The Greats
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Al Jackson Jr.: The Impeccable Groover
As a member of the house band at famed Memphis recording studio Stax, Al Jackson Jr. played on all of the classic hits that the label released during the heyday of southern R&B in the 1960s. Jackson and the powerful…
Dennis Chambers: Fiercely Comin’ At You From Multiple Directions
Dennis Chambers was born on May 9, 1959, and started playing the drums at the young age of four. By his sixth birthday he was already playing in nightclubs. Strictly self-taught, at the age of eighteen Dennis went straight from…
Cliff Leeman: The Embodiment Of Tasteful Drumming
“I try to play behind the soloist. I’d rather play a four-bar chase chorus with a horn, something with different tones and sounds, than get into a rudimental solo,” said Cliff Leeman, one of jazz drumming’s most tasteful artists. Never…
Sidney “Big Sid" Catlett: Busting Open Doors To The Modern Drumming Age
Though Big Sid Catlett came out of the swing era, he is best remembered for a drumming style that had a marked influence on the bop drummers of the ’40s. Catlett bridged the gap between the two genres, and his…
The Greats: Carl Palmer
Carl Palmer started out as a jazz drummer in his early youth, gravitated to rock in his teens, and burst onto the international scene in the late ’60s as a member of English proto-progressive rock bands Atomic Rooster and the…
Bernard Purdie: Funky Hit Maker For The Ages
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie was born on June 11, 1939 in Elkton, Maryland, the eleventh of fifteen children. Bernard took an interest in rhythm at a very young age, and by the time he was fourteen he’d purchased his first real…
The Greats: Hal Blaine
Musicians love to argue about things like, What drummer played on the most records in history? Some figure it’s got to be R&B great Earl Palmer. Other folks say, What about Steve Gadd; he’s been a first-call studio cat for…
The Greats: Ginger Baker
Peter Edward “Ginger” Baker was born on August 19, 1939, in Lewisham, South London and was one of classic rock’s first influential drumming superstars of the 1960s. Ginger—a nickname inspired by his red hair—gained fame as a member of the…
Carter Beauford: Dave Matthews’ Ace In The Hole
“Basically I grew up on pocket,” said Carter Beauford in his 1998 Modern Drummer cover story. “When it comes to music, that’s the bottom-line rule for me. Growing up, the jazz influences were there as well, but don’t forget there’s…
The Greats: Jim Keltner
Jim Keltner is inarguably a true studio drum god. Highly regarded for his session work on solo recordings by three of the Beatles, Jim could also be considered a close life-long friend of George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr.…
J.C. Heard: One Of The Busiest, Swingin’-est Drummers Of Classic Jazz
J.C. Heard was born in Detroit in 1917, and started out as a tap dancer. He taught himself drums at age eleven, and two years later he was working with local bands. Heard’s break into the big time came in…
Steve Smith: The Ultimate Multi-Dimensional Drummer
Over the past thirty years, Steve Smith has scaled the heights of pop-rock success with Journey, has been widely acknowledged as a true master of the instrument, and has performed with the greatest jazz artists of his generation—including in his…
The Greats: Paul Bostaph
Slayer, Testament, Exodus, Systematic, Forbidden: Over the past couple of decades, drummer Paul Bostaph’s résumé reads like a “wish list” of heavy rock, metal, and thrash acts. But it’s really no surprise that this Bay Area–based one-man demolition crew has…
Charlie Watts: The Stones’ Rock-Solid Survivor
Charlie Watts was born on June 2, 1941, in Islington, London, England. In 1960, he was playing with a local band when he met blues musician Alexis Korner, who convinced him to join his band, Blues Incorporated. Later that same year,…
