The 25 Most Popular & Influential Black Drummers
From prominent jazz drummers Elvin Jones and Max Roach to popular drummers today, like Questlove, the most influential Black drummers deserve more recognition.While some are more popular than others, every one of these famous Black drummers have had some musical impact, whether it was recording alongside popular Motown bands or shaping the music we love today.
With so many music legends on this list, it's difficult to decide on the best Black drummers. Feel free to vote up the top Black drummers based on their session recordings, live performances, or overall careers.
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Known for his time with the Motown studio band, The Funk Brothers, Benny Benjamin AKA Papa Zita trained in big band jazz. Popular songs that featured his drumming include "My Girl" by The Temptations, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" by Stevie Wonder. In 2016, he was named the eleventh best drummer of all time by Rolling Stone.
- Age: Dec. at 43 (1925-1969)
- Birthplace: Mobile, Alabama
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Take a listen to any of John Coltrane Quartet's records, and you'll here the distinctive drumming of the late Elvin Jones working the groove. In the 1960s, few were as talented on the drums than Jones, whose aggressive style of drumming paved the way for the "free jazz" movement. After leaving the Coltrane group, Jones established several of his own jazz bands, played drums for Allen Ginsberg's Songs of Innocence and Experience, and appeared as a villain in the 1971 musical film Zachariah. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music in 2001.
- Age: Dec. at 76 (1927-2004)
- Birthplace: Michigan, USA, Pontiac
Influential?Art Blakey's aggressive style of drumming known as hard bop set the stage for the evolution of jazz in the 1960s. In the 1940s, Blakey formed The Jazz Messengers, a session band for Blue Note Records. Over the years, the group developed into a collective, which established young talent, like Jackie McLean, Freddie Hubbard, and Donald Byrd. Blakey was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 and 2001, and was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
- Age: Dec. at 71 (1919-1990)
- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, USA, Pennsylvania
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Starting in the New York jazz scene, Lenny White performed with saxophonist Jackie Mclean during the late 1960s. White then joined Return to Forever and helped infuse jazz fusion into their music. Later on, he released several albums aa a solo artist and formed the jazz/soul group Twennynine. The three-time Grammy winner is generally considered as one of the pioneers of jazz fusion.
- Age: 75
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
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In the late 1960s, Clyde Stubblefield was the drummer for James Brown's band, alongside drummer John "Jabo" Starks. Known for his funk drumming, Stubblefield's music can be heard on such songs, like "Cold Sweat" and "There Was a Time." His drum sounds have also become popular samples in hip hop music, including his rhythm pattern on Brown's "Funky Drummer." Soon after, Stubblefield moved to Madison, WI where he formed his own band, while working other talented musicians. Throughout the 90s and 00s, released solo albums and collaborated with Starks as the Funkmasters.
- Age: 81
- Birthplace: Tennessee, Chattanooga, USA
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John "Jabo" Starks
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One of the pioneers of funk drumming, John "Jabo" Starks taught himself the drums as a teenager. In the 1950s, Starks performed at the Harlem Duke Social Club, which featured notable musicians, like John Lee Hooker, Smiley Lewis, and Howlin' Wolf. In 1965, Starks joined James Brown's band, alongside drummer Clyde Stubblefield; both are considered two of the most sampled drummers, with their drum patterns being featured in songs by Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, and Black Eyed Peas. Other bands and artists he has played with include Bobby Bland, B.B. King, and The J.B.'s.
- Age: 86
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One of the greatest jazz fusion drummers, Billy Cobham started drumming at an early age. After graduating from New York City's The High School of Music & Art, Cobham was drafted to the US Army where he played with the band. He later joined Horace Silver's quintet, became a house drummer for Atlantic Records, started the jazz rock group Dreams, and toured with Miles Davis. In 1973, Cobham released his debut solo album, Spectrum, which hit No. 1 on Billboard's jazz charts. As the sideman drummer, Cobham has played with James Brown, Peter Gabriel, Quincy Jones, and Carly Simon.
- Age: 80
- Birthplace: Panama
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Richard Allen
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If you've listened to any of Holland-Dozier-Holland's hit songs, like "Heat Wave" and "Baby Love", you'll notice the drumming of Richard "Pistol" Allen. Known for his time as a session drummer for The Funk Brothers, Allen has recorded with countless Motown legends, including Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Gladys Knight.
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After studying with drummer Alan Dawson, Tony Williams soon joined Miles Davis's band when he was just 17. Thanks to his use of polyrhythms and metric modulation, Williams helped redefine the jazz rhythm section. In 1969, he formed the fusion trio, Tony Williams Lifetime, with guiarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young. Williams went on to collab with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Jaco Pastorius, eventually rounding out his career recording for Blue Note Records.
- Age: Dec. at 51 (1945-1997)
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
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Like many other drummers on this list, Omar Hakim started drumming as a child and performed with his father's band. After joining jazz fusion band Weather Report in 1982, Hakim would later play drums on David Bowie's albums Let's Dance and Tonight. He also recorded with Dire Straits for their album Brothers in Arms, with Sting on The Dream of the Blue Turtles, and replaced longtime Journey drummer Deen Castronovo in 2015. During the 90s, Hakim was a session musician, recording with pop stars Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Jewel. In 2017, he became the Chairman of the Percussion Department of Berklee College of Music.
- Age: 66
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
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With a spectacular career spanning over 70 years, Roy Haynes is one of the most recorded drummers in jazz. He received the nickname "Snap Crackle" after developing his own unique crisp and rapid-fire sound on the snare. After making his debut in 1944, Haynes went on to lead jazz bands and play with legendary musicians, like Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Sarah Vaughan, the Allman Brothers Band, and Miles Davis. In 1999, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jazz Foundation of America in 2019.
