The top ten drummers of all time

There are obviously more than ten great drummers in musical history, this is Damson’s ten best.
We love debate and we know this list is going to lead to a big one. It happens. We know this means we will get abuse for missing someone off, but it is a top ten list, which means it’s limited to ten amazing drummers. We know, and I mean know, that there are far more than ten amazing drummers, but this is our list. It’s a top ten, not a top 12, 18 or whatever. Some drummers don’t make the cut. But feel free to leave a comment and tell us who we should include, we do update the top ten from time to time.
Here are several amazing drummers who narrowly missed out.
Pat Mahoney – LCD Soundsystem | Taylor Hawkins – Foo Fighters | Charlie Watts – The Rolling Stones | Joey Jordison – Slipknot [Joey was previously number 8 in our list but slipped out following an update.
Now, let’s bang that drum!
10 – Travis Barker
Blink 182’s Travis Barker is one of the most famous, if not THE most famous drummers of the modern age, and for good reason. Overlooking the MTV/reality TV generation rubbish he got himself into, Travis is a PHENOMENAL musician. A punk rock guy at heart, he has never been afraid to experiment, performing with Rappers and DJs, but always keeping his own distinguishable style with everything that he does. In our opinion, some of his very best work was on the very first Album with the Transplants, which straddles punk and hip-hop so well. He recovered from a career, and life, threatening plane crash in 2008 and has not missed a step. Will hopefully go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.
9 – Ringo Starr
“Ringo isn’t the best drummer in the world…He isn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles….” For years, the rumour was that John Lennon said this in an interview, but he didn’t. It has since been credited to British Comedian Jasper Carrott. Even if this was a product of Lennon’s famous whit, it would be doing a terrible disservice to Ringo’s talent. As strange as it sounds, considering he was in the biggest band in the world, Ringo was underrated and underappreciated. Nowadays, people see him for the percussion genius that he is. Dave Grohl (more on him later) calls him the “King of the Feels”. A drummer needs to be steady and reliable, and Ringo had all of that and so, so much more.
8 – Ginger Baker
It’s no secret that Ginger Baker wasn’t a particularly likeable guy, but, his immense talent matched his ferocious temper. Teaming with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton to form Cream in 1966. His nickname of “Rock’s first superstar drummer” is well deserved. A showman through and through, Ginger infused his Jazz training with extended power and blues solos. Since Cream lasted all of 2 years, ginger has kept himself busy over the years with a variety of projects, from Afrobeat, to collaborating with Public Image LTD. If you want to get an idea of who the man himself really is, spend 2 hours watching “Beware of Mr. Baker”.
7 – Ramon “Tiki” Fulwood
“Tiki” Fulwood was an absolute pioneer. He sadly passed away in 1979 from a bout of stomach cancer, but form the late 1960’s, he was employed as the drummer of, at various points, George Clinton’s Parliament – Funkadelic, and even Miles Davis. Legend has it that at a tender 17 years old, Fulwood had to sneak into clubs to perform, and Clinton eventually had to beg his mother to take him on tour. Modern funk and soul musicians take very heavily from Tiki, which just goes to show how much of an influence he has had on the music scene.
6 – Dave Grohl
Poor Taylor Hawkins. Amazing drummer he may be, but it must sting a little when you know the singer of your band is a better drummer than you! “The Nicest Man in Rock” made a name for himself behind the drum kit in Nirvana, you may have heard of them?? After Kurt’s untimely suicide, he started up the Foo Fighters, and over the years they have grown into one of the biggest bands in the world. Not content with fronting the Foo’s, he has also lent his relentless, brawny style to Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures amongst others. His future is definitely as a frontman still, but when he does get behind the drums again from time to time, you can bet it will be a hell of a spectacle.
5 – Keith Moon
Moon, the inspiration for Animal in The Muppets, smashed his drums just as ferociously as he smashed up hotel rooms. He is almost as famous for his destructive behaviour as he was for being the drummer in The Who, one of the greatest, and loudest Rock Bands ever. When he wasn’t blowing up toilets, he was one of the best and surprisingly melodic drummers in History. Unfortunately, Moon did aged 31 from a drug overdose, which some say had been coming due to his crazy behaviour, not that that makes it any less tragic.
