Best Drummers of All Time – Chronological

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 chronologically by the musician’s date of birth.

Please note that these are not my personal opinions.

To see a version of this meta-list organized by rank (that is, with the drummers on the most lists at the top), go here.


Gene Krupa (US, 1909-1973) (on 8 lists)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: Benny Goodman


Buddy Rich (US, 1917-1987) (on 12 lists)
Styles: Jazz
Associated with: Tommy Dorsey, Harry James


Art Blakey (US, 1919-1990) (on 5 lists)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers


Max Roach (US, 1924-2007) (on 7 lists)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown
(Photo by William P. Gottlieb)


Elvin Jones
(US, 1927-2004) (on 7 lists)
Style: Jazz
Associated with: John Coltrane, the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine


Ginger Baker
(UK, 1939- ) (on 7 lists)
Style: Rock, blues, jazz, Afrobeat
Associated with: Cream, Blind Faith, Fela Kuti
(Photo by David Redfern/Getty Images)

 


Bernard Purdie (US, 1939- ) (on 3 lists)
Styles: Rock, R&B, soul, funk, jazz
Associated with: James Brown, Aretha Franklin


Ringo Starr
(Richard Starkey) (UK, 1940- ) (on 7 lists)
Styles: Rock, pop, country
Associated with: The Beatles


Tony Allen (Nigeria, 1940- ) (on 4 lists)
Style: Afrobeat
Associated with: Fela Kuti


Charlie Watts (UK, 1941- ) (on 6 lists)
Styles: Rock, jazz, blues
Associated with: The Rolling Stones


Clyde Stubblefield
(US, 1943-2017) (on 7 lists)
Styles: Funk, R&B, soul
Associated with: James Brown, Funkmasters


Billy Cobham
(Panama/US, 1944- ) (on 7 lists)
Styles: Jazz, jazz fusion, rock
Associated with: Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra


Moe Tucker
(Maureen Tucker) (US, 1944- ) (on 3 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Velvet Underground


Tony Williams
(US, 1945-1997) (on 6 lists)
Styles: Jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Miles Davis, The Tony Williams Lifetime


Steve Gadd
(US, 1945- ) (on 6 lists)
Styles: Rock, pop, R&B, blues, jazz, jazz fusion


Keith Moon (UK, 1946-1978) (on 9 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Who


Mitch Mitchell
(John Graham Mitchell) (UK, 1946-2008) (on 6 lists)
Style: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: the Jimi Hendrix Experience
(Photo by Jim Marshall)


Carmine Appice
(US, 1946- ) (on 3 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck, Bogert & Appice, KGB, DBA, SLAMM


John Bonham (UK, 1948-1980) (on 11 lists)
Styles: Rock
Associated with: Led Zeppelin


Ian Paice
(UK, 1948- ) (on 4 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Deep Purple


Bill Ward
(UK, 1948- ) (on 4 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Black Sabbath


Bill Bruford
(UK, 1949- ) (on 3 lists)
Styles: Rock, jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Yes, King Crimson, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Earthworks


Terry Bozzio
(US, 1950- ) (on 6 lists)
Styles: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: Frank Zappa, Missing Persons


Carl Palmer
(UK, 1950- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Asia


Phil Collins
(UK, 1951- ) (on 6 lists)
Styles: Rock, pop
Associated with: Genesis


Neil Peart
(Canada/US, 1952- ) (on 9 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Rush


Stewart Copeland
(US, 1952- ) (on 8 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Police


Nicko McBrain
(UK, 1952- ) (on 3 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Iron Maiden


Alex Van Halen
(Netherlands/US, 1953- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Van Halen


Jeff Porcaro
(US, 1954-1992) (on 4 lists)
Style: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: Toto


Steve Smith
(US, 1954- ) (on 4 lists)
Style: Rock, jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Journey


Vinnie Colaiuta
(US, 1956- ) (on 5 lists)
Styles: Rock, pop, funk, jazz, country
Associated with: Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Sting, Tom Scott


Sheila E.
(Sheila Escovedo) (US, 1957- ) (on 3 lists)
Styles: R&B, soul, funk, pop, Latin
Associated with: Prince, C.O.E.D., Ringo Starr


Carter Beauford
(US, 1957- ) (on 3 lists)
Styles: Rock, jazz, R&B, jazz fusion, world
Associated with: Dave Matthews Band, Secrets


Dennis Chambers
(US, 1959- ) (on 3 lists)
Styles: Funk, jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Parliament, Funkadelic, John Scofield


Dave Weckl
(US, 1960- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Jazz, jazz fusion
Associated with: Chick Corea Elektric Band


Danny Carey
(US, 1961- ) (on 8 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Tool
(Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images)


Chad Smith
(US, 1961- ) (on 6 lists)
Styles: Rock, jazz-funk
Associated with: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chicken Foot, Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats


Tommy Lee
(Greece/US, 1962- ) (on 4 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Mötley Crüe, Methods of Mayhem


Matt Cameron
(US, 1962- ) (on 4 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Soundgarden, Pearl Jam


Lars Ulrich
(Denmark/US, 1963- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with Metallica


Mike Mangini
(US, 1963- ) (on 3 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Annihilator, Extreme, Steve Vai, Dream Theater


Gavin Harrison
(UK, 1963- ) (on 3 lists)
Styles: Rock, jazz fusion, experimental
Associated with: Porcupine Tree, King Crimson


Jimmy Chamberlin
(US, 1964- ) (on 3 lists)
Syles: Rock, jazz fusion
Associated with: The Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan, Skysaw, the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex


Dave Lombardo
(Cuba/US, 1965- ) (on 7 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Slayer


Janet Weiss
(US, 1965- ) (on 3 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Wild Flag, Quasi


Mike Portnoy
(US, 1967- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Dream Theater


Dave Grohl (US, 1969- ) (on 10 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures


Tomas Haake
(Sweden, 1971- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Meshuggah


?uestlove
(Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson) (US, 1971- ) (on 4 lists)
Style: Hip hop, neo-soul
Associated with: The Roots


Josh Freese
(US, 1972- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: The Vandals, Devo, Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nais, Weezer, Sublime with Rome


Chris Adler
(US, 1972- ) (on 3 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Lamb of God, Megadeth


Travis Barker
(US, 1975- ) (on 5 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Blink-182


Brann Dailor
(US, 1975- ) (on 3 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Evisceration, Lethargy, Gaylord, Mastodon, Arcadea


The Rev
(James Owen Sullivan) (US, 1981-2009) (on 4 lists)
Style: Rock
Associated with: Avenged Sevenfold