Keith Moon, John Bonham, and Neal Peart are all present and accounted for. And hell, I’ll even throw in some Buddy Rich to sweeten the pot.
The jumping-off point is this piece from Open Culture that asks “Who Are The Best Drum Soloists In Rock?” They curated a handful of legendary stickmen; Tony Williams, Terry Bozzio, and even Phil Collins join the aforementioned Moon, Bonham, and Peart. A great start, but I’d like to add to the list.
Let’s start with Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, who cemented his legend in the 80s by soloing suspended above the stage, upside-down, on the regular.
There’s too many dudes on this list. Stefanie Eulinberg plays drums for Kid Rock. And she absolutely slays.
What’s that? You want Alex Van Halen? OK, here’s Alex Van Halen.
Not all drum solos have to be these epic undertakings, though. Travis Barker of Blink 182 get it done in 90 seconds.
And, finally, the greatest of them all, rock or otherwise, the legendary Buddy Rich.