The Greats

Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.

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Rashied Ali : Coltrane’s Free Thinker

Rashied Ali was one of the progenitors of “free jazz” drumming, a stylization in which the typical guidelines and expectations of time and meter are ignored in favor of a looser approach that seeks to incorporate ideas of rhythm, melody,…

Modern Drummer
Jul 2, 2010

Barrett Deems: The Original Speed Demon

Though Barrett Deems was known as “the world’s fastest drummer”—resulting in his earning premier billing at Chicago’s Randolph Square in the 1940s and accolades from Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich—Deems’ effortless swing, solid time, and propulsive drive were the traits…

Modern Drummer
Jun 28, 2010

Roger Taylor: Queen’s Big Beat

Queen was one of the most influential rock bands of the ’70s and ’80s, and continues to be massively popular today despite the untimely death of lead singer Freddie Mercury nearly twenty years ago. Churning out hit after hit, Mercury…

Modern Drummer
Jun 25, 2010

Earl Palmer: An Original, By Any Measure

If you said that Earl Palmer is famous for being the most recorded drummer in history, you wouldn’t get too many arguments. But you’d also only be telling half the story. As house drummer at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studio in…

Modern Drummer
Jun 23, 2010

Kenny "Klook" Clarke

Kenny Clarke emerged from the swing bands of the '30s, but was actually the first important drummer of the bop era. Born in Pittsburgh in 1914, Clarke began his career with Roy Eldridge and around the Midwest with the Jeter-Pillars…

Modern Drummer
Jun 11, 2010
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O’Neil Spencer: Show Drumming’s Shooting Star

Solidly rooted in the Sid Catlett school of drumming was O’Neil Spencer, a somewhat lesser-known player who nonetheless had a significant effect on the musicians he played with and the drummers who heard him. Spencer was born in Cedarville, Ohio,…

Modern Drummer
Jun 7, 2010

Simon Phillips: The Drummer As Perfectionist

It was an exciting time for drumming. The year was 1980, and a twenty-three-old drummer from England, Simon Phillips, was being introduced to the global music community through his stellar work with artists such as Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, and…

Modern Drummer
Jun 3, 2010

Chuck Biscuits: Punk Journeyman

Chuck Biscuits has had a major impact on punk music. Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve surely heard of some of the bands he’s pounded the skins for: Danzig, Social Distortion, Fear, D.O.A., Circle Jerks, and Black Flag,…

Modern Drummer
May 19, 2010

Fred Below: Elder Statesman Of Chicago Blues Drummers

After graduating from DuSable High School, Fred Below joined the Army in 1945, returned to the Windy City in ’46 and attended the famed Roy Knapp School Of Percussion, and re-enlisted in 1948. Returning to Chicago in 1951, Below began…

Modern Drummer
May 17, 2010

Todd Sucherman: Exploring Every Angle With Styx

Styx is a band known for their over-the-top stage shows and epic chart-toppers like “Mr. Roboto,” “Too Much Time On My Hands,” “Come Sail Away,” and “Babe.” When original Styx drummer John Panozzo was unable to tour in 1996, Todd…

Modern Drummer
Apr 22, 2010

Sheila E: Way Beyond Latin

Sheila E, daughter of veteran percussionist Pete Escovedo, developed her natural talent by watching family members and friends gather in her home. Sheila was only eighteen when she carved her spot in music history, playing the hippest of gigs, like…

Modern Drummer
Apr 20, 2010

Ray McKinley: Jimmy Dorsey And Glenn Miller’s Authoritative, Sensitive Swinger

Ray McKinley was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and began playing at the age of four. Though self-taught, he was inspired to play by pit drummer Jimmy Grimes. His career began in the Fort Worth and Dallas areas with local…

Modern Drummer
Apr 9, 2010
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The Greats: Jack DeJohnette

When Jack DeJohnette hooked up with trendsetting trumpeter Miles Davis in 1969, the drummer was immediately thrust into the media spotlight as he became a main rhythmic catalyst behind Davis’s revolutionary electronic jazz sound. With that band, Jack appeared on…

Modern Drummer
Apr 7, 2010

The Greats: Jeff Porcaro

Jeff Porcaro was born on April 1, 1954, in Hartford, Connecticut. After moving to California with his family, he took an interest in drumming at an early age and began studying with his dad, Joe, who remains a well-known studio…

Modern Drummer
Mar 31, 2010
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