The Old Drummers or the New Drummers?

Mad About Drums

Mad About Drums

Pollyanna's Agent
During our life as a drummer, in one way or another, we've all have been influenced by the pro drummers.

These days is even more present with all the educational DVD's crafted by many pro drummers.

The question is this: Which generations of the pro drummers have had an influence on your playing? or are you influenced by all generations? which famous name(s) in your opinion has influenced most drummers?

Personally, I was initialy influenced by Simon Phillips, Billy Cobham, Neil Peart, Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, then later by Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta and these days by drummers like Benny Greb, Jojo Mayer... the list could carry on.

I think that the one who had influenced most drummers is the legendary Buddy Rich.
 
Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa. Ed Shaunessy, Ringo. Not sure where to draw the line as to who is old. I'm old and Ringo is older than me.
 
Definitely both, but the older drummers like Tony, Max, Elvin, Gadd, Cobham, Phillips, Peart and Weckl were influences during my formative years, so they run deeper.
 
GRUNTERSDAD said:
Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa. Ed Shaunessy, Ringo. Not sure where to draw the line as to who is old. I'm old and Ringo is older than me.
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I love Ringo, the Beatles are one of my fav' rock band...

Generations, generations... Let's split into 3 categories 1900-1960, 1961-1990 and 1991 to present days.

I'm old too, but Ringo is still older than me.
 
that's like comparing the old Model T's to today's cars. they all had/have their own personas for their time.

i've been influenced by drummers over many generations. no doubt the drummers of today with their uber-kits and uber-technique blow away many drummers of the past. but that doesn't mean that drummers from days gone by are any less relevant.

sometimes the slow groove of a big band 40's drummer is more satisfying than listening to jojo meyer or thomas lang. or listening to mick fleetwood or simon kirke over any 10,000 BPM speed drummer.

take it all in and enjoy it. that's what being an open minded drummer is all about. i don't care for peart, barker or jordison, but that doesn't mean i don't appreciate what they bring to the table. in the same respect, i think too many of today's younger drummers fail to see the value of what came before them.

open your minds and your ears. you might be surprised and what you come across that will blow you away.
 
When asked many times before, my dad. He's the reason I first picked up the sticks.

Dennis
 
I was exposed to all the greats as a child, and I learned over time that pretty much everybody was influenced by the same people. It's hard to create anything really new after you see guys like Buddy, Billy, or Tony. But because I listened to alot of radio from the 60s and forward, I didn't know I was being influenced by Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, and Gary Chester so much. Between those three guys they must've played on every radio hit. Of course, Keltner, Gadd, Marotta, then Jordan and Weckl came along too. But there's so many awesome players out there.

I suppose I keep my ear to the ground and I'm always listening. Many of the younger drummers I work with here in the Magic Kingdom are excellent players too and deserve a good listening to.
 
This is a bit like asking how old we are :)

My influences have varied over the years - in roughly chronological order (memory permitting):

During the 70s - exploring
Ian Paice
Aynsley Dunbar
Bill Ward
Roger Taylor
Bonzo
Mitch Mitchell
Sol Amarfio
Michael Shrieve
Bill Bruford
Chris Slade
John Densmore
Danny Seraphine
Billy Cobham
Richard Bailey
Steve Smith
Steve Gadd
Pretty Purdie

The 80s - trying to keep up with the times
Rob Hirst
Rat Scabies
ChrisFrantz
Doug Falconer
Steve Prestwich
Jon Farris
Tony Thompson

The 90s - just playing but not practising
No one, really

The 00s - filling in the blanks
Ginger Baker
Moonie
Jim Hodder
Ringo
Charlie Watts
Meg White
Moe Tucker
Art Blakey
Tony Allen
Reprise all the Steely Dan drummers
Luke Flowers
 
Now here is where I let myself down. Back in the day, when KIS played drums for a megre living, I didn't listen to many other drummers. I was so consumed (& blinkered) by "the job", that I just got on with it in my own way. Just about the only drummer that made me sit up & listen was Simon Phillips. Then, after a 20+ year break from drumming (& also paying any attention to drum related matters) I come back & the landscape has changed so much. To this day, I know little about other drummers, especially the greats. The only drummer I'm a fan of, is still Simon Phillips, but I am amazed at the work of players such as Gavin Harrison, Benny Greb, etc. I tend to be influenced by little snippets of stuff I catch by default. I don't seek influence, & that probably isn't good for me.
 
