Butch Trucks/Jai Johanny Johanson
John Bonham
Charlie Watts
Buddy Rich
Al Jackson

John Bonham
Matt Abts
Futureman!
hart/kreutzmann
Terry Bozio

Butch Trucks & Jaimoe (they are one)
Elvin Jones
John Bonham
Richie Hayward
Dannie Richmond

[Edited on 4/28/2020 by Wayne]

[Edited on 4/28/2020 by Wayne]

[Edited on 4/28/2020 by Wayne]

Neil Peart
Kieth Moon
Charlie Watts
Levon Helm
and a favorite of mine Matt Abts

Bill Ward
Phil Collins
John Bonham
Keith Moon
Bill Bruford

Saw John Bonham in 1974 with Zeppelin. Powerful!!

Butch and Jaimoe my favorite.

Sonny Payne

Max Roach

But this old man impressed me the most live. Incredible!!!

These two together were tops!

If this is your favorite band then here are your favorite drummers.

Just thinking all the great drummers I saw in the 1970's and 80's.

Butch Trucks and Jaimoe in the kink above prove, in my opinion, together they had the edge over John Bonham and Ginger Baker. RIP Butchie.

And Jaimoe says in Hitting The Note magazine in 1999 that he wanted to be a big jazz drummer and being in Otis Redding's band and touring with Sam and Dave was educational and that he wasn't going make any money working for them so for his goals and tastes he studied Gene Krupa, Max Roach, Buddy Rich and others. So Jaimoe brought that jazz style to the table and added a lot of cool unique fills around Butch and the holes that would open up.

But he said when Butch put Marc Quinones in the band, Marc began playing Jaimoe's parts. So Jaimoe said rather than get mad at a band meeting and complain he decided to find new parts to play or not play at all. When he would sit out a section of a song sometimes he would get up and go into the audience and see how the band sounded out there. And often it was too loud. When it's so loud you can't hear clearly every instrument on the stage clearly then if it's not a mixing problem then it needs to be turned down. Jaimoe said Gregg also thought the band was too loud.

I think that is why Jack Pearson quit. He had delicate ears and they just couldn't take it.

Moon, Bonham, Butch, Jaimoe, are like don't list them, just assume they are on it.

I love listening to Ginger Baker. He was unique and amazing.

I also often recognize on other artists the stand out style of Jim Gordon. He is under recognized as one of the great rock drumers.

Levon was roadhouse, backwoods, perfection fun. A great.

And I like Mountain, so tip of hat to Corky, although he never makes any lists.

Yeah Ginger Baker and John Bonham were incredible when I saw them. Never saw Moon.

I forgot about Jim Gordon who has been in prison for decades. Clapton years ago said Gordon was the best he had worked with.

Levon Helm was terrific too and Mountain I saw once about late 1969 and their drummer had a heck of a drum solo. May have been the first time I had seen a drummer stretch out other than old jazz and big band greats and most of that was on TV or in the movies.

A band I saw about 1970 called Rare Earth had a fantastic drummer too didn't they? He took off on a Motown cover I think was I Know I'm Loosing You.

Maybe it was Get Ready the drummer with Rare Earth did a long solo. It's been 50 years ago.

Jim Gordon & Corky Laing would be on my list - everything Gordon played on, Clapton’s 1st solo record, ATMPass, the Low Spark album, Delaney & Bonnie etc, I really liked - Corky what a powerhouse

So Ginger, Keith, Bonzo, Carl Palmer, Buddy Miles, Stephen Jo Bladd, the 2 above.......
Butch & Jaimoe, and Bill & Mickey are a different kettle of fish to include - liked the Dead both w/BillyK solo & w/Mickey

Thanks for that 4/20 clip blackey, those guys so had it going - a top show from this era

[Edited on 4/29/2020 by Stephen]

I listen to live jazz fairly often and pretty much all of the contemporary jazz drummers blow me away. It is hard to limit to only 5 but-

Elvin Jones
Brian Blade
Vinny Coliauto
Richie Hayward
John Bonham

I was sorry not to have room for Ian Paice. Fascinating drummer. We've addressed this before, but the jazz influence of an Ian Paice or John Densmore adds so much.

X2 & +2 dude, esp Paicey - he’s gotta be on there & supplants no one from my list

Butch and Jaimoe
Matt Cameron
Elvin Jones
Mitch Mitchell
Tim Alexander

1. Ginger Baker
2. John Bonham
3. Cozy Powell
4. Mitch Mitchell
5. Carl palmer

Carter Buford
Tyler Greenwell
J. J. Johnson
John Hartman
Keith Knudsen

How about some love for Danny Seraphine.

Ian Paice (The Rodney Dangerfield of rock..........no respect?) The only drummer Deep Purple has had and that is 52 years now, over half a Century, still going strong and still one of the very best. Not only is he one of the greatest drummers of all-time............has anyone ever heard of him missing a gig?

Mitch Mitchell
Ginger Baker
Keith Moon
Charlie Watts

Really tough to only mention five...........

[Edited on 5/3/2020 by robslob]

Neil Peart
Buddy Rich
Terry Bozzio
Carl Palmer
Bill Bruford

My favorites are
Bill Ward-Black Sabbath
Ginger Baker
John Bonham
Micheal Shrieve- Santana
Cozy Powell

Earlier this year (1/31 and 2/1 to be precise) i was in London, UK, for Blackberry Smoke and The Tedeschi Trucks Band. The night before i saw Stanton Moore at Under The Bridge. One song in and i was already picking my jaw from the floor...what an incredible drummer!

I want to see if I can come up with 5 drummers that I can consider exceptional in some way, that I've seen play live. I sure missed out on seeing some of the great ones!!
1) Jai/Butch/Marc
2)Tommy Aldridge
3)Matt Abts
4)Ian Paice
5)Alex Van Halen
6) few other good ones.

No particular order which is silly anyway.

Jo Jones
Buddy Rich
Mike Mangini
Elvin Jones
Butch and Jaimoe
...

No particular order which is silly anyway.

Jo Jones
Buddy Rich
Mike Mangini
Elvin Jones
Butch and Jaimoe
...

Levon
Moon
Jimmy Cobb
Roy Haynes
on and on and...

Not a single mention of Carl Palmer???

The Zappa drummers are in a class of their own.