4 – Buddy Rich
No drummer from the jazz world had more influence on rock percussion than Bernard “Buddy” Rich. His arrival in the late 1930s was without precedent: a flashy, aggressive, self-taught Jewish kid from Manhattan, taking extended solos that showcased his dazzling speed and intricate stick work at a time when most drummers wouldn’t dare think outside of the box. Eventually, he recorded and performed with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Louis Armstrong, but he was best-known for leading (and arguing — he was famously foul-tempered) his own high-energy bands.
3 – Stewart Copeland
Sting’s voice and playing style may be the vintage sound of the Police, but none of this would have been possible without Stewart Copelands subtlety and aggression. A well-traveled child, Copeland’s style has a lot of various influences, especially the middle-east, which heavily influenced the early records by the Police. Since the Police all went their own way, he’s written soundtracks and solo albums as well as appearing with other groups. He’s also written soundtracks for TV and movies. He’s written for orchestras, even playing classical percussion. In summary, he is one of the most talented people in musical history. End of.
2 – Neil Peart
Peart has stirred up a lot of debate both here at Damson HQ and with you guys who read the list and are so passionate in your views. Originally he didn’t feature in our Top 10. Oh, he was close but no cigar. Then one day our daily playlist blared out (ok, not so much blared as background!) Moving Pictures. Instantly there was a pause in the office as Red Barchetta played. The way Peart melodically compliments the vocals and guitars without overpowering them had us tapping along with our pens. Then the question came; “Who is this?” and a quick check on Spotify revealed Rush. The drumming epiphany took place and we realised the error of our ways.
Neil is without a doubt one of the best drummers of all time. It’s possible he could be number one but we just feel that position is well held by its current incumbent. Peart drew so much inspiration from the leading British drummers (British drummers really are the best!) yet he sandwiches himself in between two of them. You can hear in much of Peart’s style how he drew inspiration from the best drummers of previous generations (Ginger). Peart also didn’t let competition turn into jealousy as he drew inspiration from greats that were competing with Billboard chart-topping at that time (Copeland). It’s because of this that we move Neil above both of them.
1 – John Bonham
Unsurprisingly, John Bonham is number one on most lists of drummers. An absolute Tour-de-force, “Bonzo” confused fans for years, convincing them that he was using two bass drums, but in reality, his style was just ferocious, disorienting, deliberate, and LOUD. His awesome technique and a big open sound, he sent Zeppelin’s tunes soaring. He embodies raw, emotional, rock drumming that comes straight from the soul. When Bonham passed away at 32 in 1980, Led Zeppelin decided to disband, releasing one of the most poignant statements in musical history:
“We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.”
You really left The Rev off of this list?
The Rev doesn’t belong in the top 200 when discussing the entire scope of the greatest drummers. He was fantastic and if you narrow the list to only heavy metal drummers than he belongs in the top 50 no doubt, there’s just so many amazing and in the case of The Rev more versatile players.
Michael Shrieve should get a mention.
Mitch Mitchell should be there.
Absolutely Mitch should be there. Also, drummers picking drummers had to check with Spotify to see who was playing (Rush-Moving Pictures) not knowing Geddy’s vocals…! Barring 3 of the top 4 it’s a flawed list in my humble opinion. Steve Gadd, where is he?
You are correct
Where is Ian Pace, Deep Purple??????? Should be number one!!!!!!!
Michael Shrieve 4 sure!!!
I’m sorry these people are high for leaving Danny Kerry off this list. He is the number one drummer to ever put sticks in his hand besides some of the jazz musicians from the ’70s and ’80s!!
Well finally a top ten drummer list that makes sense. The continual absence of Ringo on these lists denies the exsistance of modern ensemble drumming. The truth is there are many drummers that could easily vie for room on such lists, so it’s still a matter of taste, what appeals to you. for me Louie Bellson is a stronger fit than Buddy. I had the privilege of mixing Buddy (I’m a drummer but make most of my pay as a audio/visual producer/engineer) in concert. He was everything they claim. For me he was a bit to stiff and was limited stylistically. The only reason I bring up Buddy is to dispel the assumption that he was foul tempered. Just saying he treated me and all the crew with kindness and respect. I enjoyed every minute we were together and he gave me a set of his sticks, sorta a special gesture among drummers. Terry Bozzio, Chester Thompson, Chad Wackerman, Bill Buford, Hal Blaine, Jeff Porcaro, Jim Keltner, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Cobham, Dave Garibaldi, Vinnie Colaiuta
, Kenny Aronoff, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe, Steve Jordan, Charlie Watts, Denis Chambers…… I know I left out tons like Jack Dejonette, Earl Young. Drums primal, heart moving, the back bone of modern music. Dave Grohl, FUCKING BONHA!!!!!!!!!!! I am blessed to be able to play the groove, remember “Don’y Be a Bummer, Be a Drummer” , Tony Sinatra
… and David Weckel, and Marco Minneman, and Mike Portnoy… C’mon guys, You Know… the thing
What about Simon Phillips?
