Top 20 Greatest Rock Drummers Of All Time 

Did we forget one of your favorite drummers? Let us know in the comments below. For more music content, check out our playlist!: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yxURjzEUcrI.html

Did everyone forget bill ward drumming for black sabbath. Helped make an entire genre and his work on rat salad and behind the wall of sleep are incredible.

The professor number one. Period. Not to take away from the other drummers achievements and talent. Neil was not only the best drummer of his time, he was a superb human being and a great lyrics composer. He was also the most level headed drummer that ever lived and the most talented in my book. That’s my comment. You can argue and destroy me I don’t care because we all have our individual views and they are all important. Neil Peart is THE best percussionist of all time in my book.

Chester Thompson, Simon Phillips, Cozy Powell, Terry Bozzio, Mike Potnoy, Bernard Purdie, Carl Palmer...and I still haven't even had my first cup of coffee yet.

Nah man, Neil Peart is the GOAT!!! R.I.P.

Cozy Powell - Bill Ward - Carl Palmer Three names that belongs on every list about drummers.

Danny Carey is a straight up beast and deserves to be atop any drummer list. Watching him jam out in a 10 minute drum solo during Lateralus live was like a religious experience. Dude looks like a supersonic octopus.

I definitely don't think that Neil should be that low!! He is number ONE for sure ❤❤

It's a pretty good list. Personally I would have Richard wright higher on the list and Neil Peart is in my opinion the best drummer of all time.

When you get to those top 3, Peart, Moon, and Bonham it just becomes personal preference.

Neil Peart the best! I saw him live at the Madison SG NYC

Carmine Appice 🔥⚡️🥁⚡️🔥 Best known for Vanilla Fudge. He is credited with influencing later rock drummers including Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain, Aerosmith's Joey Kramer, Roger Taylor of Queen, Phil Collins of Genesis, Rush's Neil Peart, Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee, Slayer's Dave Lombardo, Richard Christy, David Kinkade, Ray Mehlbaum, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Ian Paice of Deep Purple, Anvil's Robb Reiner and Eric Singer of Kiss

Peart greatness, drumming and song writing.

The fact Alex VanHalen and Mick Fleetwood aren’t on this list is criminal

Neil Peart - is without a shadow of a doubt - the greatest of all time. I absolutely love every one of the drummers featured in your Top 20. However… Neil’s skills, intricate fills and creative use of that massive kit, implementation of percussion instruments from around the world, plus - being able to pull all of this off live - and don’t forget - he also has to trigger samples live, so there’s that on top of everything else he needed to do in stage - and those are the indisputable facts that put him ahead of the great Keith Moon and the great Mr. Bonham. Now let’s talk about his writing and lyrics…

Billy Cobham is in my top 10. If you don’t know his name, seriously look him up. You will remember Billy Cobham. He was co-founder of Mahavishnu Orchestra. Their music makes you feel exciting, positive energy & creativity. ‘Smokin’ jams giving you that ‘60’s & ‘70’s love&peace ‘groovy’ Fix in a unique, soulful, beautiful way. 🎼 music is universal, Brothers & sisters peace, love & kindness ☮️

Danny Carey is top of my list. Many great drummers but Carey is my favorite

Hard to believe Carl Palmer wasn't even mentioned in the shoddy list.

Joey Jordison was a monster with drums when he was with slipknot

A very good list. Carl Palmer!

Carl Palmer

For me, Peart is the GOAT. The most technically proficient rock drummer of all time plus all the power, speed, and feel. No one will ever touch him imo.

For some reason, Carl Palmer is always forgotten. He was a key reference for any drummer of the 70´s

neil peart should've been #1 absolute beast! such precision, technicality and art is amazing in rock drumming! he mastered every part of drumming! and might i add he wrote almost all of rush music and lyrics!! rip neil!! also neil peart wasnt lik moon or bonham who were both alcoholics

I went to a "Chicago" concert in the early 2000's and watched Tris Imboden do a drummer solo there. Since then he's been my favorite.

Let’s just call it a 3-way tie. Neil’s writing (outside of the band) is also astounding, and he pushed drumming to new levels (to the point that when Rush toured, they wanted the live shows to sound like the albums, so while Geddy and Alex had foot pedals to add in samples of various overdubs, and Geddy also used a foot pedal synth so he could have his hands free for the bass and sing (at the same time), Neil had to sit in the middle of a massive amount of percussion gear that rotated around him! Keith and John were brilliant drummers as well, but unfortunately became victims of alcohol addiction, fueled by the rock “lifestyle” (it’s been said that Keith wrecked hotel rooms, John wrecked people).

Just flip Peart and Bonham. I love Zeppelin and Bonham is incredible, but Peart is the greatest, hands down. I do think Danny Carey was underrated as well, even though I’m not a huge Tool fan.

