I don’t know what it is about drummers, but when you form a band, be prepared to cycle through several beat makers. The Spinal Tap cliché of ever-changing drummers was written into the film for a reason.
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Still, every great band needs a reliable percussionist to steady the rock ship. Without one, the whole thing falls apart. Yet many classic rock bands have persisted even after changing iconic drummers.
The Who
Many classic rock bands consist of seemingly irreplaceable members. If you drew it up, you couldn’t improve upon building a rock group with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon. But the chaos that fueled Moon also led to an early death. Townshend carried on with ex-Faces drummer Kenney Jones, then Simon Phillips. And finally, Zak Starkey. Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr, fits both musically and in terms of rock and roll royalty.
If you follow Starkey online, you’ll be just as confused as the rest of us about his recent sacking from the band. His replacement, Scott Devours, previously played in Daltrey’s solo band. But they all live under the perfectly unruly shadow of Moon.
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam survived the grunge hysteria and avoided the tragedy that struck fellow Seattle bands from the 90s. Though steady endurance has been one of its hallmarks, the drum chair has been anything but. Dave Krusen played on the debut, Ten, then left. Matt Chamberlin filled the seat for a few weeks before Dave Abbruzzese replaced him. However, he was fired in 1994, before the release of Vitalogy. Former Red Hot Chili Pepper Jack Irons, who introduced Eddie Vedder to the band, entered but was later replaced by Matt Cameron from Soundgarden.
Cameron also recorded drums on early demos with Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, as they searched for a singer following the end of Mother Love Bone. After 27 years, Cameron recently announced he was leaving the band, and his replacement has yet to be announced.
Oasis
Tony McCarroll helped Oasis record the fastest-selling British debut of its time. With that kind of success, you wouldn’t imagine changing the lineup. But Oasis always existed on shaky ground, and McCarroll’s drumming, though iconic, was indeed shaky. McCarroll was replaced by the steady and slightly jazzy Alan White, who guided Oasis through its commercial heights. White was the perfect fit for the Gallagher brothers, most notably on the band’s biggest hit “Wonderwall”. Why did he leave? He struggled with tendinitis, though the exact reasons for White’s departure remain murky.
Zak Starkey followed White but left in 2008, making room for Chris Sharrock before the band’s breakup in 2009. Sharrock also recorded and toured with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, but Joey Waronker is currently drumming for Oasis on the Live ’25 stadium tour. In 2024, Waronker backed the Manchester super-duo of Liam Gallagher and John Squire from The Stone Roses. Judging by the online footage of the reunion dates, Oasis hasn’t missed a beat.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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