Here’s a left field suggestion…….most won’t have heard of…..Pierre Moerlon
Ringo is a laugh
THE g.o.a.t. of all g.o.a.ts IS Danny Carey.
Need an example, Google “Pneuma Live Danny Carey” = roll the credits.
Yaaaaaas, Danny carey is the best by a long shot…
OH PULEEZE….
THE GREATEST DRUMMER
NICO MCBRAIN
IRON MAIDEN
NEIL PEART!!!!!!!!
I am a drummer for 48 years and Neil Peart has them all beat. If your gonna be a #1 drummer you need to be versed in all styles of music.
Yup like Michael Shrieve
At number 2…I know!!!
R.I.P. NEIL P.
Wot, No Cozy Powell?
RIP NP. dunno how you missed this one. Incredible sense of rhythm song writer. While I agree bonzo is number one, how can you leave neal peart out. Doesn’t make sense.
Don’t forget to mention the fact that he wrote 99% of the band’s lyrics and that is very rare when it comes to drummers.
Neil Peart is the GOAT.
Michael Shrieve should be mentioned.
Dave grovel is average at best
Yes Michael Shrieve!
No he isn’t. He ‘s very precise and polished, but lacks the feel and pounding groove of Bonham.
Neil Peart
Nicko Mcbrain
Roger Taylor
Rick Allen
I can’t believe my eyes!! Neil Peart is nowhere on this list. My heart is truly sad.
Don’t believe your eyes!!! He’s #2 😁
Why would you ask why the Rev isn’t on the list? He doesn’t play drums! He has had numerous drummers in the band.
Get Barker off there.. what the.. Danny fn Carey is top 5 easy.
Ray Luzier.
the inclusion of Ringo Starr immediately discredits this list
Carl Palmer?
Chester Thompson?
Alan White?
Perhaps my age is showing… I remember when Rich and Gene Krupa were ‘in’ (But, then I never heard of half of these guys. (Signed: Stuck n d 60s)
Six of the ten drummers listed were at their peak during the 60’s. Kupra is among the greatest regardless of genre that is for certain.
Cozy Powell
I concur
Moon forever
Why is ANIMAL not on this list? He gave dave grohl a run!
The Animal was inspired by Keith Moon so technically he was represented on this list vicariously through Moon.
Lovely word vicariously. Nice one
My favourites are 1.Buddy Rich 2. Ginger Baker and my 3rd would be Iain Paice. All drummers had that abiity to use Jazz and swing to stamp their authority on the bands they played with.
being a drummer amongst many other self-taught instruments I have a very far and in-between range of music and drumming especially and I am very surprised that since you are looking for originality in the first place that you never mentioned one of my first heavy metal influences of mine by the name of Stryper whose drummer Robert Sweet is AMAZING!! as I mentioned before my very knowledgeable music influences Etc Robert sweet I would say is probably the best drummer I have ever heard live to this day. And my favourite band is Def Leppard who I’ve seen five times,being original as he had to relearn the drums from scratch no matter if they were electronic or not Rick Allen should be given some kind of mentioned here also!
Seriously, Grohls very famous, accomplished and a beast of an all around musician but a better DRUMMER than Carey he most definitely is not. Laughable man, must be an April fools joke.
Dude Grohl doesn’t belong in the top 50 when discussing the rock genre to be completely honest, he’s extremely talented but as you pointed out Danny Carey’s skill and technical ability would put him in the top five at the very least in terms of the “rock/hard rock and metal genres.” Jimmy Chamberlain belongs on this list but it’s more based on popularity.
What about Lars???
Lars Ulrich can’t even keep time. What you hear in the studio was spliced, edited, dubbed.
I agree with your list except Stewart Copeland. Charlie Watts, Ian Paice or even Gene Krupa could replace Copeland in the top ten.
