The Best 1960s Drummers Of All Time Ranked
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer’s equipment includes a drum kit (or “drum set” or “trap set”), which includes various drums, cymbals and an assortment of accessory hardware such as pedals, standing support mechanisms, and drum sticks. Particularly in the traditional music of many countries, drummers use individual drums of various sizes and designs rather than drum kits. Some use only their hands to strike the drums. In larger ensembles, the drummer may be part of a rhythm section with other percussionists playing. These musicians provide the timing and rhythmic foundation which allow the players of melodic instruments, including voices, to coordinate their musical performance. Here the best 1960’s ranked.
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12. Carmine Appice
“When Vanilla Fudge hit the scene there was no American drummer who could drive an audience to a frenzy like he does in “You keep me hanging on”. Probably not rated higher because good as they were, Vanilla Fudge was known more as a copy band.”
11. Jaki Liebezeit
“Honestly, a „best drummers“ list without Can‘s drummer Jaki Liebezeit can‘t be real. A true rhythm machine. Just listen to Can‘s „Oh Yeah“ and all their great their stuff from the early 70s”
10. Mick Fleetwood
“Along with steady rhythm-section mate John McVie, Mick Fleetwood has remained a constant through his namesake band’s many stylistic shifts, from the late Sixties blues-rock of Peter Green to grown-up pop of the ongoing Stevie Nicks–Lindsey Buckingham lineup. Fleetwood’s rhythmic personality shines through on every cut from the band’s classic best-seller Rumours: The stylish fill that introduces “Dreams” is as hooky as any chorus, and the gut-punch tom-tom counterpoint he provides to Buckingham’s rhythm guitar is integral to “Go Your Own Way.”
9. Mitch Mitchell
“Most people don’t know about this guy because Hendrix was always standing in front of him, and rightly so, it’s his band, but this was still really, listen to Hey Joe, or Voodoo Child, because his fills are great.”
8. Ian Paice
“Paice is an absolute monster. His playing on Made In Japan alone ranks him alongside Bonham and Moon – almost no other rock drummer could match his speed, power, inventiveness and sense of swing. Listen to Smoke On The Water again – everyone remembers the iconic riff but Ian’s is literally half of what makes the song great. His studio parts were always brilliantly conceived, and live he was like a locomotive loaded with nitroglycerine.”
7. Bill Ward
“The thing about Bill Ward is that he was the drummer in THE FIRST metal band to ever exist. But I wouldn’t say he’s a metal drummer. He’s more like a hip hop drummer mixed with a jazz drummer on steroids. He would lay down funky grooves with the kick pedal on songs like Hand of Doom and Behind the Wall of Sleep that could just as easily exist in a Biggie Smalls song as a metal song, and would then proceed to destroy your mind with lightning fast fills. The man had hands like a machine gun. And when you watch live footage of him, it’s so amazing that the camera man practically focuses on him the whole time.”
6. Nick Mason
“Being a drummer does not mean that you need to be loud, need to be fast and crazy. Drummers are the backbone of most songs. Nick Mason was not only the backbone for Pink Floyd’s songs, but he was the beauty and soul of their music. His drumming is an expression of his inner being and inner soul, and you can hear this in their music. It is not just the passion that you can hear in his drumming, but you can hear the expression of his inner being.”
5. Charlie Watts
“You only have to listen to a handful of stones songs to understand the genius Charlie brought to the high hat and snare. Songs such as jigsaw puzzle, honky tonk woman and stray cat blue all rely solely on his inventive fills and beats. Only a true talent like Watts could’ve brought together the ragged harmonies of Keith’s guitar and Jaggers croon. Combined with Bill Wyman the Stones had themselves one of the greatest rhythm sections in history.”
4. John Bonham
“John Bonham was very simply the best rock drummer ever. He had timing, speed, power, finesse and the most amazing bass drum technique – he played with a single bass drum pedal and did more than drummers using double bass drum pedals.”
3. Ringo Starr
“Sure he may not have gone ballistic on drum sets as lots of these other guys, but he was the perfect pop drummer. He knows exactly what to play for each song, and with his vast creativity, made many original drum beats. The beat from “In My Life” is a completely original beat, that to date, has not been known to be used in any other song. And if so, the song also probably just sounds like “In My Life.” He was also, a human metronome. Had perfect rhythm.”
2. Keith Moon
“Clearly a lot of people involved in the voting are not drummers. I’m trying not to see this subjectively. Keith Moon is widely considered one of the best because of his natural creativity. He played the drums as a solo instrument, where as most other drummers of his era just kept the beat. Keith went above and beyond and decided to try something new. Ultimately, it influenced tons of people, even Neil Peart, and even more people idol Neil. So, the influence of Keith is literally everywhere in rock music.”
1. Ginger Baker
“The best I ever heard and with the broadest scope in jazz, rock, African, Japanese etc. A true genius. Only the like of Buddy Rich compare and they weren’t nearly as wide in scope or as fanatically dedicated to their craft. A crazy genius and a great artist met in one! The first time I heard him I mentioned to the band member, listening to one of his long solos while sitting next to me, that he was the greatest drummer I ever heard and he said that he thought so too.”
