Eight Innovators in Drumming
From rock, to 50’s swing, these are the most innovative and skillful drummers throughout the generations. Guys like Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa and even John Bonham will live forever in their music. These drummers broke barriers musically, being the top of their class. There are so many great and original drummers to choose from, each bringing a different style and groove. It’s no surprise most of these drummers on the list are influenced by each other. The guys on this list brought drumming to the forefront early at a time where brass instruments and piano owned the sound waves. Here are eight drummers you need to know about.
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1. Buddy Rich
When Buddy was 1, his father saw him keeping a straight beat with spoons.. At the age of 2, he started his musical career in Vaudeville as “Traps, the Drum Wonder”. By the age of 4 he was dancing on Broadway. Rich was frequently on late night shows– even appearing on Sesame Street– and was famous for quarreling with the hosts. Childhood tap dancing lessons helped with foot speed and double bass. In ’66 he started his world famous big band which lasted for 20 years. He died in 1987 at age 69 from heart failure during brain tumor surgery. Throughout the decades Rich played with pretty much every relevant musician at the time.
Some of his band members described him as a cruel perfectionist, constantly hurling insults at the other musicians. Buddy’s double bass stylings are unlike anything heard in today’s routinely boring machine gun double bass in modern day rock or metal. Buddy Rich cannot and should not be compared with anyone else.
Here’s one of Buddy’s “impossible” solos. You can also watch Buddy on the Jerry Lewis show.
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2. Gene Krupa
He’s most famous for having his drum parts of “Sing Sing Sing” used commercially. It was the first ever drum “solo” to be recorded, commercially. Although he’s not as technically skilled as Buddy Rich, Krupa is arguably a more influential and innovative drummer.
He persuaded the drum company that sponsored him to include drums that are able to be tuned on both the top and bottom rim, and nowadays, it’s unheard of to have drums that don’t have tuning accommodations on both rims. The man who made Krupa’s cymbals (Avedis Zildjan) made many innovations that are still around today; he was the first to develop drum-set cymbals and he named them the ride, crash, splash, and hi-hat.
Sing Sing Sing, Benny Goodman’s band and Gene Krupa: Watch more video of Gene here.
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3. Vinnie Colaiuta
Vinnie started small at Berkeley College, playing with locals like the Christopher Morris Band in the 70’s. He got his first break when he auditioned for Frank Zappa. Once he was in the band, other members were surprised by how fast Colaiuta picked up their music on the spot. Vinnie played with a lot of great musicians like Gino Vannelli, The Beach Boys, and Herbie Hancock.
Watch a two minute Vinnie Colaiuta Solo and “Best Beat Ever by Vinnie:
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4. Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy’s played mostly with Dream Theatre, Liquid Tension Experiment and with the death of the Rev (Avenged sevenfold’s drummer) he’s filled in, and done a pretty good job for A7X. Mike is a much awarded and widely recognized drummer. Here are the awards he’s won in Modern Drummer the magazine’s polls:
- Best Up & Coming Talent (1994)
- Best Progressive Rock Drummer (1995–2006)
- Best Recorded Performance (1995 for Awake, 1996 for A Change of Seasons, 1998 for Falling Into Infinity, 2000 for Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory, 2002 for Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, 2007 for Score) and 2011 for Nightmare (Avenged Sevenfold).
- Best Clinician (2000, 2002)
- Best Educational Video/DVD (2000, 2002)
A change of seasons – dream theater:
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5. Jon Karel
The drummer from the Hackensack hardcore band “The Number 12 Looks like You”; upon first listen you can tell he’s not playing just hardcore. You can hear he intertwines jazz with double bass and it sometimes sounds like he’s making his own time signatures. He also played in a band called “Saw Tooth Grin” briefly, further displaying his range of genres. Karel now owns an Italian Bar/Grill called Vera Pizzeria in Buffalo, NY.
Imagine Nation Express – The #12 Looks like you and Jon Karel on “Alicia “by the tango group.
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6. Steve Gadd
Considered mostly a studio session drummer, Gadd plays for all different types of bands and musicians; Steve Gadd is also known for a quick wrist and some pretty innovative beats. Gadd was in the army Jazz band for 3 years when he was drafted. He’s played with everyone, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, and Steely Dan. Gadd a Rochester, NY native started taking drum lessons at the age of 7 and played with Dizzy Gillespie at the age of 11. Gadd went to the Manhattan school of music.
Drum Solo: Steve Gadd and Love for Sale by Steve Gadd
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7. John Bonham
Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham knew how to fill in a song with his drums. He knew not to overplay or go outside his skill range. He aspired to be Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, who were some of his favorite drummers. Bonham had a style that was very unique and has influenced many great musicians. Contrary to popular belief, Bonham never used double bass during recordings, only on demos and on tour. But then again, he didn’t even need double bass.
Moby Dick Drum Solo- Led Zeppelin:
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8. Ginger Baker
Ginger baker, most known for tearing it up in the legendary band Cream until they broke up in 1968. He then played in Blind Faith. Baker was an innovator of the double bass, (the use of two bass drums) something most drummers use today. Some people like to compare him to Keith Moon at times, but Baker is much more knowledgeable percussion wise. His range of use with percussion instruments stems from an influence and love of African music. Ginger baker played like his personality – weird and full of weird energy.
Rambling – Ginger Baker Trio and Ginger baker, Eric Clapton, jack Bruce. Drum solo 45 seconds in
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