Dave Grohl’s 3 Favorite Drummers Of All Time

Dave Grohl is many people’s favorite drummer of all time. He’s contributed the rhythm to some of the greatest rock songs ever and is aptly praised for it. But who does Grohl consider the greatest drummer ever? The Foo Fighters founder has spoken at length about the players he found inspiring early on and peers that he admires. Below, find three drummers Grohl would consider among his favorites.

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Meg White

Women are often left out of the conversation about era-defining drummers. It’s a male-dominated instrument, so any great female drummers usually have the gender caveat in front of any lauds. Grohl, however, has made sure to right that wrong in his praise for The White Stripes’ Meg White.

“She is one of those drummers that if you hear 15 seconds of her recording, you’ll know who it is, and that to me has always been the gold standard,” Grohl once said of White.

He went on to compare her to other top names in the industry, saying, “That’s always been the challenge. You want to know when you hear it, like, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s John Bonham. Oh, that’s Charlie Watts. That’s Ringo.” He continued, “That’s Stewart Copeland. That’s Meg White.’”

Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr isn’t the flashiest drummer, and yet he’s beloved. His talent is less about headbanging fills and more about truly living up to the notion of drummers being the backbone of a band. Starr has always known exactly what a song requires and delivered it perfectly. This is part of the reason Grohl counts himself among Starr’s admirers.

“Define ‘best drummer in the world’,” Grohl once said. “Is it someone that’s technically proficient? Or is it someone that sits in the song with their own feel? Ringo was the king of feel.”   

John Bonham

While Grohl has feted many drummers, he’s reserved the topmost of his compliments for John Bonham. He once called the late Led Zeppelin drummer “the greatest of all time.”

“John Bonham is the greatest rock drummer of all time,” Grohl once wrote. “Bonham played directly from the heart. His drumming was by no means perfect, but when he hit a groove it was so deep it was like a heartbeat. He had this manic sense of cacophony, but he also had the ultimate feel. he could swing, he could get on top, or he could pull back.”

(Photo by HELLE ARENSBAK/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)