Happy Drum Month: May

May every year is a month to honor those great drummers out there. Everyone has a favorite! I am sharing my favorite updated 2025 list of the fifteen drummers of all time. . .

🥁 🎶 🥁 🎶 🥁 🎶 🥁 🎶 🥁 🎶 🥁 🎶 🥁 🎶 🥁 🎶

Photo by matthew deltoro on Unsplash

Top 15, Counting Down:

• Number 15: Stewart Copeland * (I met him personally in concert with The Police a few times in the 1980s)
  Bands: The Police & SOLO
• Number 14: Danny Gottlieb
  Bands: Pat Metheny Group, SOLO & EDUCATOR
• Number 13: Ringo Starr
  Bands: The Beatles & SOLO
• Number 12: Phil Ehart * (I met him personally in Kansas concerts several times in the 1980s)
  Bands: Kansas
• Number 11: Tony Morales (I am not happy to announce that I learned news that Tony passed on February 15, 2025. 04/28/1954 – 02/15/2025: RIP)
  Bands: The Rippingtons
  
• Number 10: Buddy Rich * (I met him personally while walking up to the concert at the terrace section of Oakbrook Center after hours in the early 1980’s)
  Bands: Tommy Dorsey, The Buddy Rich Band, SOLO & Multiple artists
• Number 9: Billy Cobham * (I met him personally twice: at Guitar Center in the mid-1980’s & at PASIC)
  Bands: SOLO & Multiple artists
  
• Number 8: Omar Hakim * (I met him personally at PASIC)
  Bands: Weather Report (band), SOLO & Multiple artists
  
• Number 7: Steve Smith * (I met him personally at Guitar Center)
  Bands: Journey, Montrose, SOLO & Multiple artists
• Number 6: Bill Bruford * (I met him personally at a Chicago northern suburban record store for an autograph session with Adrian Belew during the King Crimson “Three of a Perfect Pair” tour)
  Bands: King Crimson, Genesis, SOLO & Multiple artists
• Number 5: Kenny Aronoff * (I met him personally at Guitar Center)
  Bands: John Mellencamp (Cougar & Cougar-Mellencamp), SOLO & Multiple artists
  
• Number 4: Terry Bozzio * (I met him personally at PASIC)
  Bands: Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, SOLO & Multiple artists
• Number 3: Chester Thompson * (I met him personally at PASIC)
  Bands: Genesis (Live), Phil Collins, Santana, SOLO & Multiple artists
• Number 2: Phil Collins *
  Bands: Genesis & SOLO
• Number 1: Neil Peart * (who else played the timing to include 17/16th notes? Let me know in the comments if you have seen it!)
  Band: Rush

Note: * = I have seen in concert personally at least one time!

Photo by Osarugue Igbinoba on Unsplash

A Few Facts:
I am sharing some important, and not so trivial info on drums. . .

Types of Drums & Percussion:

• Snare drum
• Bass drum
• Tom drum
• Cymbals
• Conga
• Drum Kit
• Bongos
• Tabla
• Djembe
• Hi-hat
• Timpani
• Ride cymbal
• Bodhrán
• Tambourine
• Talking drum
• Frame drums
• Cajón
• Crash cymbal
• Darbuka
• Electronic drum
• Timbales
• Mridangam
• Floor tom
• Hand drum
• More . . .

Photo by Matthijs Smit on Unsplash

Major Brands of Drums & Percussion:

• Adams Musical Instruments
• Alesis
• American Drum Manufacturing Company
• Avedis Zildjian Company (Zildjian)
• Axis Percussion
• Ayotte Drums
• Brady Drum Company
• Camco Drum Company
• Conn-Selmer
• Corder Drum Company
• Cumbus
• D’Addario
• Ddrum
• Dixon Drums
• Drum Workshop (DW)
• E-MU Systems
• Evans
• Fibes Drums
• Gibraltar Hardware
• Gretsch Drums
• Harmony Company
• Hayman drum
• Hohner
• Istanbul Agop
• John Grey & Sons
• Jupiter Band Instruments
• Gregg Keplinger
• KHS Musical Instruments
• King Conga
• Latin Percussion
• Leedy Manufacturing Company
• Ludwig Drums
• Majestic Percussion
• Mapex Drums
• Meinl Percussion
• Natal Drums
• Noble & Cooley
• North Drums
• Orange County Drum and Percussion
• Pacific Drums and Percussion
• Paiste
• Pearl Drums
• Peavey Electronics
• Pork Pie Percussion
• Premier Percussion
• Pro-Mark
• Remo
• Rogers Drums
• Roland Corporation
• Sabian
• Simmons
• Slingerland Drum Company
• Sonor
• Soultone Cymbals
• Tama Drums
• Trixon Drums
• UFIP
• Vater Percussion
• Vic Firth
• Yamaha Drum
• More . . .

Drummer courtesy of Openverse

The Present:
People still love the drums. . .the sound, the playing and the players!

The Future:
The future definitely needs young recruits to take the stages all across the world. . .

FREEBIES & DEALS For Drums::
🥁 FREE: Drum Month Fonts
🎶 FREE: Drum Month: Crafts + Printable
🥁 FREE: Drum Month: Sheet music
🎶 CHEAP: Drum Month: Ideas, Crafts & Worksheets
🥁 FREE: Drum Month: AT “Hey It’s Free”

Hashtags:
#InternationalDrumMonth #DrumMonth #Drum #Drums #Drummer #Drummers #Drum #Percussion #Percussionist #Musical #Music #Musician #Musicians

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Unsplash

May is International Drum Month