99 Greatest Rock Drummers

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John Bonham, Led Zeppelin

Neil Peart, Rush

Keith Moon, The Who

  

Ringo Starr,The Beatles

Carl Palmer, ELP & ASIA

You have to go back at least 25 years to start finding all the great drummers. After listing Neil Peart, John Bonham, Keith Moon and Carl Palmer, does it really matter how you list the rest of the great drummers? My opinion is that Neil Peart and Carl Palmer are the most skilled drummers I have ever witnessed both in concert and in video. I saw Carl Palmer past his ELP days when he was with ASIA. He had a rotating stage and two big gongs behind him. Even during ballads, he was drumming with speed, precision and incredible timing. Neil Peart's "Working Man" is the greatest drumming solo of all time. I would round out the top 5 with the original innovator on drums, Ringo Starr of The Beatles. 


There are good drummers today like Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon and others, but not many. It's going to be very hard today to achieve legendary status like John Bonham and Keith Moon because of today's music, technology and less focus on the drummer compared to years past.  This is why I posted 99 and not 100 Greatest Drummers, as a symbol that great drummers today are rare. You want to see and hear greatness, then just check out the video of Carl Palmer's solo in 1970 below and listen below of Neil Peart's "Working Man" solo from Rush's live concert "All The World's A Stage" - "Ladies and gentlemen the professor on the drum kit". 


Final Note: In the 1980s, I have to give Tommy Aldridge of Ozzy Osbourne the title of best drummer of his time. One last opinion; Alex Van Halen, drummer of Van Halen, is underrated and overshadowed by his genius brother Eddie on guitar. - Kenny Leibow

The 99 Greatest Drummer list below came from digitaldreamdoor.com where I have reposted lists before. You may not agree with the order of the list or believe that there is someone missing out of the top 99, however I have found that the drummers listed below are consistently showing up on most greatest drummer lists. Please post your favorite rock drummer stories.


1. Neil Peart (Rush)  
  2. John Bonham* (Led Zeppelin) 
  3. Keith Moon* (The Who)  
  4. Carl Palmer (ELP)  
  5. Ginger Baker (Cream) 
  6. Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa) 
  7. Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson) 
  8. Hal Blaine (Session man) 
  9. Ian Paice (Deep Purple) 
10. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) 
11. Dave Lombardo (Slayer) 
12. Danny Carey (Tool) 
13. Ringo Starr (The Beatles) 
14. Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) 
15. Earl Palmer (Session man) 
16. Benny Benjamin* (Funk Brothers) 
17. Jeff Porcaro* (Toto) 
18. Stewart Copeland (The Police) 
19. Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne) 
20. Bernard Purdie (Session) 
21. Bill Ward (Black Sabbath) 
22. Steve Smith (Journey) 
23. Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix) 
24. David Garabaldi (Tower Of Power) 
25. Mike Shrieve (Santana) 
26. Ainsley Dunbar (Jeff Beck) 
27. Cozy Powell* (Rainbow) 
28. Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) 
29. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews) 
30. Tim Alexander (Primus) 
31. Roger Taylor (Queen) 
32. Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam) 
33. Zigaboo Modeliste (The Meters) 
34. Phil Collins (Genesis) 
35. Al Jackson* (The MGs) 
36. Vinnie Paul (Pantera) 
37. Topper Headon (The Clash) 
38. Lars Ulrich (Metallica) 
39. Jimmy Chamberlain (Smashing Pumpkins) 
40. Bobby Jarzombeck (Rob Halford, Iced Earth)
41. Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs, Winger) 
42. Gene Holgan (Death, Strapping Young Lad) 
43. Martin Lopez (Opeth) 
44. Simon Phillips (Toto) 
45. Mike Giles (King Crimson, Giles, Giles & Fripp ) 
46. Max Weinberg (Springsteen) 
47. Alex Van Halen (Van Halen) 
48. Jon Theodore (Mars Volta, One Day As A Lion) 
49. Brian Downey (Thin Lizzy) 
50. Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, session man) 
51. Alan White (Yes) 
52. Nick Menza (Megadeth) 
53. Phil Ehart (Kansas) 
54. Mark Zonder (Fate's Warning) 
55. Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) 
56. Jaki Liebezeit (CAN) 
57. Scott Travis (Judas Priest) 
58. Virgil Donati (Planet X) 
59. Jim Gordon (Derek And The Dominoes) 
60. Ron Bushy (Iron Butterfly) 
61. Richard Allen (Funk Brothers) 
62. BJ Wilson* Procul Harum) 
63. Chad Wackerman (Zappa) 
64. Ralph Humphrey (Mothers Of Invention) 
65. Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Desert Sessions) 
66. Jojo Mayer (Nerve, session man) 
67. Brann Dailor (Mastodon) 
68. Clive Burr (Iron Maiden) 
69. Christian Vander (Magma) 
70. Dennis Thompson (MC5) 
71. John French (Captain Beefheart) 
72. John Weathers (Gentle Giant) 
73. Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) 
74. Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson) 
75. Greg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, session man) 
76. Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) 
77. Mike Mangini (Extreme) 
78. Larry Mullen Jr. (U2) 
79. Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull) 
80. Tomas Haake (Meshuggah) 
81. Jabo Starks (James Brown, session man) 
82. Brian Mantia (Primus) 
83. Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche) 
84. Phil Taylor (Motörhead) 
85. Vinnie Appice (Dio, session man) 
86. Fred Coury (Cinderella) 
87. Travis Barker (Blink 182) 
88. Phil Selway (Radiohead) 
89. Randy Castillo (Ozzy Osbourne) 
90. Zak Starkey (The Who, Oasis) 
91. Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones) 
92. Dave Grohl (Nirvana) 
93. Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) 
94. Jose Pasillas (Incubus) 
95. Ron Wilson* (Surfaris) 
96. John Densmore (The Doors) 
97. Chester Thompson (Santana) 
98. Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley) 
99. Van Romaine (Steve Morse) 

