drum attack on One.

   

   Metallica: One (Official Music Video)

9. Stewart Copeland - The Police

   Copeland enables the New Wave trio to flip between strident punk tunes and reggae rhythms across songs like So Lonely, Roxanne and Walking On The Moon.

   Best drumming moment: the frantic Message In A Bottle.

   

   The Police - Message In A Bottle (Official Music Video)

10. Keith Moon - The Who

    "Moon the Loon" innovated the idea of the "lead drummer" in The Who, propelling the lead guitar of Pete Townshend and the bass of John Entwistle into the stratosphere.

    Best drumming moment: the pounding I Can See For Miles

    

    I Can See For Miles (Full Version)

11. Bill Ward - Black Sabbath

    Ward's dense drumming style was key to Sabbath's development of Heavy Metal in the genre's early years.

    Best drumming moment: the relentless stride of Iron Man

    

    Iron Man (2012 Remaster)

12. Rick Allen - Def Leppard

    Allen joined the British rock veterans on his 15th birthday in 1978 and overcame a traumatic car crash in 1984 that saw him lose his left arm. Def Leppard and Allen went on to become one of the biggest Brit rock bands in the world.

    Best drumming moment: the power of mega-hit Pour Some Sugar On Me

    

    DEF LEPPARD - "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (Official Music Video)

13. Nick Mason - Pink Floyd

    A founding member of the Brit psych pioneers, Mason has been the backbone to his Pink Floyd colleagues' flights of fancy.

    Best drumming moment: when the drums kick in halfway through One Of These Days.

    

    Pink Floyd - One Of These Days (Official Audio)

14. Phil Collins - Genesis

    One of the drummers who stepped out from behind the kit to become a frontman, Collins essentially invented the drum sound of the 80s with his work on Peter Gabriel's third solo album.

    Best drumming moment: the epic Supper's Ready

    

    Genesis - Supper's Ready (Official Audio)

15. Mick Fleetwood - Fleetwood Mac

    Together with bassist John McVie, Mick Fleetwood gave his name to the tranastlanic rock behemoth, taking them from the authentic blues days to the stadium-filling Rumours years.

    Best drumming moment: Probably Tusk...

    

    Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (Official Music Video)

    ...but we have a soft spot for the mellow percussion of Albatross.

    

    Fleetwood Mac - Albatross

16. Peter Criss - KISS

    The Catman's stady beat was a perfect foil for the glam theatrics of his compades Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

    Best drumming moment: the uncompromising strut of Strutter.

    

    Strutter

17. Clive Burr - Iron Maiden

    Burr played drums for Maiden between 1979 and 1982, when he was dismissed in favour of Nicko McBrain, who's been with the band ever since. It was Burr's kinetic drumming style that laid the foundations for countless imitators. He died from complications relating to MS in March 2013.

    Best drumming moment: the furious Run To The Hills, which moves from swagger to 100% miles an hour

    

    Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills (Official Video)

18. Phil Rudd - AC/DC

    Rudd has occupied the drum stool for AC/DC between 1974 and 1983 and from 1994 to their ongoing Power Up tour, legal difficulties notwithstanding.

    Best drumming moment: the relentless boogie of Whole Lotta Rosie.

    

    AC/DC - Whole Lotta Rosie (Official Audio)

19. Joey Kramer - Aerosmith

    Kramer joined the Boston rockers in 1968 - when he gave the band the name "Aerosmith" - and has been in the drum stool right all the way until they Kannounced their retirement from live performance in August 2024.

    Best drumming moment: the boisterous Love In an Elevator

    

    Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator

20. Cozy Powell

    Powell was an acclaimed drummer who over the years worked with The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Brian May, the Michael Schenker Group,Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath. He also joined Keith Emerson and Greg Lake in the supergroup Emerson Lake & Powell. Powell tragically died in a car accident in April 1998, aged 50.

    Best drumming moment: Powell's 1974 solo hit Dance With The Devil.

    

    COZY POWELL - DANCE WITH THE DEVIL

21. Tommy Lee - Mötley Crüe

    Probably better known for his outrageous private life than his musical showmanship, Tommy Lee's stadium-filling beats gave a firm backbone to the Crüe's glam metal hits. And he could play live in a rotating drum cage, too!

    Best drumming moment: the swagger of Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)

    

    Mötley Crüe - Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.) (Official Music Video 2019)

22. Mitch Mitchell - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

    When manager Chas Chandler put bassist Noel Redding and Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames drummer Mitchell together with guitar hero Jimi Hendrix, magic began to happen. Mitchell's jazz-influenced style meshed perfectly with his collaeagues and even after the Experience broke up, Mitchell performed with Jimi at Woodstock in August 1969. He died in November 2008.

    Best drumming moment: the apocalyptic fills of Purple Haze.

    

    The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze (Official Audio)

23. Ian Paice - Deep Purple

    The last remaining original member of Deep Purple is still touring with the band in 2024, having appeared on classic albums like Fireball, Deep Purple In Rock and Machine Head.

    Best drumming moment: the steady build of Smoke On The Water.

    

    Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water (Official Music Video)

24. Neil Peart - Rush

    "The Professor" joined the Canadian prog rock band Rush in July 1974 and not only became their drummer, but also their primary lyricist, penning the words to songs such as Fly By Night, Closer To The Heart and Tom Sawyer. He died from brain cancer in January 2020, aged 67.

    Best drumming moment: the complex patterns of Tom Sawyer.

    

    Rush - Tom Sawyer

25. Alex Van Halen

    Together with his brother Eddie, this accomplished drummer ensured Van Halen were one of the most technically proficient rock band of the 70s and 80s, with Alex naming jazz legend Buddy Rich as one of his major influences.

    Best drumming moment: the phenomenal Hot For Teacher

    

    Van Halen - Hot For Teacher (Official Music Video), Full HD (Digitally Remastered and Upscaled)