The Drummer Did It

Known as "the professor," this Canadian drummer and lyricist also authored seven novels.

After driving the beat behind Kurt Cobain, today you'll find him leading the Foo Fighters.

With a four-octave range, it's not surprising he moved quickly from drums to lead vocals with Soundgarden.

Half of a brother/sister soft rock duo in the 1970s, she is primarily remembered as a pop singer.

After defining punk in 1975, this drummer nicknamed Cookie has played in dozens of bands and "discovered" Bananarama.

A string of drummers spontaneously combusted while gigging with this mockumentary band.

This 1960s London rock icon with double bass drums also gained fame for destroying his kits on stage and trashing hotel rooms.

Often overshadowed by his bandmates, this drummer's nasal voice is featured on “Yellow Submarine” and “Octopus’s Garden."

Rolling Stone magazine's greatest drummer ever, his 20-minute drum solos were so iconic, his heavy rock band disbanded after his death in 1980.

This hot-tempered red-headed Londoner famously hated Jack Bruce and spent much of his life in Africa, often with Afrobeat innovator Fela Kuti.

Many drummers on this list were inspired by this jazz great who played with Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra.

This one-armed "thunder god" started a charity to bring music to vets and firefighters suffering from PTSD.

A lead singer who writes "I Can't Dance" might as well be seated behind a kit, right?

Prolific "Wrecking Crew" sessions drummer, you've heard him on 150 US top 10 hits.