Most Under Appreciated Drummers

[Tkitna]

John Barbata was a Turtle?. I picked up an old Ed Sullivan video with various 60's bands on it and i totally dug the drummer.

Yeah. He didnt play on their first two, but 'Happy Together', 'Elanore', 'You Showed Me', 'She'd Rather Be With Me', 'She's My Girl', etc,,,were all Johnny.

[Chip Donaho]

Danny Seraphine (chicago)

Wow, thanks Bob....Very big name in my book. The man was in a league of his own. I loved playing any Chicago when I got the opportunity to do so.  8)

[jmichael]

Wow, there are a lot but two that come to mind for me:

Phil Gould (Level 42) - I always loved his feel and he always played tastefully.

Mick Tucker (Sweet) - That guy was a monster!  He shook me out of my Top 40 doldrums when I was an early teen.  Great single stroke roll and the dude used a GONG!!  How cool is that for an up and coming drummer to hear!?? 

Anyway, just a couple of my favorites that you almost never hear about and are hard pressed to find much about online.

[Matt Self (Gaddabout)]

Elvin Jones.

When people list "great" drummers I hear a lot of the familiar names -- Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Tony Williams, John Bonham, Gadd, etc. Elvin definitely belongs in that group but I think he's sort of somehow buried in Tony's shadow for that era because Tony did stuff we're still working out today.

[drumz1]

Adding one more name to the list:  Dennis St. John, who played in Neil Diamond's band for many years.  Solid as a rock, with some of the most creative fills you've ever heard, he layed down a groove that could not be denied, imo.

I have tried to find some current information about him, but no luck as of yet.  Evidentially, he had a falling-out with Neil and left the group, and I haven't heard anything about him since that time.  If anyone has current info about him, I'd be very interested to read it here.

One great example of St. John's drumming was the incredible Hot August Night album, performed live at the Greek Theater, back in the 70s.  If you haven't heard this album, you absolutely need to buy it, to this very day it is one of the best-engineered live albums I have ever listened to.  He always played for the song, which is a dying art all in itself these days (my opinion here, YMMV).

Where are ya, Dennis?

Regards,
drumz1

[Paicey]

One guy you dont hear mentioned is Robbie Bachman. I always thought he was BTO'S Bonzo. Simple player but so effective, with a great drum sound. Another guy you rarely if ever hear mentioned is Curly Smith of JoJo Gunne. Listen to his playing on Jumpin the gun, very unique player and vastly underrated.

[SteveR]

Ben Folds plays all the drum tracks on his first solo album. Pretty sad when a piano player plays tastier fills than me.  >:(

Speaking of Ben Folds Five, Darren Jessee is a good one. Excellent jazz-influenced rock drumming.

[Dave Heim]

I'm gonna toss Bermuda Schwartz up for consideration here. 

Granted, he is much appreciated here at the Cafe, but think about all the styles he covers doing Weird Al's tunes.  He covers every genre with incredible attention to detail.  He nails each one flawlessly.

[xdrummer2000]

I know of quite a few drummers that I think are under appreciated, which I will list here:

Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater): I know you guys probably saw this coming, as I'm a HUGE Portnoy fan. I do feel he's greatly appreciated by those who know of him, but due to the fact that he plays some very technical music with Dream Theater and even a couple of his tribute bands, it seems that most of his fanbase consists of musicians (particularly drummers) and not non-musicians who just like to listen to music rather than admire it's technical qualities and musicianship. But I wish he had a larger fanbase. He's easily one of the better Rock drummers today, and he's pretty much at the top of his league in Progressive Rock. I know he does a lot of technical stuff that is hard to follow (much less dance or headbang to) at times unless you're a drummer, but if you listen to some of Dream Theater's songs (such as "The Spirit Carries On" and "Hollow Years"), he lays down an awesome groove that just feels good with the music. If you've never heard any of his playing, I HIGHLY recommend giving him a good listen. As if this wasn't enough, his speed and ability with double bass drumming is among the best.

Teddy Campbell (American Idol House Band)-Another one of my favorite drummers who is also on one of my favorite TV shows--American Idol. This guy is proficient in many, many styles of music, and he is always fun to listen to. He is a master of groove, and if you don't believe me, just watch videos involving him. He plays what sounds good, and every so often he'll just do some blazing fast fill around the drums that makes you want to say "WHOA!" In fact, my favorite performances on American Idol were both times in Season 6 when Blake Lewis did his rendition of Bon Jovi's "You give love a bad name". You know why they were my favorites? Yeah, part of it is that it was very creative on Blake's part, but most of it is because he had Teddy Campbell playing right next to him. Check his playing out if you haven't already. You'll be amazed. Plus, he has stated in interviews that the main reason he plays drums is because he feels that it's what God put him here to do. What a guy!

