
Earl Palmer

To further celebrate the soulful, timekeeping majesty of this month’s cover artist Earl Young, we dove into the Modern Drummer archives to find ten other groove masters talking about how they make the music move. Greg Errico, October 2011 “Sly Stone had great producing chops, and the songs would morph …

He helped pave the way for every great studio musician who came out of L.A., and his influence extends to this very day.
To list Earl Palmer’s contribution to music, records, film and T.V. would take up an exorbitant amount of space.
This conversation took place one night while I was sitting at home in New Jersey and Jim was at home 3000 miles away in California.

His story—which includes work with some of the most iconic artists of all time—is a timeless lesson in providing exactly what’s needed, and being open to whatever fate sends your way.

Earl Palmer, Ronnie Vannucci, Josh Freese, Vinnie Colaiuta, Franscisco Mela, Sean Reinert, Marco Minnemann, Jay Bellerose, Russ Kunkel, Jimmy DeGrasso, Benny Greb, Mickey Hart

Chad Smith, Jim Keltner, Hal Blaine, Bill Bruford, Earl Palmer, Steve Hass, Ian Wallace, Terri Lynn Carrington, Andrew Hurley, Phil Maturano, Sammy Siegler, Russ Moy, Steve Smith, Thomas Lang, Zoro

Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, Terry Bozzio, Chuck Comeau, Earl Palmer, Billy “Thunder” Mason, David Garibaldi, Rodney Green, Chris Vrenna, Rod Morgenstein, Joel Rosenblatt, Sebastian Thomson, Billy Ward, Chuck Morris, Roger Taylor, Ronnie Vannucci, Scott Rockenfield, Brad Morgan, Terry Bozzio, Steve Smith, Ian Paice

Earl Palmer, Chad Wackerman, Eli Konikoff, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Morello, Bill Bruford, Neil Peart, David Garibaldi, Phil Ehart
Posted: November 4, 2022

The Singles – EMERSON, LAKE, & PALMER
(BMG Records) By Scott Gudell Spectacular to hear and stunning to view. This box set of a dozen seven inch singles/45s is billed as a celebration of the fifty year anniversary of Emerson / Lake / Palmer (ELP) and focuses on material from the decade they dominated, the 1970s, as …
Posted: September 15, 2022

WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS: THE RETURN OF EMERSON LAKE & PALMER
Sole surviving member Carl Palmer, in association with the Estates of his bandmates Keith Emerson & Greg Lake, has announced the much anticipated WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS- THE RETURN OF EMERSON LAKE & PALMER Tour. Launching on Friday November 18th., 2022 at the 2300 ARENA in Philadelphia, PA, the tour will actually reunite …
Posted: February 11, 2022

NOW YOU CAN HAVE ALEX VAN HALEN’S DRUMSET… IN YOUR WALLET! CRASH THE WORLDS GREATEST DRUM KITS ARE NFT’S
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in art, music, and technology are here to stay. Owner/CEO of Modern Drummer Magazine David Frangioni finds himself uniquely positioned. Frangioni is a self-made success in the music technology industry, a drummer, a producer/engineer, a publisher, a consultant, and a sophisticated collector. He and his team have spent a …
Posted: December 27, 2018

Roger Earl of Foghat in On The Beat
Hello! Roger Earl here, writing from Long Island, New York, my adopted home. I grew up in SW London during the ’50s and ’60s, listening to American music like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Muddy Waters, and Chuck Berry.
Posted: January 30, 2018

