- Ringo Starr, born as Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England, is one of the world's most renowned drummers, achieving global fame as a member of the legendary band, The Beatles. Raised in a working-class family, Starr overcame numerous health issues during his childhood, which led to long periods away from school. It was during these hospital stays that he discovered his passion for music, particularly drumming. Starr began his musical career with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, which paved the way for his introduction into the Beatles. In 1962, Starr replaced Pete Best as the drummer for The Beatles, joining John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. His distinctive drumming style, characterized by his left-handed technique on a right-handed kit, played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of The Beatles. He also occasionally sang lead vocals on tracks such as "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "Yellow Submarine," and even penned a few songs himself, including "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden." Starr's easy-going personality and unique sense of humor endeared him to fans and became a defining element of the Beatles' global image. Post-Beatles, Starr embarked on a successful solo career, releasing several hit singles like "It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph." Beyond music, Starr also delved into acting, featuring in films like Candy and The Magic Christian. He assumed the role of narrator and character voice for the children's television series, 'Thomas & Friends,' in the late 1980s. A prominent advocate for peace and love, Ringo Starr was knighted by Prince William in 2018 for his services to music, further cementing his legacy in the annals of rock 'n' roll history.More Ringo Starr
- Dig Deeper...The Best Ringo Starr Albums of All-Time
- And Deeper...345 Famous Cancer Celebrities
- #365 of 556 onThe 250+ Best Singers Of All Time, Ranked
- Aynsley Thomas Dunbar (born 10 January 1946) is an English drummer. He has worked with Nils Lofgren, Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Shuggie Otis, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Whitesnake, Pat Travers, Sammy Hagar, Michael Schenker, UFO, Flo & Eddie, Michael Chapman, Jake E. Lee, Leslie West, Kathi McDonald, Keith Emerson, Mike Onesko, Herbie Mann, and Journey. Dunbar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017.
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- Chester Cortez Thompson (born December 11, 1948) is an American drummer, percussionist, session musician, producer, and teacher. He performed with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention from 1973 to 1975, and with the progressive rock band Genesis from 1977 to 1992, and again in 2007. He is a current member of his jazz group, the Chester Thompson Trio, formed in 2011.More Chester Thompson
- #26 of 47 onThe Best Organists in Rock and Jazz Today
- #30 of 68 onWho Is The Most Famous Thompson In The World?
- #23 of 31 onThe Best Crossover Jazz Artists
- Dennis Milton Chambers (born May 9, 1959) is an American drummer. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2001.
- Omar Hakim (born February 12, 1959) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer, producer, arranger and composer. He has worked with Weather Report, David Bowie, Sting, Madonna, Dire Straits, Journey, Kate Bush, George Benson, Miles Davis, Daft Punk, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion.
- Michael Andrew "Mike" Bordin (born November 27, 1962 in San Francisco) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for rock band Faith No More. He has amicably been known as "Puffy", "Puffster" or "The Puff", in reference to the afro hair style he wore in the early 1980s. The nicknames were coined by Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin, and they stuck around even after he grew out his hair and tied it in dreadlocks, a trademark look he has worn for most of his career. Mike Bordin was one of the three founding band member of Faith No More in 1983 and was the band's only drummer throughout its span, remaining with the group until its initial breakup in April 1998. He rejoined Faith No More when the band reformed in 2009. Bordin has also performed with Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Korn, Black Label Society, Jerry Cantrell, Primus, The Chickenfuckers and Pop-O-Pies. Some of his pre-Faith No More bands include Faith. No Man., Sharp Young Men and EZ-Street. Bordin has played alongside all three Metallica bassists over the years; he played with Cliff Burton in EZ-Street and with Jason Newsted and Robert Trujillo with Ozzy Osbourne.
- Brann Timothy Dailor (born March 19, 1975 in Rochester, NY) is an American drummer/singer best known as a member of the Atlanta, Georgia metal band Mastodon, in which he is both the drummer and shares vocal duties. Dailor first started playing in a band called Evisceration from 1991 to 1993, when the band broke up. Dailor was also a founding member of mathcore band Lethargy, and the progressive rock/funk metal band Gaylord and played with Today Is the Day.In 2015, Brann Dailor announced his side project called Arcadea. The group features Dailor on drums alongside fellow Atlanta musicians Core Atoms and Raheem Amlani.
