The Seven Replacement Drummers Who Brought The Most To Their Bands
Lists of best drummers have been done plenty of times before, but there haven’t been a TON of instances where a new drummer elevated a band like the seven I’ve compiled for this list. John Bonham is in the conversation for the best drummer of all time for example, but he was the ONLY Led Zeppelin drummer and when he tragically passed away the band ended. Kenney Jones as great as he is did a fine job replacing Keith Moon in the Who but he didn’t elevate or really even add a lot to the Who - he wasn’t expected to and it wouldn’t have been possible to top Moon anyway.
A post on a Facebook group for The Church about the band’s drummers got me thinking about the best replacement drummers in rock history and I came up with these seven, so let’s get to it!
The Seven Replacement Drummers Who Brought The Most To Their Bands
7. Dave Grohl - Nirvana Former drummers: Aaron Burckhard, Dale Crover, Dave Foster, Chad Channing, Dan Peters
Credit: Getty
Jeez… Nirvana cycled through five drummers before finally recruiting Dave Grohl for their landmark album Nevermind. No one would know at the time how huge of a star Grohl would go on to be with Foo Fighters at the time, but he clearly stabilized the position for the band and ultimately became pretty involved creatively as well contributing the main riff in Scentless Apprentice for example.
6. Eric Carr - KISS Former Drummer: Peter Criss
rockcelebrities.net
For a new member to join KISS in 1980 after the world domination the band had enjoyed with the four iconic characters they had created would have been a daunting task for anyone, but unknown ball of energy Eric Carr was perfect for the job and his Fox character fit right in replacing the beloved Catman Peter Criss who had provided lead vocals on 11 KISS songs including their highest charting hit Beth. Eric Carr brought stability and more sobriety to the band than Criss (ultimately being in the band longer than Peter) as well as slightly better chops. Hired more as an employee than a true partner member, he still brought plenty to that band including unique drum solos at the concerts that on one tour included tones that he would trigger to fantastic effect. He contributed plenty creatively co-writing songs, playing multiple instruments in the studio and finally getting a lead vocal on a song of his own, Little Caesar before he tragically died of a rare cancer in 1991.
5. Matt Cameron - Soundgarden / Pearl Jam Soundgarden former drummer Scott Sundquist Pearl Jam former Drummers: Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese, Jack Irons
Wiki Commons: Matthew Straubmuller
Yes a lot of this list is tied to the Seattle grunge scene and Matt Cameron was Soundgarden’s replacement drummer for years before joining Pearl Jam as their replacement drummer lol. Matt Cameron is obviously a monster and with Soundgarden he wrote or co-wrote no fewer than 16 songs and was responsible for the band’s trademark odd time signatures. Highly underrated player for his work in that band alone. In 1998 he joined Pearl Jam after Jack Irons left and the breakup of Soundgarden, and since then he has written or co-written 11 songs which is pretty incredible in a band of that stature with some of the greatest songwriting of my generation.
4. Tim Powles - The Church Former Drummers: Nick Ward, Richard Ploog, Jay Dee Daugherty
rockatnight.com
Tim Powles is an incredible talent, and in a band as prolific as The Church with multiple songwriters and an alpha like Steve Kilbey it would seem improbable that a 4th drummer in their history would make such a massive impact not joining until after the band was already 8 albums in, but that’s exactly what has happened. Powles is an incredible drummer but he has also helped to expand and shape the band’s sound and dynamics with his mastery in the studio, taking on co-writing responsibilities and production duties at all levels. He’s been in the band 28 years now remaining even after original members Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes are no longer in the lineup.
3. Taylor Hawkins - Foo Fighters Former Drummer: William Goldsmith
drumeo.com
This one was easy. William Goldsmith didn’t last very long in the band and barely appeared on the second album, while the late great Taylor Hawkins became a STAR in that band - a beloved figure worldwide like few drummers in history. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a drummer who looked like they were having more FUN behind the kit than this guy - very animated and just a classic showman. Hard to picture this band without him even though he wasn’t originally part of the project when Dave Grohl put together a lineup to make it into a band from a solo project. I love the fact that Hawkins hilariously and very capably sings the lead on Shadow Dancin’ - the Andy Gibb add to the Bee Gees tribute EP they did.
2. Ringo Starr - The Beatles Former Drummers: Tommy Moore, Norman Chapman, Pete Best
mondonews.net
Ringo was obviously the most famous replacement drummer of all time. Pete Best was just not all that good, and Ringo solidified the fab four and became a huge contributor to The Beatles as a musician and a lovable personality. A fantastic player, and Ringo sings lead vocals on 11 Beatles songs including classics such as Yellow Submarine and With A Little Help From My Friends. Pretty significant contribution to the most significant rock band of all time.
1. Neil Peart - Rush Former Drummer: John Rutsey
Matt Becker melodicrockconcerts.com
Hands down it’s Neil Peart. He might be the greatest drummer ever on any list, but even if he’s not he’s a clear number one here. The first Rush album isn’t bad - it actually has a couple classics on it such as Working Man and In The Mood, but when Neil Peart joined the band he brought a vision and talent that would help transform the band. Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee were already itching to move in a more complex direction and Peart’s insane ability not only allowed them to do that musically, but he immediately took on songwriting duties and became the band’s primary lyricist for the next 40 years covering plenty of topics (including science fiction, fantasy and the human condition) in a very astute and verbose way that allowed legions of fans to geek out like no others.
Who else you got? Leave your comments and adds below!
Oh - and honorable mention goes to Jeff Voss of Vintage Playboy…
M10 Social is owned by Doug Cohen in West Bloomfield, MI and provides social media training and digital marketing services from the Frameable Faces Photography studio Doug owns with his wife Ally. He can be reached there at tel:248-790-7317, by mobile at tel:248-346-4121 or via email at mailto:doug@frameablefaces.com. You can follow Doug’s band Vintage Playboy at their Facebook page here. You can also send your furry friend on vacation even if it’s just pretend at Doug’s www.VirtualPetcations.com!
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