Who's Your Favorite Drummer?

As a drummer I get this question from people I meet for the first time 99.9% of the time. How can I possibly pick ONE drummer?? That's like asking "Who's your favorite author?"! So, I thought I would go on a stream of consciousness musing on the drummers, living or not, who continue to inspire me. The first drummer called to my attention was Gene Krupa for his work on Benny Goodman's "Carnegie Hall Concert of 1938", on 78 lacquer from my dad's wartime collection. Dad couldn't get enough of his breaks in "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon", always saying, "LISTEN to that DRUMMER!" every time he put that one on the Garrard 401 turntable.  Buddy Rich for his work with Count Basie, Billie Holiday and Charles Mingus. My dad and I loved how fast Buddy could roil it up with boundless energy. I love Charlie Watts for his consistency, accuracy on the snare and behind the beat jazzy R&B feel. Jim Gordon not for his work with Derek & The Dominoes rather for the rock-steady beats he laid down on Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band album, "Bongo Rock" especially the break in "Apache" which is one of the most sampled beats ever. Bill Bruford for his awe inspiring acrobatic/ultra flexible/take no prisoners poly-rhythmic assaults as the drum chair for Yes in their early years, and especially the incredible King Crimson band featuring John Whetton on bass. Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine who could play in one time signature and sing in another. Cleve Pozar who was asked to join Weather Report several times, and I had the amazing experience to play in a band with this genius. Greg Errico of Sly & The Family Stone who I actually did see in performance with Weather Report. Terry Cox of Pentangle who could effortlessly shift from traps to hand drums played in the Renaissance dance and Moondog poly-rhythm styles to tabla. Keith Moon of The Who for sheer audacity, playing fills that no one else would dare attempt and pulling them off 99% of the time. Corky Laing of Mountain who revolutionized hard rock drumming and laid the template for generations to come. John Densmore of The Doors for rock solid grooves and contextual adaptability. Lenny White for his work in Return To Forever, I saw him in performance effortlessly chewing gum against whatever he was doing with his limbs. Bill Ward of Black Sabbath for hanging in there coping Tony Iommi's multiple riff shifting compositions. Billy Cobham for just being him. Jack DeJohnette who continues to drive passionately, able to leap from light and bouncy to fire breathing dragon of death in an instant. Brian Keenan of The Chambers Brothers who kept me dad's attention through the long version of "Time Has Come Today", "This drummer is really keeping it interesting!" Jim Keltner for his "I don't try to call attention to myself" humility in the service of music. John Garner of Sir Lord Baltimore for balls to the wall kicking it out while attempting to sing lead vocals. Tony Williams for his work with the great Miles Davis Quintet from the late 60s and The Tony Williams Lifetime band with Larry Young and John McLaughlin. Elvin Jones for what he accomplished in the 3/4 time signature. Robbie McIntosh for his work with Brian Auger's Oblivion Express which blows away anything he did with Average White Band. Klaus Dinger of NEU! for being happy with Teutonic 4/4. Jaki Liebezeit of Can who still defines "Human Beatbox". Ndugu Leon Chancellor for his jaw dropping agility with George Duke's great electric trio of the mid 70s. Jimmy Carl Black for his contributions to The Mothers Of Invention. Chris Frantz of Talking Heads for his conviction and authority, especially live. Billy Hart for his work on the extended Herbie Hancock/Eddie Henderson sessions for Columbia and Capricorn. Billy Higgins for his elegance and sympathetic approach. And finally, the great Mel Taylor of The Ventures who inspired me to become a drummer and play music.