Hold up, Gene Krupa is definitely top ten and it’s no debate while Ian Paice is among the 30-25 best in my opinion but Watts? That’s ridiculous, he’s consistently excellent when it comes to simplicity and holding the back beat but he isn’t remotely close to Copeland when it comes technical ability and versatility. I would bet a good sum of money that you find the Police’s music irritating for whatever reason but you’re just playing ignorant if you believe Copeland doesn’t belong in the top ten at the absolutely least.
Agree with Peter Barlow, I think Carl Palmer got lost since you do not hear a lot of ELP being played for a while. I have seen, Bonham, Moon and Palmer all live in the past. My top 5 favorites (not necessarily in this order) are Buddy Rich, Carl Palmer, Keith Moon, Neil Peart and John Bonham.
peart and bonham are tied
Phil Collins
Good one, we are amazed no one else has brought him up and he was so close to our list.
Mick Fleetwood
Josh Dun???
What about Alex Van Halen I mean how do you leave out one of the greats.
When i first saw keith moon play i thought some idiot brought a jet engine to the theatre i was in!! absolutely ferocious drumming,Moon and Bonzo Top 2 drummers,period nobody comes close
David grohl over Jeff Porcaro? WTF
I’m with the other guys..Ringo and Ginger Baker are really easy to copy. Danny Carey and Buddy Rich….not so much!
BUDDY OLD SCHOOL, NO ELECTRONICS, ALLMANUEL, HE DID IT THE RICH WAY. “THE MACHINE GUN”
When it comes down to whose the greatest it becomes very subjective witive with regard to difference styles tastes. Personally, I have listened to every drummer on your list. But my absolute favorite is Gene Krupa. NO, HE WAS NOT THE FASTEST BUT THERESOMETHING ABOUT THE STYLE For example, no one would doubt that a drummer such as Buddy Rich had more speed and arguably better technically. BUT Being more perfect and having more speed does not always correlate with charasmastic artistry. To me, Krupa was less mechanical and possessed and he had this knack for his great single shot accents that were perfectly placed and and matched with with the other instruments as to make those drums sing in just the right way and at just the right time. So it his artistry more than his speed and technical skill that gave me goosebumps every time I heard him play. SING SING SING WILL FOREVER BE ACLASSIC
I agree with you. Gene Krupa came across to me as a drummer who , I really can’t find the right word for it,…was immersed in the music, not just drumming, but living it. He and his drums were one. Just listen to him and how he complemented Lionel Hampton in I Got Rhythm for Benney Goodman’s Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert. Wow. Takesmy breath away.
Definitely Ringo for number one.
Jesus Christ, you are ignorant. Dave Grohl is a phenomenal drummer. Ever heard of Nirvana?
no tre cool? NOT COOL! TRE IS THE BEST DRUMMERIN THE WORLD
No Danny Carey on this list completely invalidates any legitimacy that would otherwise be here…
Truth. Daney Carey is at least in the top three.
John and Neil were two very different drummers. I think ghey were both great. Both had incredible talents. Two of my favorites. And we have so many really good drummers today and threw the years. I knew a back yard blues drummer out of Chicago. They called him Pete the best. I seen him play in Seattle one night. And I pre judged him before I seen him play. He had an old beat up set of Ludwig and his cymbals were bezt to sh. They had cracks in them and holes drilled to stop the cracks u all know. He smoked a short little cigar and dressed kinda messy. Man this guy did solo on his drum rims like I’ve never seen. They he started to play. One of the best rock blues drummers I’ve ever witnessed or seen play in my life. I was young I think 18. But after seeing Pdte the beat play. I stopped judging people right then and there.
How dare you leave Jimmy The Rev off of this list!
what I said!
Tommy Aldridge in any top ten. 50+ years and still going strong.
Guiness Book of Records drummer Cozy Powell, who also drummed for the best bands in the world, should have made the list.
Where’s Bill Bruford, the drummer who played in Yes, King Crimson and Genesis
Chick Webb, baby!
Nice to see someone with some real sense here. Buddy Rich is the only one in this list I agree with, and who did Buddy study? Chick Webb!
Chick Webb gets me up 4 sure and Stevie Wonder gets me up 4 sure!!
I can`t believe Eric Delany is not in this top 10 line-up. And, what is Ringo doing there? He`s not even the best drummer in The Beatles.