My top 20, in no particular order: - Chester Thompson - Stewart Copeland - Ian Paice - Phil Collins - Carl Palmer - Bill Bruford - Barriemore Barlow - Terry Bozzio - Nigel Olsson - Bill Ward - Neil Peart - Ringo Starr - Chad Smith - Nick Mason - Terry Chambers - Mick Fleetwood - Paul Thompson - John Densmore - Michael Giles - Chris Frantz

Cannot believe you left Carl Palmer (ELP) off the list!! And what about the duo of Mickey Hart & Billy Kruetzman from the Grateful Dead?

Phil Collins hands down. Drummer, musican, composer, performer, songwriter, front man to name a few. Man's a musical legend. Had the privilege of seeing him live in 2021 with Genesis with his son on drums, it breaks my heart hearing him say he can't hold a drum stick when that's the passion that got him famous to begin with. It didn't stop him from absolutely smashing each and every song. Respect Phil 👊💯

mr. neil peart was inspired by bonham and moon, but whit the time, he shift those guys .he;s not the professor for nothing,for those who don;t know rush, try ( yyz ) from exit stage left, drum solo. one of a kind,🎸🥁🎸

For me, Neil Peart was a technical master who also had a great feel for the instrument. So many virtuoso musicians are technically great but their style is repetitious, and almost robotic. Neil had technical mastery with great feel. Bonham, on the other hand, was a force of nature. From the baseball bats he used for drumsticks (exaggerating... a little) to the way he attacked the drums, beating them to death in the best way possible, to his time signatures which can be some of the most difficult in drumming. Those two, 1A and 1B, have quite some distance before number 3.

Mitch Mitchell with Jimi HENDRIX WAS OUTSTANDING,SETTING NEW STANDARDS,ideas in rock drumming

Don’t even have to look, John Bonham from Led Zeppelin will always be my favorite and imo one of the best drummers of all time! Rip to a true legend!

This is why I fell in love with drums. My mom did drums because of Rush. As I followed in her foot steps.

Top 10: 1. Neil Peart, 2. John Bonham, 3. Alex Van Halen, 4. Buddy Rich, 5. Phil Collins, 6 Keith Moon, 7. Steve Gadd, 8. Steve Smith, 9. Ginger Baker, 10. Ringo Starr

1 - Neil Part 2 - John Bonham 3 - Keith Moon 4 - Ian Paice 5 - Dave Lombardo

Not having Bill Ward on the list even as an honourable mention is a massive oversight. There’s quite a number of drummers here that don’t even compare to his technical capability, let alone the fact he was in THE band that inspired an entire genre.

I'd have to add Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater fame to this list. One of the most talented and tasteful drummers I've heard and paid attention to in my 55 years alive and 45 years as a musician. His side work with other progressive rock groups to Dream Theater doing the Pink Floyd cover (Dark Side of the Moon.... literally note for note perfect) to the Beatles cover project with Paul Gilbert and tribute bands of Led Zeppelin, Rush, and the Who shows not only his talent but his versatility and appreciation for other styles of music... definitely not a one dimensional player. A complete package with a talent level of 10 out of 10.

Neil Peart G.O.A.T. wrote the lyrics too!!! RIP Professor

Bernard Jurdie is the David Gillmour of drummers. His lazy syncopation ghost note style is an iconic rif on old blues drum standards. You can hear his skip step shuffle in Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain", and in the Police's "Walking on the Moon". Purdie played it on Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" and "Home At Last". He also recorded with Rich Havens, Joe Cocker, BB King, Hall & Oates, Nina Simmone, Dizzy Gillespie, and Cat Stevens.

Phil Collins, Danny Carey and Bill Bruford deserve a higher spot on this list. Also, Neil Peart at #3? He should be #1 for sure!

Keith Moon will ALWAYS be my favorite! I saw The Who twice with Moon and was never interested in seeing them again without him. RIP Moon. Peart is probably the best technically of rock drummers! I'd love to see a metal drummer list!

Gabriel Parra fromthe drummer started playing drums at six. Together with his brothers and Mario Mutis they formed the group the Jaivas It is one of the best in the world. the beautiful simplicity of it made it great. Today his daughter Juanita Parra took his place after Gabriel died in an accident. She is also one of the best. Chile RIP.

My top 10 drummers (in order) Tony Williams John Bonham Barriemore Barlow Billy Cobham Bill Bruford Neil Peart Gavin Harrison Simon Phillips Jeff Porcaro Ian Paice

No Benson from Regular Show? This list is null and void. Any drum solo that sets your bones on fire deserves #1

id have Neil as #1 no question about it

Neil Peart should be #1. His career was at the highest level for 4 years before cancer caught up to him, and his lyrics were always about something meaningful, instead of the sex and drugs bordering on misogynistic topics of most rock bands. He didn't let fame get to his head. He didn't wreck hotels like #2 and was grounded until the very end unlike #1 who gave in to alcoholism. Peart is the GOAT no so many levels.

