These 10 fellows may not be as well-known as the drummers on my previous list but they're every bit as deserving of mention.
WIthout further ado, I give you a list of 10 of the best, presented in copyrighted David Letterman Top Ten Reverse Numerical Order©.
10) Max Weinberg -- Steady timekeeper for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1974, Max lays down a permafrost-hard backbeat and is a noteworthy rival to Charlie Watts for the title of "Human Metronome".
9 and 8) Ed Marimba & John French -- When you play drums for the famously non-rhythmic Captain Beefheart, you have to have a certain extra talent -- the ability to keep time while being fully prepared to wander off into a completely divergent tempo with nary a moment's warning. Marimba and French (a/k/a Drumbo) provided all the rhythm that the good Captain needed for the sonic journeys into his blues-based, dadaistic musical world.
7) Aynsley Dunbar -- Starting in the mid-60s, playing with various Merseybeat groups, through his days with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and on into stints with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Journey and Jefferson Starship with many, many other side projects in between and beyond, Dunbar has proven to be a favorite go-to guy for the discerning rocker.
6) Richie Hayward -- The man who provided the funky bottom to all those Little Feat songs, Hayward started with the offbeat Fraternity of Man and played with too many other great rock artists to mention here. But perhaps his most off-the-wall gig was as a member of The Bedbugs, a most anachronistic musical group that appeared on the TV comedy "F Troop".
5) Vinnie Colaiuta -- Frank Zappa was known as a taskmaster who loved to compose musical pieces that he pretty much dared his musicians to master or find another gig. Colaiuta was the rhythmist who was able to take whatever Zappa handed him and perform with perfection. Amazing drummer.
4) Carlton Barrett -- As the drummer for the Wailers, later known as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Barrett was a master of the inside-out rhythms of Jamaican reggae. He and his brother Aston, the Wailers' bassist known as "Family Man", were and unparalleled reggae rhythm section.
3) Ed Cassidy -- Seated at his humongous drum kit, playing behind his teenage stepson Randy California and the other members of the band, Spirit, Cass looked more than a bit out of place. A totally bald man in a world of long-haired musicians, he lent a jazz-flavored swing to the complicated music of Spirit. Cass's rock career started in The Rising Sons with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. As other members of Spirit came and went, even Randy California, Cassidy played in every single iteration of Spirit.
2) Dino Danelli -- Go back and check out some of those old (Young) Rascals performances on YouTube. Keep an eye on Danelli at the drums. He was the closest thing to Keith Moon that this world has ever seen. Style and substance and a heavy r'n'b drive.
1) John Badanjek -- Who? Johnny Bee. The driving force behind Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. Badanjek played all-out all the time. A whirlwind behind the traps. His work with the Detroit Wheels is some of the finest, hard-driving R'n'B/Rock 'n' Roll you'll ever hear. His drum breaks and fills are admired by many of rock's finest drummers. Badanjek went on to form The Rockets and later played with Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Ronnie Montrose, Nils Lofgren and many others. Badass Johnny Badanjek.
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