Interesting thread this.
Some 'older' drummers could be construed as being in 'newer' music.
Tony Williams could play in any band really, and Danny Carey is older than me (not by much I admit) but Tool even after 20 years could be thought of as a modern band.
I noticed a couple of names in Pollyannas lists...Aussies too! Hirst and Farris,these geezers are my age but I don't think of them as old...or older style drummers.
Unless you are a bit of a trainspotter - drum wise - drummers from your own time,and I mean formative listening time, when music was the be all and end all of your life are gonna be your influences.
Even if the music was a bit dodgy, these people influenced you.
It is also important to remind yourself of the fact that music you may not have liked and even actively bagged could have hidden some excellent drumming.
Example:Steely Dan/Aja.
I bought this album when it came out.Mid/late 70's wasn't it? And it bored me to tears to be honest,I can now listen to it with renewed enthusiasm but only because of a heightened sense of good drums as opposed to overall musical appreciation.
People like what THEY like and what they like at their most influentially susceptable time of life is what they will be....er,influenced by!
The names touted hereabouts are no doubt excellent drummers but as influences on me they don't rate highly,simply because that is not what I listened to as a developing
ear'ole.
DeFrietas,Maher,Headon,Burnham,Morris,Gaynor,Burns,Gotobed et al, stellar drummers? Maybe not but I liked the noise they made...still do.
 
With my Dad as a drummer, I was raised in a house jazz where music from the 30's - 50's was played continually as that was the era he grew up in. Eventually rock & Motown filtered in during the mid-1970's. So I'm influenced by all of these eras in some way.

Early on it was Buddy, Gene Krupa, Chick Webb, Zutty Singleton, Papa Jo, Sonny Payne, Baby Dodds and many of the other drummers from the small-group Chicago scene.

During the 1980's I fell in love with listening to Art Blakey, Tony, Elvin, T.O.P with Garibaldi, Steve Smith, Steve Gadd, Alex VanHalen, Neil Peart, Dave Weckl, and Vinnie Colautia.

Today I still find myself drawing from all of these people of the past but am inspired when I see something done musically by some of today's great players.

Though blown away by abilities, I'm not necessarily blown away by the music created from some of the current technical giants - i.e. JoJo Mayer & Thomas Lang to name two of many I've seen.
 
as a very young drummer

Peter Criss
Keith Moon
John Bonham
Ginger Baker
Bill Ward
Mitch Mitchell
Levon Helm
Stewart Copeland

as a teen

Dave Lombardo
Mackie Jayson
Earl Hudson
Topper Headon
Robo


as I started to mature

Al Jackson Jr.
Elvin Jones
Art Blakey
Uriel Jones
Tony Williams
Roy Haynes
Max Roach
Jimmy Cobb
Steve Gadd
Jim Keltner
Steve Smith
Vernell Fournier
Joe Morello
Zig Modeliste
John Riley
David Giribaldi
Jabo Starks
Clyde Stubblefield


more guys I like

Eric Moore
Thomas Pridgen
Aaron Spears
Mike Johnston
Justin Conway
John Theodore
?uestlove
Gavin Harrison
Matt Frazier
Matt Cameron
Danny Carey
Josh Freese
Jojo Mayer
Benny Greb
Keith Carlock
Igor Cavalera
Mike Bordin


through all that Moonie has probably inspired me the most throughout the years
 
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Pollyanna said:
This is a bit like asking how old we are :)
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Hi Pollyanna

Yes I know, I thought about that when I've put the thread on... but hey! we're only as old as we want to be.

That's an interesting list here, noticed that you went backwards to some drummers of the 60's and 70's during the 00's.

I did that too, and I'm still digging great drummers from the past myself...
 
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I'm being transparent here so please don't take this the wrong way everyone. These lists just make me so mad. I need to go for my Sunday motorcycle ride, and breakfast with my buddy, on this beautiful day, and come back with a clear head. Last nights Led Zeppelin experience put a lot of opinions in my head. I need to sort them out. Sorry for the rant.
 
keep it simple said:
Just about the only drummer that made me sit up & listen was Simon Phillips... The only drummer I'm a fan of, is still Simon Phillips.
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Yeeeaaah! Is the man, I've followed his carreer from 1980, he has such a feel on so many styles, but still with his trademark's grooves. I love him, my biggest influence by far.
 
Went from Bonham, Paice, Ward, Hiseman to Gadd, Vinnie, Weckl, Cobham and now it's Chambers, Damien Schmitt, Gergo Borlai, Dave DiCenso and Chris Dave.
I still listen to some Colosseum, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath once in a while though.
 
A clever way to put it down-to-earth!

nickg said:
take it all in and enjoy it. that's what being an open minded drummer is all about. i don't care for peart, barker or jordison, but that doesn't mean i don't appreciate what they bring to the table. in the same respect, i think too many of today's younger drummers fail to see the value of what came before them. .
Click to expand...
 
Thaard said:
Went from Bonham, Paice, Ward, Hiseman to Gadd, Vinnie, Weckl, Cobham and now it's Chambers, Damien Schmitt, Gergo Borlai, Dave DiCenso and Chris Dave.
I still listen to some Colosseum, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath once in a while though.
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I'm still listening to Led Zep and Deep Purple once in a while, they're so grooooovy...
 
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