On The Beat with Michael Blicher: The Making of Omara with Michael Blicher, Dan Hemmer, and Steve Gadd
Hello Modern Drummer, I’m Michael Blicher. I play the saxophone but drums are what I should really be playing—I love them!
Posted: April 26, 2017
Web Exclusive: Producer Russ Titelman on 10 of His Favorite Drummers
The June issue of Modern Drummer magazine features an interview with three-time Grammy Award–winning producer Russ Titelman who in his long career has worked with musical giants including Little Feat, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Brian Wilson, Cyndi Lauper, Graham Central Station, Rickie Lee Jones, George Harrison, Chaka Khan, the Bee …
Posted: September 29, 2016
On Tour: Tony Leone With the Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Longtime New York City drummer Tony Leone is currently on the road with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.
Posted: September 28, 2016
On the Beat With Joe Fitzgerald of Pugwash: Talks Latest Release, Tours, and Favorite Drums
Hi, MD readers! My name is Joe Fitzgerald and I’ve been drumming with the Irish pop band Pugwash since 2010.
Posted: July 11, 2016
On the Beat With David Frangioni: Carl Palmer Show Recap
Hello Modern Drummer readers, fellow drummers, and music lovers! David Frangioni here again and I’m pleased to share with you that the Carl Palmer concert was a resounding success. Carl and his band (along with special guests Steve Hackett, Mark Stein, and Liza Quin) killed it!
Posted: October 23, 2015
News: Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy “Rhythm of Light??? Tour Returns to US in November
Carl Palmer, among the most renowned drummers in rock history and a founding member of both ELP and Asia, is returning to the United States for the final leg of the Rhythm of Light Tour. The tour features his popular ELP Legacy band and will also highlight his collection of …
Posted: January 2, 2015
What You Need to Know About…Effects Cymbals
The term effects, or FX, is applied to a wide array of cymbals, from tiny splashes to giant, oddly shaped sheets of metal to cymbals with tambourine jingles riveted to them. The key to helping customers find that unique voice they’ve been missing in their setup is to know what’s …
Posted: October 14, 2014
The Essence of Progressive Drumming
What is the rhythmic essence of progressive music? What makes prog so different from other genres? Does it require a specific skill set on the drumkit, or does the nature of the music make it open to interpretation? MD posed these and other questions to the drummers in Spock’s Beard, …
Posted: September 25, 2014
Encore: Adam Wade on Shudder to Think’s Pony Express Record
Though Adam Wade cut his teeth with seminal ’90s noise rockers Jawbox, he didn’t truly come into his own until joining fellow Beltway-based post-hardcore pioneers Shudder to Think. Manning the drumkit on the latter’s prog-pop masterpiece Pony Express Record—an under-sung treasure of the alt-rock epoch—Wade weathered Shudder’s stylistic schizophrenia and …
Posted: September 21, 2012
Russell Simins of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Hey, all, Russell Simins from the one and only Blues Explosion here. I play drums and write music with bandmates Jon Spencer and Judah Bauer, two of the greatest guitarists I know, and I know a lot of them.
Posted: July 23, 2012
20 CLASSIC PROG ALBUMS
Odd times, intergalactic themes, and more tom-toms. Rock drumming gets interesting….
Posted: March 15, 2012
Jeremy Taggart of Our Lady Peace
Hello, Jeremy Taggart from Our Lady Peace here. We’re releasing album number 8, Curve, in the U.S. on April 17. It’s been a great experience, and I can’t wait to play the songs on this year’s touring cycle. I couldn’t be more amped about it…
Posted: March 9, 2012
BerkleeMusic.com Debuts New “Rock History” Course
First of its Kind Online Course from Berklee Launches April 2nd, 2012 from Renowned Author and Journalist Steve Morse.
Posted: December 15, 2011
Micky Dolenz
The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz on longevity, the Wrecking Crew, and that wacky setup of his.
Posted: November 22, 2011
November Web Update News
Drumming news for the month of November complied in one place.
Posted: October 18, 2011
Ian Paice: Influence
MD Pro Panelist Daniel Glass on the magic of Deep Purple’s Ian Paice.
Posted: July 1, 2011
MD Readers Poll 2011 Results
Welcome once again to the MD Readers Poll, where the greatest drummers on the planet are honored by the most educated drum fans around. Let’s get right to it: the envelope, please….
Posted: February 16, 2011
Chris Coleman: Amazing Journey
More with the phenomenal drummer/educator, who was featured in the January 2011 issue of MD. His is one of the most closely observed careers in R&B, fusion, gospel, and pop drumming, with acts like Israel Houghton & New Breed, Chaka Khan, Christina Aguilera, Babyface, Patti LaBelle, Randy Brecker, and New …
Posted: November 10, 2010
Spencer Dryden: Jefferson Airplane’s Dynamic Rhythm Machine
Spencer Dryden was the drummer of San Francisco psychedelic rock icons Jefferson Airplane. After graduating from the Army & Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California, in 1955, Dryden played in some early rock ’n’ roll bands, but showed a preference for jazz. He was drumming at Hollywood’s Pink Pussycat strip club …
Posted: September 25, 2010
Richie Hayward: Little Feat’s Timeless Drum Hero
Richie Hayward, the drummer in the band Little Feat since their inception in 1969, was born in Clear Lake, Iowa, and was influenced by rock ’n’ roll pioneer Earl Palmer and big-band jazz drummer Sonny Payne. In 1966 he moved to Los Angeles and joined the Fraternity Of Man, whose …
Posted: August 25, 2010
Steve Jordan: Web Exclusive
If you ask Steve Jordan who his favorite drummer is, be prepared to get hit with a never-ending list of influences, ranging from the obvious—like jazz greats Kenny Clarke and Philly Joe Jones and funk innovators David Garibaldi and Stephen Ferrone—to the more obscure, like Motown/disco session drummer Andrew Smith, …
Posted: June 23, 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….
Posted: March 19, 2010
The Greats: Carl Palmer
Carl Palmer started out as a jazz drummer in his early youth, gravitated to rock in his teens, and burst onto the international scene in the late ’60s as a member of English proto-progressive rock bands Atomic Rooster and the Crazy World Of Arthur Brown…
Posted: March 15, 2010
The Greats: Hal Blaine
Blaine came to define the drum beat of Top-40 radio…
Posted: August 3, 2009
Daniel Glass
Hello to all MD readers and drum friends. It’s been a while since I’ve posted to this blog–not for lack of desire–but because I’ve been running all over the globe attempting to make a living by hitting things and writing about them….
Posted: May 18, 2009
Ira Elliot: Nada Surf’s Vinyl Obsessive Gets Personal With MD
My own little record store, containing only albums I still like after twenty-five years–that’s suddenly what all my records look like splayed out across my room.
Posted: February 19, 2009
Mitch Mitchell: Drummers Weigh In
Mitch Mitchell was not alone in blending jazz and rock drumming styles, but he may have pushed the combo further than anyone who came before him. Here a number of noted drummers provide further insight into Mitch’s influence….
Posted: January 23, 2009
Earl Palmer Remembered
In drumming, the terms legendary and innovator are thrown around far too often. Yet Earl Palmer deserves both of these titles.
Posted: January 12, 2009
Great Drum Parts = GENIUS
The March issue of MD (out now) features Billy Ward’s fascinating conversation with Simon Phillips, Doane Perry, Marco Minnemann, Thomas Lang, and Jerry Marotta about the grooves that inspired them to play drums early on, and that continue to today. It seemed to make perfect sense for MD’s editors to …
Posted: December 1, 2008

