Best Drummers of All Time – Ranked

I found about 12 lists of the best drummers of all time on the Internet and compiled them into one meta-list.  The results are below: every drummer on three or more of the original source lists, organized by rank (that is, with the drummers on the most lists at the top).  Drummers on the same number of lists are organized chronologically by date of birth.

Please note that these are not my personal opinions.

To see a version of this meta-list organized chronologically by date of birth, go here.

On 12 lists

Buddy Rich (US, 1917-1987)
Styles: Jazz
Associated with: Tommy Dorsey, Harry James

On 11 lists

John Bonham (UK, 1948-1980)
Styles: Rock
Associated with: Led Zeppelin

On 10 lists

Dave Grohl (US, 1969- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures

On 9 lists

Keith Moon (UK, 1946-1978)
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Who


Neil Peart
(Canada/US, 1952- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Rush

On 8 lists

Gene Krupa (US, 1909-1973)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: Benny Goodman


Stewart Copeland
(US, 1952- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Police


Danny Carey
(US, 1961- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Tool
(Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images)

On 7 lists

Max Roach (US, 1924-2007)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown
(Photo by William P. Gottlieb)


Elvin Jones
(US, 1927-2004)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: John Coltrane, the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine


Ginger Baker
(UK, 1939- )
Style: Rock, blues, jazz, Afrobeat
Associated with: Cream, Blind Faith, Fela Kuti
(Photo by David Redfern/Getty Images)


Ringo Starr
(Richard Starkey) (UK, 1940- )
Styles: Rock, pop, country
Associated with: The Beatles


Clyde Stubblefield
(US, 1943-2017)
Styles: Funk, R&B, soul
Associated with: James Brown, Funkmasters


Billy Cobham
(Panama/US, 1944- )
Styles: Jazz, jazz fusion, rock
Associated with: Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra


Dave Lombardo
(Cuba/US, 1965- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Slayer

On 6 lists

Charlie Watts (UK, 1941- )
Styles: Rock, jazz, blues
Associated with: The Rolling Stones


Tony Williams
(US, 1945-1997)
Styles: Jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Miles Davis, The Tony Williams Lifetime


Steve Gadd
(US, 1945- )
Styles: Rock, pop, R&B, blues, jazz, jazz fusion


Mitch Mitchell
(John Graham Mitchell) (UK, 1946-2008)
Style: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: the Jimi Hendrix Experience
(Photo by Jim Marshall)


Terry Bozzio
(US, 1950- )
Styles: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: Frank Zappa, Missing Persons


Phil Collins
(UK, 1951- )
Styles: Rock, pop
Associated with: Genesis


Chad Smith
(US, 1961- )
Styles: Rock, jazz-funk
Associated with: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chicken Foot, Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats

On 5 lists

Art Blakey (US, 1919-1990)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers


Carl Palmer
(UK, 1950- )
Style: Rock
Associated with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Asia


Alex Van Halen
(Netherlands/US, 1953- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Van Halen


Vinnie Colaiuta
(US, 1956- )
Styles: Rock, pop, funk, jazz, country
Associated with: Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Sting, Tom Scott


Dave Weckl
(US, 1960- )
Style: Jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Chick Corea Elektric Band


Lars Ulrich
(Denmark/US, 1963- )
Style: Rock
Associated with Metallica


Mike Portnoy
(US, 1967- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Dream Theater


Tomas Haake
(Sweden, 1971- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Meshuggah


Josh Freese
(US, 1972- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Vandals, Devo, Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nais, Weezer, Sublime with Rome


Travis Barker
(US, 1975- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Blink-182

On 4 lists

Tony Allen (Nigeria, 1940- )
Style: Afrobeat
Associated with: Fela Kuti


Ian Paice
(UK, 1948- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Deep Purple


Bill Ward
(UK, 1948- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Black Sabbath


Jeff Porcaro
(US, 1954-1992)
Style: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: Toto


Steve Smith
(US, 1954- )
Style: Rock, jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Journey


Tommy Lee
(Greece/US, 1962- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Mötley Crüe, Methods of Mayhem


Matt Cameron
(US, 1962- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Soundgarden, Pearl Jam


?uestlove
(Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson) (US, 1971- )
Style: Hip hop, neo-soul
Associated with: The Roots


The Rev
(James Owen Sullivan) (US, 1981-2009)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Avenged Sevenfold

On 3 lists

Bernard Purdie (US, 1939- )
Styles: Rock, R&B, soul, funk, jazz
Associated with: James Brown, Aretha Franklin


Moe Tucker
(Maureen Tucker) (US, 1944- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Velvet Underground


Carmine Appice
(US, 1946- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck, Bogert & Appice, KGB, DBA, SLAMM


Bill Bruford
(UK, 1949- )
Styles: Rock, jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Yes, King Crimson, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Earthworks


Nicko McBrain
(UK, 1952- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Iron Maiden


Sheila E.
(Sheila Escovedo) (US, 1957- )
Styles: R&B, soul, funk, pop, Latin
Associated with: Prince, C.O.E.D., Ringo Starr


Carter Beauford
(US, 1957- )
Styles: Rock, jazz, R&B, jazz fusion, world
Associated with: Dave Matthews Band, Secrets


Dennis Chambers
(US, 1959- )
Styles: Funk, jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Parliament, Funkadelic, John Scofield


Mike Mangini
(US, 1963- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Annihilator, Extreme, Steve Vai, Dream Theater


Gavin Harrison
(UK, 1963- )
Styles: Rock, jazz fusion, experimental
Associated with: Porcupine Tree, King Crimson


Jimmy Chamberlin
(US, 1964- )
Syles: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: The Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan, Skysaw, the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex


Janet Weiss
(US, 1965- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Wild Flag, Quasi


Chris Adler
(US, 1972- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Lamb of God, Megadeth


Brann Dailor
(US, 1975- )
Style: Rock
Associated with: Evisceration, Lethargy, Gaylord, Mastodon, Arcadea