Where the hell is Karen Carpenter? She was every bit as good (if not better) than 60% of the men on that list
Carl Palmer
Im sorry but Danny Carey is a far superiour drummer to Travis Barker any day of the week, in any weather. It’s not even an argument amonst anyone who understands music and the fact that you have him on the list makes me think that your opinion isn’t worth the server space it takes up.
Carl Palmer for me.
It’s nice to have so many great drummers to choose from. My list would include Billy Cobham and Tony Williams.
I was also a bit surprised not to see Tommy Aldridge.
Chad Smith
Keith Moon is the best I feel or Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix experience
Favorite* Keith Moon is your personal favorite as he is mine as well but you will never determine who the true “greatest drummer of all-time” is due to variables in genre, areas of focus in skill along with the absolute fact that there is most likely some unknown drummer playing in their garage that is more skilled all-around than anyone who is well known.
Jimmy Chamberlain
This x100000000000 Jimmy Chamberlain is so fucking versatile and he dominates in every area of focus he uses in a technical sense.
To everyone giving their input on drummers. They didn’t even know who Rush was. If your pick isn’t in one of the most famous bands of all time, they have never heard of them.
How long does this last does not understand drumming and they don’t qualify best at what if it’s most technical then Buddy Rich is the only one on that whole list would be up there there’ll be nine others that are way better than the rest of the guys if they’re talking about style then except for a couple like Dave grohl is not a good drummer he should not be on that list that Travis Parker I don’t know who the f*** that guy is but there’s so many other that are so much better to me buddy Rich is always number one hands down nobody even close Terry bozzio he would be in my opinion number two Dave weckl number three either Dennis Chambers or of any caliuda number 3, 4
John Bonham for style Neil Piert for creating a sound and a style
Ian Paice for extreme technical ability in hard rock
Cozy Powell for style
Bill bruford technical ability
If we’re speaking of only technical ability and disregarding popularity and impact then the last would have to replace half but there’s someone playing inna garage who is probably more skilled it’s just about timing and the right break. Barker is extremely overrated and just popular among preteen poppunk fans and is the only one I can absolutely say does not belong near a list like this.
Interesting selections and comments. Difficult to compare across style but I saw B Rich live when I was 13 and was riveted for 2 hours. Always felt the Louie Belson was as good .
I grew up on C Powell and I Paice however there are some absolute class drummer who never seem to get a mention I’m thinking Gavin Harrison, Vergil Donati, Mike Portnoy a little and Chad Smith
Ringo Starr…really? J Bonham for sure.
Dude it’s a list of ten and it’s obviously based off of popularity and influence. Portnoy absolutely belongs here I agree but don’t get so worked up over a list that doesn’t include your personal favorites.
Thank you Marc, Yes Cozy Powell and Ian Paice- very different drummers but both complete masters.
Sorry, can’t take any list like this seriously that has Ringo in it but no Mike Portnoy. For that matter, can’t take this list seriously if you have John Bonham at the top. Try again
The fact that Bill Ward is not on this list is a crime.
STEVE GADD??????????????????
This right here, Gadd is one of the most underrated drummers of all-time.
Joey Jordison?
Nicko McBrain?
Animal?
Larnell Lewis? surely he should be here
Being a drummer myself for 47 years, I would say John Bonham is far from being the Best Drummer. He was actually a sloppy drummer with some off timing. Neil Peart, Buddy Rich, and Stewart Copeland yes. But where are drummers like Thomas Lang, Marco Minnemann, and Jonathan Moffett?
Somethings wrong…Buddy Rich should without a doubt be number 1!
No one will EVER come close to being a drummer as great as,Buddy Rich was
This list is a joke, Dave Grohl? Ringo? Travis Barker? Sounds like the author of this was limited to rock music, and still couldn’t get that part correct.
Buddy Rich is the only one I would put on this list, long forgotten are such greats like Chick Webb, Bellson, Mac Roach, Art Blakey, to name a few.
Good taste Keith
Most people leaving their choices are obviously very young and have not idea as,to who the greats really are
Twenty years from now number one will be Abigail Cristea of Liliac. RORH!
Nobody ever mentions Bill Ward. His style is irreplicable.
Anybody remember Mitch Mitchel from The Jimmy Hendrix Experience or Gene Krupa or Cozy Cole or many others great jazz drummers, the only jazz one there is Buddy Rich who can do anything all those rock drummers do and probably with one drum stick !!!