The Best Female Drummers Of All Time Ranked

Like almost every field of work in this huge world of professionals, drumming is also a hugely male-dominated profession or hobby (for some). Although women make up 50 percent of the population, they’re count for less than 10 percent of drummers. However, there are some amazing ladies who have been pounding rhythms and making you groove though the years. Keeping an eye on the global rise of female drummers, here’s a list of the women making an impact on the art and inspiring current and future generations to pick up those sticks and slam those grooves! Here are all of the best Female drummers of all time ranked.

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20. Anika Niles

“Anikka, considered the world’s best female drummer today by many drummers. She has a personal life that is as interesting and creative as her drumming style. She started playing drums when she was just nine years old; since then, it’s been nothing but success for this German native.”

19. Sarah Thawer

“Sarah’s father, a well-known musician himself, introduced her to the drums, and she never looked back. At just 16 years old, Sarah Thawer has already played in big festivals like Calcutta Jazz Festival, where she performed among names such as Benny Greb. She is one of few female drummers that have this much talent but also an equally creative personality.

18. Cora Coleman Dunham

“Cora Coleman is an accomplished female drummer and entrepreneur. As a child, she played with her drum line from the time she was five years old until North Texas State University when it became clear to everyone around her just how talented this woman is. She has performed with many well-known artists like Prince, Roger Nelson, Beyoncé Knowles, and Zucchero during their career peaks.”

17. Madden Klass

“Maden Klass is a drumming sensation whose popularity was catapulted when she released her first video on Instagram. She is very popular,  with a following of over 100k and has drummed for bands like The Flaming Lips. When she isn’t practicing drums or attending classes at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Maden’s main influences include John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Steve Ferrone, Joey Waronker.”

16. Nikkie Glaspie

“After her appearance on Zildjian Live, people were amazed by her incredible skill. For some musicians she was unknown, but for musicians in the RnB world, she is a widely known drummer. She has been touring with Janelle Monae since 2010 and had the pleasure of playing with Prince, Erykah Badu, M83. In 2014 she was featured in a video by DigiTech, which captured her drumming skills from multiple angles so everyone could see what fantastic talent this woman possesses!”

15. Hanah Welton

“Prince loved girl drummers; that’s why they’re a couple of drummers on our list who played with him. Hannah is one of them. She played for Bellevue Suite when she got a call to join Prince’s band 3rdeyegirl. That’s where she met her husband Joshua, who co-produced 3 of Prince’s albums and played live with him.”

14. Terry Lyne Carrington

“Terry was always interested in music as a child. She first discovered jazz when she and her family attended the Monterey Jazz Festival, which inspired Terry to start studying piano at age 8. Though it took several years of hard work for Terry to become proficient on the instrument, by high school, she had begun playing professionally with Dizzy Gillespie’s band; this experience led to an invitation from Wayne Shorter that helped launch her career into international fame.”

13. Camellia Akhami Kies

“Camelia is one of the top female drummers on Instagram and an entrepreneur. She is known for her drum covers on Instagram that feature various musical styles, from acoustic to electronic sounds with percussion incorporated into each song. Camelia’s most recent project has been Akhamie Music, where she offers classes for children and adults who are interested in learning how to play drums or other instruments such as guitar or piano!”

12. Emanuelle Caplete

“Emanuelle is a percussionist, drummer, sound artist, and composer born in 1981. She holds an honors degree from the “Conservatorio di Musica” of Pesaro (Italy), where she studied with Massimo Minini. In 2013 Andy Summers’s band Circa Zero hired Emanuelle as their musical director and drummer after hearing her play live at The Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. After that, they toured America together for three weeks before heading to Europe on November 8 that same year.”

11. Taylor Gordon

“Taylor Gordon is a young and successful drummer from Virginia. At age 10, she picked up her first drum set for the very first time after practicing drums on pots in her kitchen with rubber gloves for months before that. She took some years off to finish school but never lost sight of music as an essential part of life! At only 16, Taylor went on tour with several artists, including Andrea Bocelli, and opened his Boston show.”

10. Kimberly Thompson

“Most of you might not know, but hardly any girl in the history of music made as much a mark on drums as Kimberly Thompson. In her early days, Thompson used to play with Mike Stern (jazz guitarist) and became widely known for playing alongside Beyonce, Jay Z, and Kanye West.”

9. Bianca Richardson

“If you are not familiar with Bianca Richardson, you are missing out. The drumming community first heard about Bianca after she won Stanley Clarke’s contest. After that, she won 2nd place in the “Hit like a girl” contest which opened many doors. She was on a cover of Drum Mag, Top Tom Mag, featured on a Drum Channel by DW. She performed with artists such as Selena Gomez, James David (Davie), Art Menezes, Prime Writez, Genevieve Artadi, Nick Walker, Marcus Miller, and many more!”

8. Wiktoria Bialic

“Wiktoria is a polish female drummer who started with classical music before she got into jazz and rock. She was the champion in the “Rock for people” contest, finalist in many other contests such as the “Erica Dallmann trophy” “New drums generation Poland.” Bialic won the “Hit like a girl” contest in 2021. A year before, she was a finalist of the same contest. She had the opportunity to record single Dark Dark Days alongside Ash Soan.”

8. Senri Kawaguchi

“Incredible talent. One of the best drummers I have ever heard. She’s got a bright future and a long promising career ahead of her. Looking very much forward to following it. Hopefully she will come to Norway so I’ll be able to se her perform. Otherwise I will travel abroad within the next 5 years to see her.”

7. Rina Suzuki

“She is the most talented female drummer. She began playing the drums at 15 years and she plays it perfectly. She showed everyone that a woman can play drums. She plays drums with so much grace! She always play the drums with a big smile! I love her because of her overflowing love for music!”

6. Evelyn Glennie

“She’s so beautiful and she sounds so great but don’t let this beauty fool you because when she sits behind those drums she’s a complete BEAST, I’m pretty sure she’s one of THE BEST DRUMMER OF ALL TIME just the best female drummer”

5. Viola Smith

“Possibly the first professional female drummer, Viola Smith began performing in the 20s, later played in the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and made her Broadway debut in the original run of Cabaret.”

4. Jen Ledger

“She’s amazing. Her charisma and attitude give her a very compelling stage presence, she is a skilled artist that illustrated their latest single and album covers, and she has generated a gigantic new fanbase for Skillet that has played a part in what they are today. And she is a complete BEAST on the drums.”

3. Sheila E.

“Playing for Ringo Starr and Prince- says all there is about the quality. And her style and versatility if anything might make some forget that yes, she was first and foremost a badass percussionist. She started playing drums at 17, working with Prince, who was impressed by her drumming skills, so he gave Sheila a chance to perform on his award show for their Eighties category back when this was still relatively new territory.”

2. Cindy Blackman

“Cindy Blackman made a name playing with artists such as Buckethead and Joss Stone before branching out to work with artists like Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter (who’s also her husband), Sam Rivers, and Cassandra Wilson, among others. Even though Art Blakey was an idol when it came to jazz drums, he didn’t make much impact on how she plays rock music”

1. Karen Carpenter

“She’s not only the greatest female singer of all time but also the best female drummer. She beat out John Bonham of Led Zepplin in the Rolling Stone 1976 reader poll. She did both simultaneously well in perfect rhythm. Hal Blaine, who rarely praised anyone on their drumming skills, always spoke highly of her drumming. In her passing, we lost a legend!”