- Age: 99
- Birthplace: Boston, USA, Massachusetts, Roxbury, Boston
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A multi-instrumentalist, Papa Jo Jones worked as a carnival drummer and tap-dancer before joining Walter Page's Oklahoma City jazz band, the Blue Devils. In addition to performing in the Jazz at the Philharmonic, Jones was regularly seen at New York's West End jazz club. One of the first drummers to use brushes on drums, Jones was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979.
- Age: Dec. at 73 (1911-1985)
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
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Jack DeJohnette is one of the leaders of the jazz fusion era that would go on to create the modern sound we here today. Working as both a band leader and session drummer, DeJohnette has worked with such musicians as Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. In 2007, he was inducted into he Modern Drummer Hall of Fame.
- Age: 82
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
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One of the most prominent drummers in history, Max Roach got his start by playing at New York jazz clubs. Along with Kenny Clarke, Roach was one of the first drummers to play in the bebop style, performing in bands led by Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Bud Powell. In the 1950s, Roach and bassist Charles Mingus established Debut Records. During the 1970s, Roach formed the percussion orchestra, M'Boom. He later performed solo concerts, wrote music for theater, and collaborated with the world's greatest musicians.
- Age: Dec. at 83 (1924-2007)
- Birthplace: Newland, North Carolina, USA
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Following in his father's footsteps, George "Buddy" Miles started music at an early age, touring with his father's band by age 12. In 1967, Miles formed the blue rock soul band The Electric Flag with guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist Barry Goldberg; the band disbanded a couple years later. Shortly after, he cofounded Band of Gypsys with bassist Billy Cox and the legendary Jimi Hendrix, whom he had met earlier when they were both sidemen for other artists.
- Age: Dec. at 60 (1947-2008)
- Birthplace: USA, Nebraska, Omaha
Influential?Well-known for drumming with Charles Mingus, Dannie Richmond was a mainstay on the music scene for over three decades. Initially a saxophonist, Richmond found success after picking up the drums in his early 20's, eventually playing for other famous artists, like George Adams, Joe Cocker, Chet Baker, and Elton John.
- Age: Dec. at 52 (1935-1988)
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
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Nicknamed "Klook," Clarke was a major pioneer for the bebop style of drumming. Orphaned at five, Clarke learned the drums at his orphanage, and left for New York to pursue his career in 1935. During this time, he played with notable musicians, like Freddie Green, Dizzy Gillespie, Teddy Hill, Ella Fitzgerland, and Louis Armstrong. In the 1950s, Clarke moved to Paris where he performed in orchestras, recorded soundtracks, and formed the trio, The Three Bosses, with Bud Powell and Pierre Michelot.
- Age: Dec. at 71 (1914-1985)
- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, USA, Pennsylvania
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After recording with Ornette Coleman, Los Angeles native Billy Higgins played with various hard bop musicians during the 1960s, including Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, and Sonny Rollins. During this time, he was also the house drummer for Blue Note Records, playing on over 700 recordings. In 1989, Higgins co-founded The World Stage, an LA cultural center for training young jazz musicians.
- Age: Dec. at 64 (1936-2001)
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, USA, California
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A composer, arranger, and actor on top of his impeccable drumming skills, Alphonse Mouzon could truly do it all. Performing with many prominent jazz musicians, Mouzon established his own label, Tenacious Records, in 1992. He also collaborated with popular artists outside the genre, like Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and Betty Davis.
- Age: 76
- Birthplace: USA, South Carolina, Charleston
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Born into a musical family, Questlove formed the The Roots, with Black Thought, while in high school. From busking in the Philadelphia streets to being the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Roots have been jamming for over three decades. Alongside making cameo appearances, Questlove has also launched a weekly radio show, produced for great artists, and curated the soundtrack The Michelle Obama Musiaqualogy for Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming.
- Age: 54
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Philip Fisher
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Beginning his drumming career at the end of the 70s, Philip "Fish" Fisher was part of the band Fishbone, and his drumming styled leaned a lot toward alternative rock and a fashion of funk-rock. The band has since gained a cult following, and Fisher is still with the band, making his name in the echelon of drumming greats.
- Age: 57
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As one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, Jai Johanny Johnson's mix of many different genres is what sets him apart from his contemporaries. He is he the last loving survived of the original band.
- Age: 80
- Birthplace: USA, Mississippi, Ocean Springs
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After winning the Guitar Center Drum-Off at age 9, Thomas Pridgen became the youngest musician to receive a four-year scholarship to Berklee College of Music, and by his 15th birthday, he was already doing studio sessions with many popular gospel artists. After a short stint with Oakland hip hop band The Coup, Pridgen joined The Mars Volta in 2007. Two years later, Pridgen left to form hard rock band The Memorials with his Berklee friends. Other bands and artists he has jammed with include Suicidal Tendencies, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, Thundercat, and rapper Residente.
- Age: 41
- Birthplace: California
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Born and raised in the Bronx, Will Calhoun gradauted from Berklee College of Music with a degree in music production and engineering. Soon after, he became the new drummer for Living Colour, and the rock band hit mainstream success. Calhoun also recorded jazz albums and performed with other notable musicians, like B.B King, Public Enemy, and Ronnie Wood. Known for his versatility, Calhoun has shown mastery in blending different musical styles and experimenting with sound effects.
- Age: 60
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
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Nicknamed "Smitty," Marvin Smith has recorded for over 200 albums with some of the biggest names in music, and has toured with popular artists, like Willie Nelson and Sting. From 1995 to 2009, Smitty was the drummer for the The Tonight Show With Jay Leno band.
- Age: 63
- Birthplace: Waukegan, USA, Illinois
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