My absolute favorite drummer should come as no surprise to any accomplished hard rock player— Led Zeppelin's John Bonham. I remember hearing The Immigrant Song for the first time, and thinking to myself that if I could someday learn to rock the kit like that I would have taken a giant step toward being a solid player. Getting a feel for Bonham's bass drum footwork is an absolute must for any drummer trying to develop a great technique. He was a true innovator...the best rock-and-roll drummer I've ever heard and I can't imagine anyone ever topping him.
My next choice as a major inspiration is David Garibaldi of the always dangerous Tower of Power. Here's a guy who barely moves a muscle when he plays, yet the ghost notes and 64th notes just fly off his sticks. He is as funky and soulful as it gets. I can't say enough about his instructional videos and I wholeheartedly recommend them. Check out The Oakland Stroke or Squib Cakes—if you could sit still while listening to either of those, you probably shouldn't be drumming!
How could any drummer not pay homage to the immortal Buddy Rich? While growing up I was fortunate enough to see him play live twice, and both times I wanted to go home and toss my sticks into the trash! To me, he was from another planet, a cat who could do things that no other drummer to this day could do. I remember that Buddy played with such tremendous intensity—he looked like he wanted to rip someone's head off. Anyone who has seen me play should know that I stole that look from him, although that was about the only thing I could take from him—everything else about his playing was just way too difficult for a youngster to handle!
This next drummer may come as a shock to some, but it's Peter Criss of Kiss. The only reason I'm a professional drummer today is because of him and what Kiss meant to me as young musician. Between the ages of 8-13, I wanted to be him. He's a basic player, but after seeing him on the latest Kissology DVD I recognize that during the early days of Kiss he was hungry and bombastic in his approach to drumming.
The last guy I'd like to mention is Liberty DeVito, formerly of Billy Joel's band. I think that his style is the one that I've most emulated while trying to develop my own technique. He's a student's drummer, and his Francis Moeller-style drumset drumming has been a huge influence on me. Liberty is also a "look at me"-type performer—if you have ever seen Billy Joel live, you've probably watched him play a song or two and forgotten that he's not the one who was fronting the band!
 Kenny Aronoff |
 Neal Peart |
 Tony Williams |
 John Blackwell |
 Dennis Chambers |
 Louie Bellson |
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 Vini Lopez |
 Jeff Porcaro |
 Shawn Pelton |
 Jim Keltner |
 Joe Morello |
 Max Weinberg |