Neil Elwood Peart was born in 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario. He is known as the drummer, and primary lyricist, in the band Rush. When he was a youngster he took piano lessons, but didn't like them much. His parents saw he had a penchant for basically drumming on anything with a pair of chopsticks.
When he was 13 his parents got him some drumsticks and a practice drum. They vowed if he stuck with it for a year they'd buy him a drum kit. On his 14th birth day the kit was his. During his career he became highly innovative by adding bells, chimes, and electronic drums to his kits. Neil died of brain cancer in 2020 at the age of 67.
2. #2 "Moby Dick"
Answer: John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was born in 1948 in Redditch, England. He was famously the drummer of Led Zeppelin. He was nicknamed "Bonzo", or "The Beast". This was attributed to both his drumming and lifestyle. Around the age of five his family noticed him making pretend drums out of old coffee tins.
He got his first drum kit at age 15. During his brief, but legendary career, he always used the longest and heaviest drumsticks he could find. He called them his "Trees". On a September day in 1980 he consumed the equivalent of 40 shots of vodka.
He passed out, and never arose again. Instead of replacing him Led Zeppelin disbanded in his honor.
3. #3 "White Room"
Answer: Ginger Baker
Peter Edward Baker was born in 1939 in Lewisham, England. He was given the nickname Ginger for his shocking locks of red hair. He took lessons from one of Britain's leading jazz drummers, Phil Seamen, at age 15. He gained his legendary status as drummer in the band Cream, but also joined Eric Clapton in the band Blind Faith.
He pioneered the use of two bass drums, and was the originator of the rock drum solo. He died at the age of 80 in 2019 from complications following open heart surgery.
4. #4 "Happy Jack"
Answer: Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was born in 1946 in Wembley, England. He was known as drummer in the band The Who. As a child, his art teacher reported he was "mentally challenged artistically, and idiotic in other respects". His music teacher was a bit more positive saying, "he had great ability, but must guard against showing off".
He took his drumming style from drumming legend Gene Krupa, and idolized The Beach Boys. Roger Daltrey once told a reporter that Moon would've left The Who in a second if asked to drum for The Beach Boys. Unlike Ginger Baker and John Bonham, Keith thought drum solos were boring, and refused to perform them.
At times his bandmates would trick him, and purposefully quit playing to get a solo out of him. Moon's destructive lifestyle caught up with him, and in 1978 he died at the age of 32 of a drug overdose on sedatives.
5. #5 "Sing, Sing, Sing"
Answer: Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa was born in 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. He was a band leader, and composer, but most famously known as drummer in The Benny Goodman Band. He is widely known as "The Father of the Modern Drum Set". As a young man his family was grooming him to join the priesthood.
However, he rebelled after going to college. He played not only with Benny Goodman, but with Tommy Dorsey, as well. He went on to appear in some movies and T.V shows, and in 1959 "The Gene Krupa Story", starring Sal Mineo was released. Gene died in 1973 of heart failure at the age of 64.
6. #6 "Tempus Fugit"
Answer: Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach was born in 1924 in Newland, North Carolina. He was a jazz drummer and composer. He is most notably known as the pioneer of "Bebop" (a style of jazz characterized by fast tempo and rapid chord changes). He was drummer for many jazz legends, such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. By age ten he was playing bugle in local parades, as well as playing drums in some gospel bands.
At age 18 he got his big break as a fill in drummer with The Duke Ellington Orchestra.
In his waning years Max became part of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts. He died in 2007 at the age of 83 from complications of Alzheimer's.
7. #7 "Woman From Tokyo"
Answer: Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice was born in 1948 in Nottingham, England. Known as drummer and last original member of the band Deep Purple, he also was a member of Whitesnake, and played on individual albums for The Velvet Underground, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Paice got his first drum kit when he was 15, and was playing professionally by age 17. Deep Purple were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
He is known for perfecting the one-handed roll (a drumming technique many have tried to master).
As of 2021, Paice instructs at drum clinics throughout the world.
8. #8 "Battery"
Answer: Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich was born in 1963 in Gentofe, Denmark. He's the acclaimed co-founder and drummer for the band Metallica. He was born the son and grandson of Danish pro tennis players. His initial dreams were to follow in those footsteps. However, after seeing Deep Purple in concert at age nine his aspirations changed.
He bought their "Fireball" album, and got his first drum kit by age 12. During his teenage years his family moved to Newport Beach, California. In 1981 he placed an ad in the classified section of the local paper looking for bandmates. James Hetfield replied, and heavy metal was changed forever. Lars was the face for all musicians in bringing down Napster (an online music file sharing company).
In 2017 Lars was knighted by his native country of Denmark.
9. #9 "Gimme Shelter"
Answer: Charlie Watts
Charles Robert Watts was born in 1941 in London, England. He, along with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, were the only Rolling Stones members to play on all their studio albums. From a young age he was a jazz musician, and started his career with Blues Incorporated (a British blues band).
In 1963 he met original leader of The Stones, Brian Jones, and joined his band. Charlie's style of following Richard's guitar riffs makes The Stones nearly impossible to replicate. His life ended in 2021 due to heart failure at age 80.
10. #10 "Synchronicity I"
Answer: Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland was born in 1952 in Alexandria, Virginia. He came to prominence as the drummer for the band The Police. The group was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. After the group disbanded Stewart went on to compose music for many movies and T.V shows. Copeland began drumming at age 12.
He and his brothers, Miles and Ian, all became part of the music industry. He is known as one of the few great drummers to use a traditional grip, as opposed to a matched grip. At present he has a YouTube channel devoted to showcasing musicians' different styles.
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