
Roger Taylor

Excerpted from the March 1985 issue What prompted you to start playing drums? When I was at school, I used to listen to the radio and records a lot. When I was younger, it was sort of the start of the techno-rock thing. I was brought up on groups like …

15 MD Cover Artists Reveal the Big Ideas That Put Them on the Road to Success The abundance of educational material online, as well as great teachers to mold your passion and enthusiasm into technique and musicality, are massively beneficial to those seeking proficiency on the drums. But even with …

Being a pop star isn’t easy. Twenty-four-year-old Roger Taylor breathes a sigh of relief as he says, “It’s so nice to be talking about drums.” It’s probably the first time that he’s had the opportunity, despite the countless interviews he’s done over the last few years. Duran Duran began in …

As the drummer for one of England’s biggest rock bands of the ’70s—to date, Queen has sold well over 50 million records—it was Taylor’s view of his profession that caused me the most problems.

Bobby Sanabria, Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, Roger Taylor, Florian Alexandru-Zorn, Clem Burke, and more!

Alex Van Halen, Alex González, John Humphrey, Marcus Gilmore, Brooks Wackerman, James “The Rev” Sullivan, Roger Taylor, Torry Castellano, Jim Bogios, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Carlos Vega, Steve Smith, James Gadson, Gavin Harrison, Carlos “Patato” Valdez

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

Roger Taylor, Rod Morgenstein, John VonOhlen, Nick Ceroli, Henry Adler, Jah Bunny, Steve Nesbitt, Drummie Zeb, Jim Brown, John Rae, Elvin Jones, Matt Frenette, Larrie Londin, Bill Bruford

Roger Taylor, Jerry Spieser, Les DeMerle, Bill Bruford, Max Roach, Liberty DeVitto, Terry Bozzio, Willie Wilcox, Phil Ehart
Posted: February 3, 2023

2023 Jazz Fest Music Lineup Announced!
Dead & Company, Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Santana, Jon Batiste, Jill Scott, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Kane Brown, H.E.R., Steve Miller Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gary Clark Jr., Leon Bridges, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Plus Hundreds More! To Appear at the 2023 New Orleans …
Posted: September 28, 2022

Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
By Alex Kluft Photo by Andreas Neumann On March 25, 2022, the world lost one the greatest drummers and member of one of the most important and biggest rock bands of all time, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. To honor Hawkins, Dave Grohl put together two of the biggest …
Posted: March 27, 2022

Tribute to Taylor Hawkins
On March 25, drummers and music fans around the world were devastated to learn that drummer Taylor Hawkins had died. Hawkins was a good friend of Modern Drummer, and we join in the sorrow of losing such a wonderful person and amazing musician at such a young age. In 1997 …
Posted: August 21, 2021

Queen’s Roger Taylor Releasing Solo Album ‘Outsider’ 10/1; Shares “We’re All Just Trying To Get By” ft. KT Tunstall
Queen drummer and founding member Roger Taylor debuted a music video for his upcoming album’s lead single, “We’re All Just Trying To Get By,” a heartfelt tune featuring KT Tunstall. Said Taylor: “I’ve had a bit of a creative spurt and suddenly found myself with an album, which was lovely. …
Posted: April 30, 2021

“Queen Behind The Hits – Roger Taylor”
As well as being recognised for their individual skills as incredible musicians and performers, perhaps less often documented is the considerable writing talents of all four members of Queen: Mercury, May, Taylor, and Deacon each individually contributing a significant portion of the extensive Queen song catalogue which continues to resonate on playlists and music charts …
Posted: August 27, 2020

Queen + Adam Lambert Share Live Performance of “The Show Must Go On”
Queen + Adam Lambert, featuring founding members Roger Taylor (drums) and Brian May (guitar), are releasing a live performance video of the song “The Show Must Go On” from their upcoming album Live Around The World, which comes out on October 2 in CD, CD+DVD, CD+Blu-ray, and vinyl formats. The …
Posted: November 26, 2019

Frederik De Wilde of Fragmentum
Hi there, MD fans and fellow drum enthusiasts! My name is Frederik De Wilde and I’m currently living in Ghent, Belgium. Drumming has been the biggest passion in my life since I was nine years old.
Posted: March 9, 2018