W.A.S.P. I Wanna Be Somebody

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W.A.S.P. is a shock metal band that I first heard in 1989; however they had been around most of the 1980s. The song that caught my attention from their 1989 "Headless Children" album was "MEAN MAN". This album featured ex-Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali. The song "Mean Man" had the coolest lyrics I had every heard at that time: "Chewbacca in the rye, the water of fire, A terror in the flesh, a killer for hire". Awsome! Below is a YouTube video/audio with the lyrics to Mean Man. W.A.S.P. had to be one of the most successful shock metal bands of their time selling over 12 million albums worldwide.

Below is a biography, or more like a summary, of W.A.S.P. This bio is from Starpulse.com, so it is opinionated with the successes and failures of the band. W.A.S.P. released an album as recent as 2009, "Babylon". I have also included live videos of early hits "I Wanna be Somebody" and "L.O.V.E. Machine". It's fitting that W.A.S.P.'s first single "I Wanna Be Somebody" is ranked #84 in WH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. - Kenny Leibow












Warning: Videos below contain profanity


W.A.S.P. - L.O.V.E. Machine (LIVE)

W.A.S.P. Mean Man with Lyrics







W.A.S.P. I Wanna Be Somebody (1984)







W.A.S.P. Biography

Source: Starpulse.com

One of the heavier bands to come out of the early-'80s L.A. metal scene, W.A.S.P. quickly rose to national infamy thanks to their shock rock image, lyrics, and live concerts. Unfortunately, once the novelty and scandal began to wear off, the band found it difficult to expand, or even maintain, their audience by relying only on their music. 

Leader Blackie Lawless (bass/vocals) was already a rock & roll veteran when he relocated to the West Coast and founded W.A.S.P. with guitarists Chris Holmes and Randy Piper and drummer Tony Richards. The band soon established a reputation as a ferocious live act, thanks in large part to Lawless' habits of tying a semi-naked model to a torture rack and throwing raw meat into the audience. And with the release of their self-explanatory independent EP, Animal (F**k Like a Beast), W.A.S.P. became impossible to ignore. 

They signed to Capitol Records, and with songs like "I Wanna Be Somebody" (an absolute anthem to blind ambition) and "L.O.V.E. Machine" leading the way, their self-titled 1984 debut was an instant success. W.A.S.P. took their horror show on the road, and their momentum continued to build with the following year's The Last Command, which featured new drummer Steven Riley and the band's biggest hit, "Blind in Texas." Later that year, the band gained even more prominence as one of the biggest targets of Tipper Gore and the P.M.R.C. (Parents' Music Resource Center), a group of Washington housewives leading a crusade against violent, sexist song lyrics. Though the incident (which included Senate hearings on the issue with guest speakers as disparate as Frank Zappa, John Denver, and Dee Snider from Twisted Sister) would cause more publicity than actual results, it served to make W.A.S.P. a household name -- for good and for worse. 

