Best Rock Drummers

I see that many (though not all) Audiogon members judge drummers by the same yardstick the general public does: technical "chops". There are other considerations, ya know.

In the Big Band era, one drummer was chosen by band leaders above all others for his ability to make the band swing harder than any other: Dave Tough. You have probably never heard of him, as he couldn’t solo like the other guys, and his technique was not very well developed. But the other band members loved playing with him because he made them sound better. His playing resulted in the band making better music! That's what makes one drummer "better" than another.

Here is a story repeated by the hippest drummers: The legendary guitarist Danny Gatton was doing a gig with his new drummer, the drummer’s first with Danny. After a few songs, Danny said to the drummer: "You know all that fancy stuff you’re playing? Don’t". Many of the best musicians in the world think a lot of drummers "overplay".

One of the most in demand studio drummers for decades has been Jim Keltner, of whom you may have heard (Bob Dylan, George Harrison, John Hiatt, Bill Frisell, Ry Cooder---Ry schedules his recordings around Jim’s availability, refusing to record without him). In discussing his playing, Jim said he wishes he played more like Roger Hawkins. Heard of him? He was the drummer of the Fame Studios house band, heard on all the Jerry Wexler-produced records for Atlantic Records (Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke). Roger’s playing creates the deepest "pocket" I have ever heard, creating a killer "groove". His playing is not "flashy", does not draw attention to itself. But like the playing of Dave Tough, it creates great music. It’s all about the music, right?

Jim has also professed his admiration for another drummer not mentioned here: Levon Helm of The Band, the most musical drummer I have ever heard. I have been asked "What do you mean musical?". If you have to ask!

I was with my brother-in-law in his living room, listening to an internet radio station. The song "Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin came on. When the short drum "break" (played by Don Lamond) ended I was giddy with delight, expressing my love of it (it’s my all-time favorite drum break, too short to be considered a solo, though it actually is). The brother-in-law said "Really"? It didn’t sound that hard". I explained to him that what made it so cool was not the difficulty in executing it, but the difficulty in coming up with it. The part just sounds so f*cking cool!

Speaking of Keith Moon, in the late 60’s and early 70’s Jazz was starting to infiltrate Rock, with drummers having "rudimentary" training making their appearance. Jazz musicians had traditionally looked down their noses at Rock players, as those players (such as Ringo Starr) often had no formal training. But with the appearance of Mitch Mitchell (Hendrix, of course), Bobby Colomby (B,S,&T), and Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge), that was changing. Still, Rock drummers were not considered the equal of Jazz players. Keith Moon was asked in an interview, in an attempt to humiliate him (or at least put him in his place), if he could play in The Buddy Rich Big Band. Most drummers would admit that, no, they certainly couldn’t. But Keith, bless his heart, instead said "No, and Buddy Rich couldn’t play in The Who". Exactly! Would a Jazz drummer have made The Beatles music any better? Or could it be that a Jazz player would have actually make it not as good?

Speaking of Jazz, didya hear what Buddy Holly said about it? "Jazz is strictly for the stay at homes". ;-)