Legendary Blues Drummer Sam Lay to Be Inducted Into the Blues Hall of Fame
This coming May 9, the Blues Foundation will celebrate the thirty-ninth class of Blues Hall of Fame inductees in a ceremony taking place at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts and Education in Memphis, Tennessee.
Posted: November 29, 2016
Duran Duran’s Roger Taylor and John Taylor Collaborate with At-Risk Youth on New Track
Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Taylor collaborated with at-risk youth from the charity Road Recovery to produce, mix, and record an original dance-rock song, “No Rewind.” The song is available to purchase exclusively at CrowdRise through a download-for-donation campaign.
Posted: August 31, 2016
Mark Stepro on Recording With Butch Walker
Mark Stepro is an in-demand studio and live performer who handles everything from alt-country to rock. The drummer, who placed in MD’s 2016 Readers Poll in the Pop/R&B category, can be heard on new records from Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon, the Wind and the Wave, and Butch Walker, who calls …
Posted: November 6, 2015
Roger Taylor Discusses Duran Duran’s Paper Gods Track by Track
Roger Taylor and the hit-making British “new romantic??? band Duran Duran are back on the road, promoting their fourteenth album, Paper Gods. Taylor, who originally joined Duran Duran in 1979—replacing a drum machine—takes us through the release track-by-track….
Posted: November 2, 2015
Dom Famularo’s Teachers List
Over the course of his forty-year career traveling the globe to teach, perform, and conduct clinics, Dom Famularo has interacted with some of the finest drummers and drum instructors in the world. The following list contains many of those names, organized by country/continent. If you’re looking for top-notch drum instruction, …
Posted: June 12, 2015
On the Beat With Turbowolf’s Blake Davies: Drawing Inspiration
Hello! I’m Blake Davies and I play drums in Turbowolf. As I write this, I’m cleaning my Yamaha Maple Custom kit for another summer of shows and remembering festivals gone by. It got me thinking about inspiration and from where we draw it….
Posted: April 16, 2015
News: Legendary Drummer Harvey Mason to Receive Honorary Degree at Berklee Commencement
Berklee College of Music president will present drum legend Harvey Mason with an honorary doctorate at Berklee’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9, at Boston University.
Posted: March 19, 2014
Sunny Leejean of Activator and the Meaning of Life
My search for a drum sound has been an active one. I’ve played everything from an old-school “tube??? Tama from the late-’80s to fusion-size Pearl, Yamaha, and PDP drumkits….
Posted: March 19, 2014
Alvin Taylor
Classic Tracks With George Harrison, Elton John, and Beyond…
Posted: January 20, 2014

Danny Young of We Will Rock You Tour
Over the past few years, I’ve been playing on a lot of Broadway shows, including this current tour, but my career has actually been quite diverse.
Posted: January 20, 2014
Danny Young of We Will Rock You Tour
Over the past few years, I’ve been playing on a lot of Broadway shows, including this current tour, but my career has actually been quite diverse.
Posted: May 30, 2013
Billy Martin: What’s New Is “Old???
Last year Medeski Martin & Wood released Free Magic, a live document of the band’s 2007 acoustic tour. Here drummer Billy Martin discusses his unique equipment choices, which add color the funk/jazz trio’s ever-fascinating sonic palette….
Posted: January 25, 2013
Spencer Walker of A Silent Film
Although not conventionally recognized to be the case by other musicians—especially guitarists—the drummer is the focal point and center of attention in every band.
Posted: August 28, 2012
Steven Adler
Steven Adler is a larger-than-life personality, radiating childlike glee and an infectious warmth. All it took was a slight nudge from MD, and the former Guns n’ Roses drummer was off to the races. Here we present Adler undiluted, as he talks about where he’s been and how he got …
Posted: July 5, 2012
Jordan Plosky of Big Time Rush
Hi there! My name is Jordan Plosky, and I play drums for Big Time Rush. We’re embarking on a two-and-a-half-month headlining summer tour across the U.S. and Canada.
Posted: April 25, 2012
Queen’s Roger Taylor And Brian May To Perform With American Idol’s Top 6 On Wednesday, April 25th
American Idol audiences are in for a treat this week, with a double-dose of the music of legendary rock band Queen to be showcased on consecutive nights.
Posted: March 19, 2012
Tim Walsh of the Stepkids
I’m Tim Walsh of the Stepkids, and I’m excited to be on here and hope to add to the wealth of knowledge that is MD’s awesome thirty-five-year history…
Posted: December 19, 2011
Queen Extravaganza Finalist Billy Orrico
Hello, MD readers! First, congrats to Tyler Warren on winning the drum chair in the Queen Extravaganza band! What a thrill it was to be part of the finals and to meet Roger Taylor. I’ve been a lifelong Queen fan (saw them in NYC on the News of the World …
Posted: December 19, 2011
Queen Extravaganza Finalist Nico Saavedra
The Queen Extravaganza competition has been a great experience. I first heard about it through the Queen website, which is a place I tend to visit often since I’m a big fan. Then a friend of mine texted me about it and told me I should try out for the …
Posted: December 19, 2011
Queen Extravaganza Finalist Zach Mullings
Hey, everyone! My name is Zach Mullings, and I’m from Miramar, Florida. I’m one of the four drummers who were picked to audition for the Queen Extravaganza in L.A. First off, let me say how thrilled I am to be featured on Modern Drummer’s website. I have been a big …
Posted: December 13, 2011
Roger Taylor “Extravagantly??? Presents the Music of Queen
The Queen Extravaganza Tour is based upon the replication of the band’s music by talented young musicians who will perform a fully produced theatrical event in cities across the U.S. and Canada in 2012. To choose the touring band, a contest was set up whereby prospective musicians would submit videos …
Posted: December 13, 2011
Queen Extravaganza Winner Tyler Warren
It’s more than a thrill to be announced as the drummer for Queen Extravaganza! Roger Taylor, one of my favorite and most inspirational musicians, picked me as their new drummer! It’s insane. And I found out while I was on a roof, no less!
Posted: December 8, 2011
Tom Roady: Down Home Percussionist
An interview with the late, great Nashville percussionist, which originally appeared in the May 1996 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.
Posted: December 1, 2011
Roger Taylor Reveals Finalists for the Queen Extravaganza Tour
Over the course of the past ten weeks, vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bassists, and keyboard players from across the U.S. and Canada have auditioned online at www.queenextravaganza.com, hoping to become part of the Queen Extravaganza Tour, a major production launching in 2012 featuring performances of Queen’s biggest hits. The contestants performed …
Posted: November 22, 2011
November Web Update News
Drumming news for the month of November complied in one place.
Posted: October 20, 2011
Posted: December 6, 2010