Tré cool - green day Lars ulrich - metallica Travis barker - blink-182 Dave grohl - nirvana, queens of the stone age Patrick Wilson - weezer Is my top 5.

Peart's career spanning 4 decades and his evolution and ability to continue to learn and impress with his drumming, percussion and creativity during that time makes him the undisputable GOAT. Moon and Bonham had shorter careers sadly so we will never know how good they would have been in the long run. And if we want to compare them as musicians there's no contest with Peart as the lyricist of his band Rush.

John Bonham is my favourite drummer, but I admit Neil Peart is the best of all (including jazz drummers). Maybe WM didn't want to give the number one spot to a fellow Canadian to avoid backlash, but most people won't complain.

My top three are Peart, Moon and Bonham.

Ringo is my favourite drummer. He has just two drum solo (The end and hello goodbye) But his tempo and musical still very good. By watching drum cover of Rain , come together , she said , long tally sally , here comes the sun and a day in life we can understand he is one of the best drummer ever.

20.) Levon Helm- The Band 19.) Michael Shrieve- Santana 18.) Steve Gadd- Multiple Artists 17.) Danny Seraphine- Chicago 16.) Bill Bruford- Yes, King Crimson 15.) Jeff Porcaro- Toto 14.) Danny Carey- Tool 13.) Roger Taylor- Queen 12.) Dave Grohl- Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures 11.) Ian Paice- Deep Purple 10.) Charlie Watts- The Rolling Stones 9.) Phil Collins- Genesis 8.) Mitch Mitchell- The Jimi Hendrix Experience 7.) Nick Mason- Pink Floyd 6.) Stewart Copeland- The Police 5.) Ringo Starr- The Beatles 4.) Ginger Baker- Cream 3.) Neil Peart- Rush 2.) Keith Moon- The Who 1.) John Bonham- Led Zeppelin H.M’s 1.) Travis Barker- blink-182 2.) Chad Smith- Red Hot Chili Peppers 3.) Taylor Hawkins- Foo Fighters 4.) Tommy Lee- Mötley Crüe 5.) Rick Allen- Def Leppard

RIP Neil Peart

Ginger Baker of Cream and John Bonham of led zeppelin were on another planet and nobody can hold a candle to them.

I would put Vini Lopez, Bruce Springsteen E Street band’s first dummer and John Densmore, the drummer of The Doors in the top five drummers. Both drummers along with Danny Seraphine of Chicago and Neil Peart of Rush had such a sense of timing and finesse, just as Ringo Star of The Beatles. These drummers along with of Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and Keith Moon of The Who - who could forget Quadrophenia - and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin are my top eight Rock n’ Roll drummers.

James "The Rev" Sullivan from Avenged Sevenfold. Just absolute pure energy. He passed before his time.

Mick Tucker of Sweet is definitely in the top 20 for sure 👍

Some good calls coupled with some 100% shockers. Whoever compiled this has a bright future working for Rolling Stone magazine,

You could honestly throw a blanket over Peart, Moon, and Bonham in terms of who is the greatest

Mike Portnoy and Carl Palmer belong on this list.

Interesting that you have both Keith Moon and Ringo Starr on this list. Have to give an honorable mention to Karen Carpenter, who is known more for her singing but was a great drummer. At one time, Keith Moon was asked what it was like being the world's greatest drummer, and his response was "I don't know, Go ask Karen Carpenter." Direct quote. Had to be in response to Playboy Magazine's rankings of best rock drummers in 1975. Karen Carpenter was the #1 drummer followed by John Bonham, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Mick Fleetwood. Further, Ringo Starr once said Karen Carpenter was his favorite drummer.

Neil Peart the GOAT. But I also like Mick Fleetwood and Nicko McBrain. And Frank Beard.

This list needs Cozy Powell, Neil Peart and Bill Ward

Cozy Powell is a particularly startling omission. (Carl Palmer and Carmine Appice too)

Carl Palmer deserves at least an honorable mention.

Carl Palmer is definitely deserving of being on this list.

Ian Paice's intro to Fireball is arguably one of the most identificable and iconic rock drumming intros. The perfect percussionist or the Deep Purple repertoire.

Adding session musicians like Steve Gadd made this list so much more comprehensive! Good stuff. I love the album Aja by Steely Dan. RIP Taylor Hawkins.

At the start of the video, my first thought was that they will forget Carl Palmer from ELP. I was right. He's under appreciated.

Finally a list that got it right, GOAT #3 Peart, GOAT #2 Moon, GOAT #1, you know😮

What !! John Bonham #1 Yes my goodness ❤❤ Heavy Duty....