Ironically, the band toned down their act for 1986's Inside the Electric Circus, a lackluster, repetitive album which saw Lawless switch to guitar (replacing the departed Piper) and the hiring of bassist Johnny Rod. The blood and guts were largely gone (as were the good songs), and despite releasing a strong live album entitled Live...In the Raw the following year, the band's popularity began to plummet. The all-time low arrived with the release of Penelope Spheeris' heavy metal "rockumentary" The Decline of Western Civilization 2: The Metal Years. An expose about the L.A. metal scene, the film's most dramatic and depressing sequence showed an inebriated Chris Holmes drinking himself into a stupor in full stage gear while lying on a float in his mom's swimming pool. In a movie filled with debauchery and decadence, this scene was by far the scariest. 

1989's Headless Children (featuring ex-Quiet Riot sticksman Frankie Banali) was a return to form, but it couldn't revert the band's slump and W.A.S.P. disbanded soon after. Lawless eventually returned as a one-man show for 1993's The Crimson Idol, an ambitious rock opera/concept album billed as Blackie Lawless & W.A.S.P. Resurrecting the band's old shock rock antics, but alas, not fame and fortune, the album flopped, and the following year's greatest-hits set, First Blood...Last Cuts, seemed like their last chapter. 

But the resilient Lawless returned once again, luring guitarist Chris Holmes back into the fold and recruiting bassist Mike Duda and drummer Stet Howland for 1996's Still Not Black Enough. This lineup has continued to tour and record for a number of independent labels, with their albums including 1997's K.F.D., 1999's Helldorado, and 2001's Unholy Terror. The band released Dying for the World in 2002, an exceptional collection of unusually serious material inspired by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It was followed in 2004 by the conceptual Neon God, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, with Dominator arriving in 2006. Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi

Greatest Albums Sold Over 10 Million

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Led Zeppelin IV album sold more than 20 million copies in the U.S.A. It was not a greatest hits album; and the hard rock genre was not even mainstream even in it's time, which makes it even more incredible. Six Led Zeppelin albums made the list. Another interesting fact is that Def Lepard's early album "Pyromania" sold more than 10 million copies but was overshadowed by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album in 1983. Please add your comments regarding the list of the Greatest Albums Sold. - Kenny Leibow

The list below is from www.digitaldreamdoor.com. It represents the top selling record albums of all time. It is based in U.S. sales only through 2006. The numbers are approximate used to illustrate great artists and albums categorized by number of millions.

29 Million Albums Sold
Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 - Eagles (Elektra)

27 Million Albums Sold
Thriller - Michael Jackson (Epic)

23 Million Albums Sold
Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin (Swan Song)
The Wall- Pink Floyd (Columbia)

21 Million Albums Sold
Back in Black - AC/DC (Elektra)
Greatest Hits Volumes I & II - Billy Joel (Columbia)

20 Million Albums Sold
Double Live - Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville)
Come On Over - Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville)

19 Million Albums Sold
The Beatles - The Beatles (Capitol)
Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.)

17 Million Albums Sold
Boston - Boston (Epic)
The Bodyguard (Soundtrack) - Whitney Houston

16 Million Albums Sold
The Beatles 1967-1970 - The Beatles (Capitol)
No Fences - Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville)
Hotel California - Eagles (Elektra)
Cracked Rear View - Hootie & the Blowfish (Atlantic)
Greatest Hits - Elton John (MCA)
Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin (Swan Song)
Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette (Maverick)

15 Million Albums Sold
The Beatles 1962-1966 - The Beatles (Capitol)
Saturday Night Fever (Soundtrack) - Bee Gees (Polydor/Atlas)
Appetite for Destruction - Guns 'N Roses (Geffen)
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (Capitol)
Supernatural - Santana (Arista)
Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen (Columbia)

14 Million Albums Sold
Backstreet Boys - Backstreet Boys (Jive)
Ropin' the Wind - Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville)
Greatest Hits - Journey (Columbia)
Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf (Cleveland Intl.)
Metallica - Metallica (Elektra)
Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits - Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia)
...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears (Jive)