Bart Elliott, Keith Cronin, Bermuda Schwartz, Hannah Ford, and many more from the Drummer Cafe-You know, I'm frequently impressed by a lot of people's playing on this forum. For one thing, Bart is not only an expert on the kit in pretty much every style of music in existence, but he's the same on almost every percussion instrument as well. Just check out his website--he's got tracks of him playing in over a dozen different musical styles on the drums, percussion, and even both! Same goes for Keith Cronin--you gotta look at his website as well. His playing style is great, and whatever he plays is just right for the music style of whatever artist he plays with. I second Dave From Chicago in that Bermuda Schwartz deserves some major recognition. I listen to some of Weird Al's music, and aside from being very funny music, the drumming does, as Dave said, suit whatever Weird Al and the rest of the band are playing perfectly. Thumbs up for Bermuda! And Hannah Ford, don't even get me started. She's like a year or two younger than I am, and yet she plays like someone twice her age who has been playing for their entire life. On her myspace, I heard how she played AND sang Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused" at the same time, and it was confounding how she could do both of them so proficiently. Not to mention she can play John Bonham's solo, "Moby Dick". Anyone who can do that, especially at her age, is a great drummer. And there are SO MANY more drummers on this forum that I think are under appreciated that I can't even begin to list them all here.

[hockeyguy]

I have t add Stan Lynch and Mick Fleetwood to the list. Stan Lynch has an undeniably great feel and Mick Fleetwood just seemed to play in such an unothodox fashion that it needs to be mentioned...

[NY Frank]

I'll toss in someone current - and probably not super well known -
Mike Malinin of the Goo Goo Dolls.

[SteveR]

Pat Wilson from Weezer. Just one of those guys who is all about "the song" and never does anything to take away from it, even though he has the chops to do so if he wanted to. 

[Dan BNE 91]

A good thread guys. I have been playing since 1988 (about 20 years) now :-\ Still I unearth drummers that mat be known to others but not always me.

I agree that there are some vastly under-appreciated drummers out there. I grew up on 80s big hair rock but when I heard Art Blakey on some early Miles Davis stuff I was blown away. Michael Wadren is another who made me sit up and think about how to play when I heard a 1975 recording of the Mahavishnu. My Dad introduced me to Jeff Porcaro when my pals were into Tommy Lee. Maybe as youngsters we get too caught up in gloss and have to learn to see the real stuff and appreciate the value of some of these guys/gals?

I still discover guys who kill but which I'd never heard of. Peter Erskine and Clyde Stubblefield are the latest. The guy who influenced me most is, I think under appreciated, and might be a member of this cafe. Whilst my contemporaries waxed about guys like Vinnie, Bozzio, etc (all very fine players) nobody knew about this cat really until he toured here in the early 90s. It was my first concert and life changing much to my parents dismay :D

What about Jamie Oldaker? Would he be under estimated? Some of his playing on Clapton's stuff on 461 Ocean Boulevard is terrific! Really suits the music.

All up, these un-discovered / under appreciated gems keep me inspired and wanting to stretch how and what I play. Maybe some other cafe cats can relate to this?

I just dig drums ;D Who'd be a guitarist when you can hit things? ;)

[Gregg Rivers]

Mick Fleetwood is a great addition to the list! His drum parts are interesting and not your everyday run of the mill back beats.
I'm going to say for versatility Bermuda is tuff to beat! This guy play ALL Styles as well!
Bart Elliot is a given to this list too. It's a shame more folks don't know of his abilities! We can all learn a lot from Bart. He gots the cereal and is willing to share his knowledge with the rest of us! How cool is that?!
I'm a BIG FAN of Keith Cronin. I have personally benefited from his willingness to share and teach and forever grateful for his guidance and generosity. Thanks bro!
Chris Whitten is a guy I don't always agree with, BUT ALWAYS learn from! Yes it seems I sometimes think he may have it "wrong" only to find it was I that had it in error! LOL The fact that Chris is not a "told ya so" kind of guy makes him even more a drum hero to me!
Alex Van Halen is probably the best known "Under Appreciated Drummer" I can think of. The man is a work horse and awe inspiring player. He deserves more credit!
Denny Carmassi, Don Henley, Nigel Olsen and many others I have on MY list are under appreciated by many. But most are old school guys that this new generation has never or rarely heard of. Nice thread! It was fun! ;) 

[Dan BNE 91]

Nigel Olsen  ;) 

Nigel Ollsen. Good call. I was listening to Yellowbrick Rd last night. He has a feel that I could never emulate. To me he seems a little Keltner-esque with his relaxed yet spot on approach to what he plays. Plus the man can sing.

The drums in Funeral for friend/love lies bleeding are perfect!

[Chris Whitten]

Yes it seems I sometimes think he may have it "wrong" only to find it was I that had it in error!

Hmm, sorry  :-[
Sometimes I can't help myself. I know I argue the toss way too much.

All good.  :)

[Gregg Rivers]

Hmm, sorry  :-[
Sometimes I can't help myself. I know I argue the toss way too much.

All good.  :)

LOL No need to apologize to me my friend. It is I that owe you! You are a wealth of knowledge and experience that I admire and appreciate. LOL I just sometimes don't see the wisdom at first!  ;) You da man! I da hard head! ;D

[heavyhitter]

scott rockinfield of queensryche

[dogxray]

Don Brewer Grand Funk Railway, cut my teeth on that stuff. Sold as a rock.

[Chip Donaho]

Don Brewer Grand Funk

Boy, I'll agree with that guy. Seen them play several times. Grand Funk Railroad is a favorite I hadn't thought about in a while.  8)