Tim Alexander of Primus is insanely underrated. A few months ago I watched him play Rush's, "A Farewell To Kings" in its entirey and he nailed every note. That's ignoring the amazing work he did throughout the Primus discography. And being worthy of being Les Claypool's rhythm guy says plenty. He influenced Danny Carey, who made this list.

Phil Rudd. Unbelievable unbelievable. The AC/DC fans please forgive this guy who set this up top 20.

Simon Kirke - Bad Company Mick Tucker - Sweet Lee Kerslake - Uriah Heep Darrel Sweet - Nazareth Dave Neal - Suzi Quatro band Don Brewer - Grand Funk Railroad, ........ and Sina.

Danny deserves a top 10

Alex Van Halen is easily my favorite rock drummer! Sad to not see him or Mike Portnoy on the list, and the most underrated drummer Will Calhoun from Living Colour.

How could you not have Cozy Powell on this list ??????? Dude was in rainbow, black sabbath, emerson lake and powell . He was a beast !!!!!!

jon bonham mitch mitchell stewart copeland keith moon michael shriev ginger baker and the drummer from soda stereo left an everlasting impact on my drumming skills

Steve Gadd and Neil Peart stand apart as the drumming heroes all my life!

Thank you for including my favorite drummer, Bill Bruford. His replacement in Yes, the late Alan White, was no slouch either. An original member of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, featured on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album, joined Yes literal days before their Close to the Edge tour, and stayed with Yes for 50 years until his passing last May. Alan was an absolute power house of a drummer, and one of the nicest people you could have met. I miss him so much. I have to call you guys out though for not including Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer and Asia. Carl is an absolute beast of a drummer, his solos are intense, and he can still pull off a 10-15 minute solo today, in his 70s. He plays just as well as he did in his 20s; he said if he couldn't he wouldn't play anymore. Carl's the last surviving member of ELP, and keeps the band's music alive with his own touring band. ELP deserves way more respect than they get. Some other personal favorite drummers would be Paul Thompson (Roxy Music), Roger Taylor (Duran Duran), Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, Tones on Tail), Budgie (Siouxsie and the Banshees), and Boris Williams (The Cure).

Missing cozy powell and bill ward. Amazing and influental drummers!

Man with the Golden arm Mick Tucker... Scott Travis :the Painkiller... Vinnie Colaiuta Chat Wackerman Terry Bozzio Carmine Appice Billy Cobham Tony Williams Phil Rudd the Metronome Buddy Rich

Nice Picks 3 Out Of My 6 Favorite Drummers Made the list here are my 6 the one who did and the ones who didnt. 6 Bill Ward Black Sabbath 5. Alex Van Halen Van Halen 4.Kieth Moon The Who 3.John Bonham Led Zeppelin 2. Neil Peart Rush 1. Eric Carr KISS

Dissapointed to not see alex van halen on the list. He was an absolute legend on the kit and helped create the hypnotic van halen sound

Why was Karen Carpenter left out? Afraid to admit that there was a woman drummer who could hold her own with all these legends on this list, plus what a voice she had, gone too soon and too young.

Terry Bozzio is definatly one of the top 5 and Bill Ward deserves to be on that list.

Don't forget Cozy Powell played with Rainbow and Michael Schenker Group

Neil Peart should have been in the #1 spot on this list. HIs technical mastery of all things percussion was simply unmatched by anyone. His dedication to continuing to learn new percussion styles throughout his career is emblematic of someone that truly loved his craftmanship. Whoever came up with the final ranking calling into question Peart's unrivaled mastery and as being a 3rd place contender is simply wrong.

Yes, Carl Palmer should be somewhere on this list!

5) Ringo, 4) Bonham, 3) Palmer, 2) Peart, 1) Moon.

Dave Grohl will always be my most favourite drummer and musician. My inspiration for life. ❤️

Danny Carry is too low. He is absolutely phenomenal at adjusting to several time changes through single songs.

In my humble opinion, Alex Van Halen is a very underrated drummer. I would like to see Alex on one of these lists of great rockers.

As a lifelong blink-182 fan, I know Barker has the reputation of being overrated, but I was secretly hoping he made the list. Glad he got honorable mention at least.

A guy that could go with any of these is Australian drummer Rob Hirst from the band Midnight Oil. You can check him out in a classic concert on Sydney Harbour in 1985. The concert is called Oils on the water, and check out the songs Best of both worlds and Power and the Passion.

I'm sure that both Ginger Baker from Cream is on this List & Neal Peart from Rush are on it too!🎶🎵📀🎤💯🕯💖☕🍩

Neil Peart is by far the greatest drummer ever

Solo 11 años de carrera y aun es la máxima leyenda de la batería. Larga vida al rey " Bonzo".