Royal Crown Revue's Daniel Glass
It’s a pleasure and a privilege to throw my hat into this incredible blog, and to share a bit about what’s been going on in my world for the last several years…
Posted: December 1, 2008
Royal Crown Revue’s Daniel Glass
It’s a pleasure and a privilege to throw my hat into this incredible blog, and to share a bit about what’s been going on in my world for the last several years…
Posted: October 14, 2008

Thenewno2's Oli Hecks
My name is Oli Hecks, from England, currently living in Los Angeles…
Posted: October 14, 2008
Thenewno2’s Oli Hecks
My name is Oli Hecks, from England, currently living in Los Angeles…
Posted: August 7, 2008

Windsor's Ian Falgout
After spending almost three years straight on the road touring with country acts.
Posted: August 7, 2008
Windsor’s Ian Falgout
After spending almost three years straight on the road touring with country acts.
Posted: July 18, 2008
Carl Palmer: Asia, Alpha & Astra = Phoenix
As if channeling the cosmic power encompassed in the prophetic “Alpha and Omega??? from the book of Revelation, tuneful progressive rockers Asia envisioned themselves as near deities when their albums topped the charts and sold millions in the 1980s.
Posted: February 16, 2008
The Great Levon Helm
Playing For The Song–And More! Steve Jordan Interviews the Great Levon Helm….
Posted: December 5, 2007
Dee Pop of The Bush Tetras
As with most people around my age, my heroes were Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa (who both seemed to turn up regularly on variety television shows), Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Mitch Mitchell…
Posted: December 1, 2007
Update: Roger Taylor
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Nate “Danja??? Hills signed on to co-produce Duran Duran’s latest CD, Red Carpet Massacre. After all, the band—keyboardist Nick Rhodes, singer Simon Le Bon, bassist John Taylor, and drummer Roger Taylor (guitarist Andy Taylor decided to bow out …
Posted: August 16, 2007
Bill Bruford: Our Prog Forefather
Progressive rock’s evolution from its nascent days in London’s university halls and local clubs to stadium-filling global phenomenon has its roots in the tumultuous melting pot of 1960s rock and psychedelia.
Posted: February 1, 2006
The Fab Faux’s Rich Pagano
New York City drummer Rich Pagano is way more than just a member of the hippest Beatle cover band you’ll ever hear. He’s also an accomplished singer and producer. As we journey through Rich’s MD Online interview, we’ll learn that not only does he do a stellar job of providing …
Posted: July 19, 2005
An Interview with Hal Blaine
Paving the way for some of the great studio musicians of our time, like Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner, Jeff Porcaro, and John JR Robinson, were Earl Palmer and Hal Blaine. MD recently sat down with the jovial drummer to walk a bit down memory lane.
Posted: July 19, 2005
Pete Best
Over the years many have claimed the title “The Fifth Beatle.” When you think about it, original Beatle drummer Pete Best deserves the tag as much as anyone. The Beatles: The True Beginnings (St. Martins Press), Pete’s new book written with his brothers Roag and Rory, makes the case as …
Posted: May 12, 2004
Galactic And Garage A Trois’ Stanton Moore
One of the marks of greatness in a musician is that you can recognize him after the first couple of notes.
Posted: May 12, 2004
Darrin Pfeiffer: Standing His Ground With Goldfinger
When we caught up with Darrin Pfeiffer to talk about Goldfinger’s new record, Stomping Ground, he was on tour in Barcelona, Spain with the band. “The fun thing about making this record was that we got to work with producer Tim Palmer,” Pfeiffer says.
Posted: May 12, 2004
Steven Drozd Interview
Like all the masters of psychedelic pop, The Flaming Lips blow your mind with the most ordinary of devices. These seem-to-be eccentrics, who’ve recently won a Grammy for the instrumental “Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia),” are really just a bunch of hard-working regular guys, using modest tools: a …
Posted: November 17, 2022

John DeChristopher Live From My Drum Room With Jim Keltner
John’s guest is the legendary and incomparable, Jim Keltner! John and Jim discuss Jim’s incredible and prolific career starting with his first recording, Gary Lewis and the Playboys’ “Just My Style.” Continuing with his work with Bob Dylan, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Gary Wright, …