David Phillips: "A Drummer’s Perspective???
Photo by Marc Rouve You can probably guess I dabble a bit on the old drumkit myself, and it is always difficult trying to explain to someone what it looks like sitting on that throne—the best seat in the house. With my images in the book I try to give …
Posted: December 6, 2010
David Phillips: “A Drummer’s Perspective???
Photo by Marc Rouve You can probably guess I dabble a bit on the old drumkit myself, and it is always difficult trying to explain to someone what it looks like sitting on that throne—the best seat in the house. With my images in the book I try to give …
Posted: October 14, 2010
Rich Mangicaro
Hey, Modern Drummer fans! I hope you’re all busy playing your butts off out there! As some of you may know, four years ago I made the big decision to retire my position as artist relations director at Paiste, after having the pleasure of that great gig for nineteen years. …
Posted: July 1, 2010
Adolfo “Fofi??? Lancha of Sabado Gigante/Don Francisco Presents
I was born in Cuba, and at an early age I was mesmerized by the rhythms of the comparsa on the streets. After seeing the movie Don’t Knock The Rock, featuring Little Richard and Bill Haley & the Comets, I knew drumming would be my lifelong ambition and goal….
Posted: June 25, 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….
Posted: July 10, 2009
Ingrid Michaelson’s Elliot Jacobson
I recently finished a two-month tour with Jenny Owen Youngs. I’m lucky that the Jenny band is made up of close friends. Touring can be pretty grueling. But if there’s anyone I want to eat, sleep, breathe, shower, and play with, it’s them.
Posted: February 3, 2009
Roger Taylor of Duran Duran Drummer Blog
Roger Taylor here (no, not the one from Queen, the other one!). Duran Duran recently completed filming a documentary about the making of the Rio album….
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: January 25, 2008
Roger Taylor: Update
It shouldn’t really be much of a surprise that Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Nate “Danja??? Hills all have production credits on Duran Duran’s new album, Red Carpet Massacre.
Posted: December 15, 2007
Jason Bonham
Jason Bonham was born on July 15, 1966, to parents Pat Phillips and John Henry Bonham. Most rock fans are familiar with the story of Jason’s father and the gargantuan impact he made on music and on drumming. But many are unfamiliar with Jason’s journey to rock stardom, from his …
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: May 1, 2006
Prairie Prince: An Interview
Prairie Prince was born on May 7, 1950 in Charlotte, North Carolina and has been a founding member of art-rock band The Tubes since 1969. He was also a major player in getting the band Journey off the ground, and over the years he’s worked with Brian Eno, Jefferson Airplane, …
Posted: July 19, 2005
Steve Jordan Interview
Steve Jordan has accomplished more in his drumming career than he ever could have imagined. Of the big names he played with, a short list would include Ashford & Simpson, Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, The Pretenders, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, David Sanborn, Tom Scott, …
Posted: May 19, 2005
Ned Brower of Rooney
I saw the California-based pop band Rooney perform live before I was familiar with their music. Besides featuring some very powerful, tasteful drumming, I found them to be extremely melodic, with hooks that stuck in my head for days after the show….
Posted: May 19, 2005
Daniel Reyes
In between those gigs he’ll squeeze in a performance with Ricky Martin, Stevie Nicks, or Jennifer Lopez, among other top acts. But Danny’s brain is always thinking: How do I make my playing better? Equally important to him these days: How do I make the instruments I play better? Enter …
Posted: May 12, 2004
Dustin Hengst of Damone
Named after the wise-cracking ticket scalper from Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Boston-based rock band Damone combine Joan Jett-inspired rock ‘n’ roll brattiness with Rick Nielsen-worthy power-pop sensibilities.
Posted: August 19, 2021

This week on the Modern Drummer Podcast, Nashville studio drummer, engineer, and producer Shannon Forrest joins Billy Amendola to talk about his years touring with Toto, his early days with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw and his road says with the Dukes of September in 2012. (Featuring Boz Scaggs, Donald …