My top 10 Drummer
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Phil Collins was born in Chiswick, London, England, to Winifred (Strange), a theatrical agent, Greville Philip Austin Collins, an insurance agent. He spent most of his early entertainment life as a young actor and model. He played the "Artful Dodger" in the West End production of "Oliver!" alongside the future movie screen "Artful Dodger," Jack Wild. His interest in music and drumming began at school, where he drummed with a stage school band "The Real Thing," subsequently joining "Freehold" and "Flaming Youth." "Flaming Youth" recorded an album to some critical acclaim, although the group disbanded shortly afterward. Collins later successfully auditioned for Genesis, taking over vocals from Peter Gabriel when he left the band in 1975.
After separating from his first wife, Collins recorded his first solo album, "Face Value." The album was well received and Collins started to become a household name after the song "In the Air Tonight" was featured on the US TV show Miami Vice (1984). This instigated a guest appearance on the show playing a game show host. His third LP, "No Jacket Required," produced multiple chart hits and awards.
Collins is an active musician and entertainer, contributing and guesting regularly on many albums, ranging from Gary Brooker and Camel (Peter Barden's old band) to Eric Clapton. Collins also played as the drummer for the jazz fusion group Brand X and later formed his own big band to play swing and jazz music.
Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. With over 200 million album sales (when his solo career and Genesis career are combined), Collins is one of the most successful musicians of all time, as well as probably the most successful British pop star to have been consistently overlooked for the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British music.
Actress Lily Collins is his daughter (her mother is his second wife, Jill Tavelman).- Actor
- Director
- Music Department
Bill Bruford was born on 17 May 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Apollo 18 (2011), Mandy (2018) and Buffalo '66 (1998). He has been married to Carolyn since 2 March 1973. They have three children.- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Neil Peart was one of the most universally respected rock drummers, and was best known for his nearly superhuman, pyrotechnic drum playing, and for providing intellectual lyrics for his band's songs. Neil served as both drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush since 1974, joining bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. (Rush's lineup remained unchanged since Neil's arrival in 1974.) Rush is the most successful Canadian music group in history, and is the third most prolific seller of consecutive (American) Gold and Platinum Records and videos, behind only The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
Beginning on August 10, 1997, immediately following Rush's "Test For Echo" tour, Neil endured concurrent, seemingly unendurable tragedies when his daughter (and only child) died in a car accident, and then his wife died from cancer 10 months later. This put Rush on indefinite hiatus for the first time, and prompted Neil to write "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road", his second book. In September 2000, Neil married Los Angeles photographer Carrie Nuttall. They had a daughter, Oliva, in 2009.
Neil rejoined Rush in the studio for 2002's "Vapor Trails," their 17th studio album, which was met with high praise and considered a stellar "comeback" both for Peart and the band. A highly successful 2002 tour brought about the band's long-awaited return to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tour ended with Rush's first-ever shows in Brazil, where they played to 125,000 fans in three nights. The final performance of the 2002 tour was captured on DVD as Rush in Rio (2003), which was certified double-platinum within weeks of its release.
After the Vapor Trails album and tour, Neil's writing became more personal. His subsequent live performances, including his trademark percussion solos which showcased his superlative adroitness as a drummer, were regarded as his best to date. His final tour with Rush was 2015's R40 tour, which marked forty years since Neil joined the band. At the end of the tour, Neil announced he was retiring due to arthritis and tendinitis.
Not long after his retirement, Neil was diagnosed with brain cancer. He fought it privately for three and a half years, keeping it secret until he passed from it on January 7, 2020.- Music Department
- Actor
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John Bonham is still regularly voted in polls as the greatest and most influential rock drummer of all time, an opinion which has also been expressed by the likes of Roger Taylor of Queen, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He started playing drums at the age of five using a makeshift kit and later progressed to real drums. His influences included great American jazz drummers such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. He played in a series of bands and formed an association with Robert Plant through Band of Joy, who combined blues, psychedelics and extended musical workouts. According to Plant: "Bonzo was totally and absolutely devoted to getting it right. Everything that he listened to he could go beyond, not only could he recreate it but he could take it somewhere new. He knew that he was a powerhouse among drummers... we seemed to have a great affinity for each other."
Although Bonham and Plant went their separate ways after Band of Joy, they reunited in The Yardbirds, which already featured Jimmy Page. John Paul Jones joined and this led to the formation of Led Zeppelin, who released their first album in 1969. They went on to become the biggest rock band of the 1970s, achieving extraordinary success in the United States in particular.
Bonham died aged 32 in 1980. He had a reputation as a heavy drinker and had consumed too much vodka in the 24 hours before his death, which caused vomiting and asphyxiation. The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death. Led Zeppelin announced they were finished as a band. According to Page, the band could not have continued without him, he was so integral to their sound. They didn't play again as Led Zeppelin until Live Aid (1985), which included Plant's solo drummer Phil Collins and The Power Station's Tony Thompson replacing him in a performance which has been disowned by the band. Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, has become a successful drummer himself and a member of Led Zeppelin for subsequent reunion performances.- Actor
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Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters front-man, will always be remembered as the drummer for Nirvana. But, drumming for a great band such as Nirvana is not Dave's only claim in the world of music. Dave's musical career began at age 15 as the guitarist and later as the drummer for a punk band called "Freak Baby". A year later, he was behind the drums for "Mission Impossible" and later that summer drumming for "Dain Bramage". Another year down the road, an opportunity to drum with one of his favorite punk bands, "Scream", was just too great to pass up. This leads us to 1990 when "Scream" seemed to be coming to an end and "Nirvana" was in need of a drummer. While recording and touring with "Nirvana", Dave continued to write lyrics and music that he would record during breaks with "Nirvana". After the tragic end of "Nirvana", Dave eventually turned to his music to create Foo Fighters. While playing guitar and singing with Foo Fighters is his main job, you can also find Dave channeling his musical genius throughout the world of rock. Dave has drummed for Queens of the Stone Age and Killing Joke. He has also recorded and guest performed with his buddies Tenacious D. All the while recording for his own hardcore project, "Probot".- Music Department
Carl Palmer, a Kingston, Jamaica native has had a long and successful career in the music business both as a keyboardist/singer and as a composer/producer.