13 Million Albums Sold
Millennium - Backstreet Boys (Jive)
Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston (Arista)
Greatest Hits 1974-1978 - Steve Miller Band (Capitol)
Purple Rain (Soundtrack) - Prince and the Revolution (Warner Bros.)
Bruce Springsteen & E St. Band Live 1975-1985 (Box set) - Bruce Springsteen (Columbia)

12 Million Albums Sold
Abbey Road - The Beatles (Apple)
Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi (Mercury)
II - Boyz II Men (Motown)
No Jacket Required - Phil Collins (Atlantic)
Hysteria - Def Leppard (Mercury)
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks (Monument)
Pieces of You - Jewel (Atlantic)
Breathless - Kenny G (Arista)
Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin (Atlantic)
Yourself or Someone Like You - matchbox twenty (Atlantic)
Ten - Pearl Jam (Epic)
Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits - Kenny Rogers (Liberty)
Hot Rocks - The Rolling Stones (London)
The Woman in Me - Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville)
Forrest Gump (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (Epic)

11 Million Albums Sold
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles (Capitol)
Human Clay - Creed (Wind-Up Records)
Falling Into You - Celine Dion (550 Music)
Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. II - Eagles (Asylum)
Devil Without a Cause - Kid Rock (Lava)
Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin (Atlantic)
No Strings Attached - 'N Sync (Jive)
Speakerboxxx/the Love Below - Outkast (So So Def)
Dirty Dancing (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (RCA)
James Taylor's Greatest Hits - James Taylor (Warner Bros.)
CrazySexyCool - TLC (LaFace)
Up - Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville)
Titanic (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (Sony Classical)

10 Million Albums Sold
Aerosmith's Greatest Hits - Aerosmith (Columbia)
1 - The Beatles (Capitol)
The Hits - Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville)
Daydream - Mariah Carey (Columbia)
Music Box - Mariah Carey (Columbia)
Unplugged - Eric Clapton (Reprise)
Greatest Hits - Patsy Cline (MCA Nashville)
Pyromania - Def Leppard (Mercury)
Let's Talk About Love - Celine Dion (550 Music/Epic)
Fly - Dixie Chicks (Monument)
Best of the Doobies - Doobie Brothers (Warner Bros.)
Dookie - Green Day (Reprise)
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - Hammer (Capitol)
The Stranger - Billy Joel (Columbia)
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones (Blue Note)
Tapestry - Carole King (Ode)
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin (Atlantic)
Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park (Warner Bros.)
Like a Virgin - Madonna (Sire)
The Immaculate Collection - Madonna (Warner Bros.)
Legend - Bob Marley & the Wailers (Island)
Faith - George Michael (Columbia)
'N Sync - 'N Sync (RCA)
Nevermind - Nirvana (DGC)
Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt (Trauma/Interscope)
Life After Death - Notorious B.I.G. (Bad Boy/Arista)
Greatest Hits - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (MCA)
Can't Slow Down - Lionel Richie (Motown)
The Lion King (Soundtrack) - (Walt Disney)
Oops! . . .I Did It Again - Britney Spears. (Jive)
The Joshua Tree - U2 (Island)
1984 (MCMLXXXIV) - Van Halen (Warner Bros.)
Van Halen - Van Halen (Warner Bros.)
Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder (Motown)
Eliminator - ZZ Top (Warner Bros.)

9 Million Albums Sold
All Eyez on Me - 2 Pac (Death Row/Interscope)
Greatest Hits - 2 Pac (Interscope)
The Sign - Ace Of Base (Arista)
Licensed To Ill - Beastie Boys (Colombia)
Cooleyhighharmony - Boyz II Men (Motown)
Garth Brooks - Garth Brooks (Capitol)
Sevens - Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville)
Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey (Columbia)
Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus (Mercury)
John Denver's Greatest Hits - John Denver (RCA)
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits (Warner Bros.)
The Best Of The Doors - The Doors (Elaktra)
The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (Interscope)
Whitney - Whitney Houston (Arista)
Escape - Journey (Columbia)
Country Grammer - Nelly (Universal Records)
Elvis' Christmas Album - Elvis Presley (RCA Records)
Hi Infidelity - R.E.O. Speedwagon (Epic)
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins (Virgin Records)
Big Willie Style - Will Smith (Columbia)
Confessions- Usher (So So Def)
Footloose (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (Columbia)
Top Gun (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (Columbia)
Great Band Era - Various Artists (Reader's Digest Music)