- Bradley J. Wilk (born September 5, 1968) is an American musician, actor, and activist. He is best known as the drummer of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine (1991–2000; 2007–2011), Audioslave (2001–2007; 2017), and Prophets of Rage (2016–present). Wilk started his career as a drummer for Greta in 1990, and helped co-found Rage with Tom Morello and Zack de la Rocha in August 1991. Following that band's breakup in October 2000 Wilk, Morello, Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford, and Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell formed the supergroup Audioslave, which broke up in 2007. As of 2016, he is playing in the band Prophets of Rage, with Commerford, Morello, Chuck D, B-Real and DJ Lord. Wilk has also performed drums on English metal band Black Sabbath's final album 13. The album was released in June 2013. Wilk briefly played with Pearl Jam shortly after the release of their debut album Ten.
- Timothy W. "Tim" Alexander (born April 10, 1965 in Cherry Point, North Carolina) is an American musician best known as the drummer for the rock band Primus. Alexander played on Primus recordings from Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People. Alexander left the band for the second time in 2010, to rejoin again in 2013. Alexander is hailed frequently for his "polyrhythmic" playing.
- Nicholas Menza (July 23, 1964 – May 21, 2016) was an American musician best known as the former drummer for American thrash metal band Megadeth from 1989-1998 and again in 2004 as well as one final return in 2014. He recorded drums on four of Megadeth's albums: Rust in Peace (1990), Countdown to Extinction (1992), Youthanasia (1994) and Cryptic Writings (1997).More Nick Menza
- #15 of 63 onThe Best Metal Drummers of All Time
- #10 of 63 onEntertainers Who Died While Performing
- #44 of 59 on50+ Celebrities Born on July 23
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Richard John Cyril Allen (born 1 November 1963) is an English drummer who has played for the hard rock band Def Leppard since 1978. He overcame the amputation of his left arm in 1985 and continued to play with the band, which subsequently went on to its most commercially successful phase. He is known as "The Thunder God" by fans.More Rick Allen- #42 of 63 onThe Best Metal Drummers of All Time
- #35 of 66 onWho Is The Most Famous Allen In The World?
- #7 of 54 on54 Famous Amputees
- Mario Duplantier is a French musician and artist who is the drummer of the technical death metal band, Gojira.
- Sergé "Jojo" Mayer (born 18 January 1963) is a Swiss virtuoso drummer born in Zürich and currently residing in New York City. Mayer is the son of touring musician and bass player Vali Mayer and began his career as a drummer at an early age, receiving his first drum set at the age of two. Having taught himself throughout his childhood, he broke out into the professional music scene at the age of 18, joining the Monty Alexander group. Touring with the group launched him into the major jazz music scene, and he has played at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux, Nice, and Athens etc., which culminated with his gigging with jazz-greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone. Eventually, after playing with a great variety of artists, Mayer moved away from jazz and into Drum 'n' Bass.Jojo Mayer is known for bringing together jazz, drum and bass, jungle, and other influences. He is also famous for his ability to play the rhythms of programmed jungle drum 'n' bass music on acoustic drums, terming this technique "reverse engineering", a phrase borrowed from computing. He executes this approach using various methods such as the heel-toe bass drum technique, the Moeller stroke, the Valving technique, and the "pull-out" or "push-pull" accent which takes the beat on the rebound. Using these techniques, he can play beats at astonishing speeds. A few of his main influences are Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette and Buddy Rich. He is the leader of live electronica trio Nerve, which he founded in 1997. He played with the guitarist David Fiuczynski in the avant-garde jazz rock band Screaming Headless Torsos and in the fusion jazz band, Intergalactic Maiden Ballet. He ran the popular Prohibited Beatz live electronica party in NYC from 1996-2001.