Mr. Palmer began his performance career as a keyboardist for the hugely popular live act Baby Huey & The Babysitters, a band who in later years became a major influence on hip hop, at the famed New York night club Cheetah. On a number of occasions he was the backup keyboardist for the First Family of Soul (a moniker later passed on to the Jackson 5), The Five Stairsteps. Joining forces with Johnny Maestro, Mr. Palmer toured as Mr. Maestro's keyboardist and backing vocalist during his metropolitan New York engagements.
Mr. Palmer then joined the A&M Records Sly Stone produced group Abaco Dream as keyboardist and vocalist. The band toured with the Meters, the Magnificent Men and opened for Stevie Wonder's My Cherie Amour Tour. Following the breakup of the group, Mr. Palmer worked with Parliament Funkadelic on their Cosmic Slop Tour as singer/keyboardist.
Palmer then founded his own group in 1975, Klive, which was signed to Mercury Records. They released one album, 'Without The Drummer', with the singles I Wanna Sing/Peace Of Mind [73696] and Something Sweet/Without The Drummer [73781]. The band was managed by Rollins-Joffe, best known today for their long term relationship with Woody Allen.
After the dissolution of Klive, Mr. Palmer played with Mandrill on supporting tours for Dr. John and War. In addition, he played on a number of R&B legend Hank Ballard's late '70s singles. Mr. Palmer then toured for many years with The O'Jays as their keyboardist and backing vocalist.
Mr. Palmer's career took on a new direction when he began co-producing and co-arranging a number of major hit records during the Disco Era. He started his career shift by co-producing with Patrick Adams the Grammy nominated group Musique's single '(Push Push) In The Bush' which received Gold Record certification from RIAA in 1979 followed by Fonda Rae's 'Over Like A Fat Rat' . Mr. Palmer co-produced the albums 'Super Mann' (1978) by Herbie Mann, the Salsoul Orchestra's 'Christmas Jollies II' (1981), and reggae artist Denroy Morgan's 'I'll Do Anything For You' (1981) which peaked at Number 9 on the soul charts and Number 7 on the dance charts. He also produced the single 'Ghost Riders In The Sky' for the ill-fated Saturday Night Live star Garrett Morris' debut album 'Saturday Night Sweet' (1980) and Skyy's album 'Start Of A Romance' (1989).
Mr. Palmer's producing and arranging skills brought him to the attention of Hollywood where he became co-arranger for the David Picker/Harry Belafonte feature BEAT STREET and Motown's production THE LAST DRAGON.
It was during this time that Mr. Palmer became involved in the very lucrative world of advertising. Among his most renown commercial work as writer/co-writer include the CLIO and Andy award winning Dean Witter Reynolds spot 'You Look Like You Heard From Dean Witter', Red Lobster 'Seafood Lover In You', Continental Airlines 'Better Way To Fly', Paul Masson Wines 'We'll Sell No Wine Before Its Time' (the Orson Welles ads) and the Black & Decker Work Mate campaign.
Currently Mr. Palmer has been mentoring the next generation of jazz artists, curating shows for Jazz At Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca Cola working with such performers as Tom McAvoy, Jewlz, John DiMartino and Teneille who had the YouTube smash 'No One Else'.
In recent years, Mr. Palmer has been giving back to the community by becoming a State Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and has worked with St. John's Bread & Life, GMHC and the Cypress Hills Senior Center.- Director
- Actor
- Composer
Mike Portnoy is an American drummer, songwriter and producer, born on April 20, 1967 in Long Island, New York, USA. In 1985 he founded the progressive metal band Dream Theater together with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung while they attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After 25 years with Dream Theater, Portnoy left the band in 2010 and has since then played in a variety of projects and bands including Adrenaline Mob, Avenged Sevenfold, The Winery Dogs, Sons of Apollo and The Neal Morse Band. In October 2023, Mike Portnoy returned to Dream Theater.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Nick Menza was born on 23 July 1964 in Munich, Germany. He was an actor and composer, known for Megadeth: Holy Wars... The Punishment Due (1990), Megadeth: Sweating Bullets (1993) and Megadeth: Go to Hell (1991). He died on 21 May 2016 in Studio City, California, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Stewart Copeland was born on 16 July 1952 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Rumble Fish (1983), South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) and Highlander II: The Quickening (1991). He has been married to Fiona Dent since 1993. They have three children. He was previously married to Sonja Kristina.- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Mitch Mitchell was born on 9 July 1947 in Ealing, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972), Jennings at School (1958) and The Mend (2014). He was married to Lynn Collins. He died on 12 November 2008 in Portland, Oregon, USA.