8 Million Albums Sold
Toys In The Attic - Aerosmith (Columbia)
Christina Aguilera - Christina Aguilera (RCA)
Black & Blue - Backstreet Boys (Jive)
The Beatles Anthology, Vol 1 - The Beatles (Capitol)
Time, Love & Tenderness - Michael Bolton (Columbia)
Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton (Laface)
Secrets - Toni Braxton (Laface)
The Chase - Garth Brooks (Liberty)
In Pieces - Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville)
The Writing's On The Wall - Destiny's Child (Columbia)
Hell Freezes Over - Eagles (Geffen)
The Eminem Show - Eminem (Interscope)
Greatest Hits - Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.)
Breathe - Faith Hill (Warner Bros.)
The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse/Columbia)
Bad - Michael Jackson (Epic)
R. - R. Kelly (Jive)
Miracles: The Holiday Album - Kenny G (Arista)
Led Zeppelin I - Led Zeppelin (Atlantic)
Throwing Copper - Live (Radioactive)
Surfacing - Sarah McLachlan (Arista)
And Justice For All - Metallica (Elektra)
Hangin' Tough - New Kids On The Block (Columbia)
Synchronicity - The Police (A&M)
Greatest Hits - Queen (Elektra)
Greatest Hits - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullett Band (Capitol)
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia)
Grease (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (RSO)
Core - Stone Temple Pilots (Atlantic)
Strait Out Of The Box - George Strait (MCA Nashville)
Achtung Baby - U2 (Island)
Whitesnake - Whitesnake (Geffen)

7 Million Albums Sold
Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul (Virgin)
Highway To Hell - AC/DC (Epic)
Get A Grip - Aerosmith (Geffen)
Pump - Aerosmith (Geffen)
New Jersey - Bon Jovi (Mercury)
Don't Look Back- BOSTON (Epic)
Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown (MCA)
Running On Empty - Jackson Browne (Asylum)
Songs You Know By Heart - Jimmy Buffett (MCA)
The Singles 1969 - 1973 - The Carpenters (A&M)
TimePieces/Best Of Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton (RSO)
Unforgettable With Love Natalie Cole - Natalie Cole (Electra)
August & Everything After - Counting Crows (Geffen)
No Need To Argue - The Cranberries (Island)
Deja Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Atlantic)
Tuesday Night Music Club - Sheryl Crow (A&M)
No Way Out - P. Diddy and the Family (Bad Boy/Arista)
All The Way...A Decade Of Song - Celine Dion (550 Music/Epic)
The Long Run - Eagles (Asylum)
Live - Eagles (Asylum)
A Day Without Rain - Enya (Reprise)
Records - Foreigner (Atlantic)
Double Vision - Foreigner (Atlantic)
Use Your Illusion II - Guns 'n Roses (Geffen)
Use Your Illusion I - Guns 'n Roses (Geffen)
Off The Wall - Michael Jackson (Epic)
History: Past, Present & Future Book I - Michael Jackson (Epic)
Dangerous - Michael Jackson (Epic)
52nd Street - Billy Joel (Columbia)
An Innocent Man - Billy Joel (Columbia)
Glass Houses - Billy Joel (Columbia)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John (MCA)
Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits - Janis Joplin (Columbia)
Sports - Huey Lewis & The News (Chrysalis)
Significant Other - Limp Bizkit (Interscope)
True Blue - Madonna (Sire)
Ricky Martin - Ricky Martin (C2/Columbia)
Crash - Dave Matthews Band (RCA Records)
Vs. - Pearl Jam (Epic)
Luck Of The Draw - Bonnie Raitt (Capitol)
Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Warner Bros.)
Greatest Hits - Linda Ronstadt (Asylum)
Santana's Greatest Hits - Santana (Columbia)
Savage Garden - Savage Garden (Columbia)
Waiting To Exhale (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (Arista)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Soundtrack) - Various Artists (Lost Highway)
Spice - Spice Girls (Virgin)
To The Extreme - Vanilla Ice (SBK)



Disclaimer: There is nothing 'Official' about these lists. They are compiled by the 'editor' using the stated criteria, and revised considering the competent suggestions of visitors to this website only.

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