- Steven Adler (born Michael Coletti; January 22, 1965) is an American musician. He is best known as the former drummer and co-songwriter of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s. Adler was fired from Guns N' Roses over his heroin addiction in 1990, following which he reformed his old band Road Crew and briefly joined BulletBoys, which both proved unsuccessful. During the 2000s, Adler was the drummer of the band Adler's Appetite, and from 2012, he had held the same position in the band Adler. In early 2017, he declared that he has no intention to continue with the band and that the band has now dissolved, with the reason being his lack of interest in performing during poorly attended concerts. He appeared on the second and fifth seasons of the reality TV show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, as well as on the first season of its spin-off Sober House. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Guns N' Roses.More Steven Adler
- Dig Deeper...Steven Adler's Top 5 Drummers of All Time
- #33 of 63 onThe Best Metal Drummers of All Time
- #27 of 117 onThe Druggiest Rock Stars of All Time
- Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, considered an influential R&B, soul, funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle." He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.Purdie recorded Soul Drums (1968) as a band leader and although he went on to record Alexander's Ragtime Band, the album remained unreleased until Soul Drums was reissued on CD in 2009 with the Alexander's Ragtime Band sessions. Other solo albums include Purdie Good (1971), Soul Is ... Pretty Purdie (1972) and the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Lialeh (1973). In the mid-1990s he was a member of The 3B's, with Bross Townsend and Bob Cunningham.
- Don Henley, a name synonymous with the classic rock era, stands as a prolific singer, songwriter, and drummer. Born on July 22, 1947, in Gilmer, Texas, Henley spent his early years immersed in music, eventually leading him to co-found the chart-topping band, The Eagles, in 1971. Known for his distinctive vocal style, he played an integral role in shaping the group's signature sound, contributing immensely to their success with hits like "Hotel California" and "Desperado". Henley's individual genius, however, was not confined to the boundaries of The Eagles. In 1982, following the band's breakup, he embarked on a successful solo career that further amplified his reputation as a gifted artist. His debut solo album, I Can't Stand Still, featuring the hit single "Dirty Laundry," showcased his knack for crafting poignant lyrics over compelling melodies. He continued this streak with subsequent albums such as Building the Perfect Beast and The End of the Innocence, both of which earned him Grammy Awards. Beyond his musical contributions, Henley is noted for his activism, particularly his commitment to environmental causes. He co-founded the Walden Woods Project in 1990, an organization dedicated to preserving the land around Walden Pond in Massachusetts, a site of great historical and literary significance. Additionally, he is one of the founders of the Caddo Lake Institute in his native Texas, aimed at conserving the local wetlands.More Don Henley
- Dig Deeper...345 Famous Cancer Celebrities
- #82 of 556 onThe 250+ Best Singers Of All Time, Ranked
- #12 of 203 onThe Greatest Living Rock Songwriters
- Charles Lee Benante (born November 27, 1962, in The Bronx, New York) is an American musician best known as the drummer for thrash metal band Anthrax, as well as crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death. Alongside rhythm guitarist and band leader Scott Ian he has composed the majority of the music throughout Anthrax's discography.
- Frank Lee Beard (born June 11, 1949) is the drummer in the American rock band ZZ Top. Beard was formerly with the bands The Cellar Dwellers, who originally were a three-piece band, The Hustlers, The Warlocks, and American Blues before starting to play and record with Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill as ZZ Top.
- Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead.
- Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was a jazz drummer best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was particularly noted for playing in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk". Popular for its work on college campuses during the 1950s, Brubeck's group reached new heights with Morello. In June 1959, Morello participated in a recording session with the quartet — completed by the alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and the bassist Eugene Wright — that yielded "Kathy's Waltz" and "Three to Get Ready," both of which intermingled 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures.
- Thomas Lang (German: [ˈtoːmas laŋ] (listen); born 5 August 1967) is an Austrian drummer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/avant garde metal band stOrk and is known for his international session work on a wide variety of genres such as rock, pop, jazz, and heavy metal with artists such as Robert Fripp, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Williams and Sugababes, among many others. He is married to music publicist, Elizabeth Lang.Peter Wildoer described Lang as a "drummer's drummer", and Mike Portnoy cited Lang as a drummer he "can't replicate".
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Tony Royster, Jr.
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- James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".
- Leonard White III (born December 19, 1949) is a three-time Grammy Award-winning American jazz fusion drummer, born in New York City, best known for being the drummer of Chick Corea's Return to Forever. A resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, White has been described as "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion".More Lenny White
- #4 of 25 onThe 25 Most Popular & Influential Black Drummers
- #25 of 46 onThe Best Jazz Fusion Bands and Artists
- #10 of 68 onWho Is The Most Famous White In The World?
- Daniel Peter Seraphine (born August 28, 1948) is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990.
- Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953 in Albany, New York) is an American drummer who has been the sideman for many bands both live and in the studio. He is most recognized as being the longtime drummer for John Mellencamp, with whom he worked from 1980 to 1996. He is also known for his recorded drums and percussion with many recording artists.
