There are plenty of famous drum players out there and picking just one is bound to upset the fans of the others. While keeping in mind that everything is subjective, we feel that Buddy Rich is the person best suited for this title since even decades after his death, he still is the person that most drummers aspire to become.
Buddy Rich is known for his almost superhuman abilities to play the drummer and he was mind-bogglingly strong and fast. His love for drumming had its roots early on since as a kid he used the knife and fork as drum sticks and by age 5 he was already on Broadway playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” on a drum.
His precision, speed, and smooth execution became a standard and Rich’s influence extends from jazz to rock music. Gene Krupa, another famous drum player, called Rich “the greatest drummer ever to have drawn breath.”