Everyone knows that Phill Collins, Don Henly, and Dave Grohl all started out playing drums before venturing in front of the kit to sing. Why are so many important vocalists also drummers? Perhaps the timing learned from drumming translates to superior vocal phrasing, or maybe they just got tired of schlepping heavy road cases. Here are famous singers that also shred on the drum kit.
Joey Ramone
After the Intruders, Joey started out as the original drummer, moving up to vocals because Dee Dee couldn’t sing and play bass at the time. They found Tommy Ramone to fill in on drums and the rest is history.
Chris Cornell
Soundgarden knew their way around an odd time signature, so it came in handy for Chris Cornell to come from a drumming background, especially for weird meters like “Spoonman.”
Kurt Cobain
Did Kurt Cobain write all the Nirvana drum parts? Only Dave Grohl and Chad Channing know for sure.
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr, started off as the drummer for his high school band, the Ignuanas, which explains his moniker. Notice the Southpaw set up.
Paul McCartney
Another lefty handed player, Ringo Starr, got pissed and quit the Beatles for a hot minute, which meant a third sinistral player Paul had to play drums on Back in the USSR. Like Ringo, Paul also played left-handed on a kit set up for right-handed drummers. Some say left-handedness was the secret to Ringo’s interesting drum fills, because he led with his left instead of his right going from floor tom to rack tom, instead of the other way around. (Sorry, Ringo doesn’t count as a singer. I don’t care how good his cover of “Act Naturally” is).
Karen Carpenter
Not only can she play, she can slay. She was originally just the drummer for the band until her brother Richard let her sing on “Close to Me.” Buddy Rich said she was the best drummer out there, which apparently annoyed John Bonham to no end.
Ty Segal
Ty’s adoptive father taught him to play drums, and will still sit in for a jam every blue moon. Besides his killer solo albums, Ty also plays drums and sings for the band Fuzz.
Shelia E.
Ok, so maybe you did know she played drums, but she’s still a baddie at 68, so shut it. Check her out schooling David Letterman during drum solo week while wearing fucking high heels! Talk about living the glamorous life!
Chaka Kahn
I’ll tell you something good: Chaka Kaln on drums. We are talking Spectrum-era Billy Colban level good. And she makes it look like falling off a log.
Orville Peck
Is the masked country singer really humble Daneil Pitout, the drummer for Nü Sensae, in disguise? That’s the word on the street. He’s not as ugly as you thought!
Stevie Wonder
He’s as good at drums as he is at piano. Surprise, surprise.
Frank Zappa
He started out as a drummer before teaching himself guitar and naming his kids Moon Unit and Dweezel. Here he is playing a bicycle using traditional grip on the Steve Alllen show.
Jack White
He played drums as a kid, and then sat behind the kit in the band The Dead Winter. I like Meg White better, but Jack’s not too shabby.
Bobby Gillespie
After some much needed therapy, The Jesus and Mary Chain Drummer went on to be the singer for Primal Scream. How he can play drums in slow motion is beyond me.
Prince
Yes, Prince can do everything, from music to basketball. (Shirts versus blouses.) We get it.
Lenny Kravitz
Looks like being married to my childhood crush Lisa Bonet wasn’t enough to make me jealous. Lenny actually played drums “Are You Gonna Go My Way” with Cindy Blackman Santana only miming for the video. The dude has a really nice touch.
Todd Rundgren
I don’t want to play. I just want to bang on the drums all day.
Steven Tyler
When Steven Tyler isn’t busy impregnating Todd Rundgren’s girlfriends, he likes to unwind on the kit.
Adriane Belew
This guy’s drumming is almost as weird as his guitar playing, having played with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and King Crimson. His singing reminds me of David Bryne, which makes sense because he was in the Talking Heads for a tour.
J. Mascis
My wife hates the Dinosaur Jr frontman so much that she banned my friend from bringing his J. Mascus signature Fender Squire into our house. So all you guys are getting is this link. Figure it out.
Josh Homme
Who knew that Josh Holmes plays drums? No one knows.
Kim and Kelly Deal
The twins behind the Breeder’s can both play drums, every parent’s nightmare. Kelly started out on drums, not her iconic Les Paul, and Kim learned drums after a producer got sick of her bossing drummers around while searching for a perfectly imperfect groove. “Why don’t you just learn to fucking play them yourself?” Mission accomplished!
James Hetfield
Hey look! The Metallica frontman is already better than Lars.
Rivers Cuomo
The Weezer frontman knows his way around the drum kit. Eww wee eww, I look just like Buddy Rich does. Oh oh, and your Carol Kaye on bass . . .
Mac DeMarco
When he isn’t ripping off Kink’s songs (yes, I noticed), Mac Demarco likes to play the skins.
Marvin Gay
Marvin Gaye played drums? What’s going on? Before Motown A&R director Mickey Stevenson and label boss Berry Gordy pressured Gaye into singing R&B, he was a session player who was featured on several Stevie Wonder tracks and Marlette’s classic “Please Mr. Postman.”
He also played drums on and co-wrote “Dancing in the Street,” a song famously butchered by Mick Jagger and David Bowie.
Bruno Mars
I don’t know how much the golden sparkle jacket helps him out, but the dude could have been a professional session drummer if he didn’t waste his life being an international pop sensation.
Hank Williams III
The guy who “puts the c*nt in country” also loves playing speed metal on the drums. Sadly, All the footage of Hank Luke the Drifter’s grandson playing drums looks like it was shot by bigfoot.
Justin Bieber
Yes, he can play drums. No, he’s not actually better than QuestLove come on, son.