Progressive Rock Drummers — Musician Guide: Players, Bands & Key Albums

Progressive Rock Drummers — an atmospheric illustration of a large drum kit with gongs and cymbals on a backlit stage

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Progressive Rock Drummers — Musician Guide: Players, Bands & Key Albums

The drummers of progressive rock: who they are, the bands they played in and the albums where to hear them.

  • InstrumentDrums
  • Guides363
  • OrderBy scene
  • Each guideBands, albums, where to start

Want the full stories? My books map every scene → All instruments

This hub gathers the progressive rock drummers covered on Prog Atlas, percussionists included, each with a guide to the bands, the key albums and a place to start. The list is sorted by scene, so you can follow the drummers of one tradition from band to band.

Drummers who also sang are listed here when the drums are what they are best known for; the guide itself covers the rest.

Prefer the whole story in one place? See my books →

The drummers, scene by scene

363 guides, grouped by the scene of the band each musician is best known for, in alphabetical order.

British Progressive Rock

Alan Powell Alan White Andrew McCulloch Andy Ward B. J. Wilson Barriemore Barlow Bev Bevan Bill Bruford Bob Henrit Bob Siebenberg Bobby Harrison Brian Davison Carl Palmer Chris Cutler Chris Slade Chris Stewart Chuck Burgi Clive Bunker Clive Deamer David Attwooll Doane Perry Florian Pilkington-Miksa Gavin Harrison Geoff Britton Geoff Dunn Gerry Conway Ginger Baker Graeme Edge Guy Evans Ian Paice Ian Wallace Jamie Muir Jay Schellen Jeremy Stacey Jim Capaldi Jim Gordon Jim McCarty Jimmy Copley Joe Crabtree John Mayhew John Silver John Trotter John Weathers Judge Smith Keith Baker Kenwood Dennard Lee Kerslake Malcolm Mortimore Mark Brzezicki Mark Craney Martin Ditcham Martin Smith Mel Pritchard Michael Giles Mike Sturgis Morris Pert Nick Mason Nigel Olsson Pat Mastelotto Paul Hammond Paul Thompson Phil Collins Preston Heyman Ray Weston Rebop Kwaku Baah Ric Parnell Richard Hudson Robbie France Robert Heaton Rod Coombes Roger Hawkins Russell Gilbrook Scott Hammond Simon King Simon Phillips Steve Upton Stewart Copeland Terry Bozzio Terry Ollis Terry Sullivan Tony Fernandez Virgil Donati Walfredo Reyes Jr.

Italian Progressive Rock (RPI)

Agostino Marangolo Alfio Vitanza Bruno Biriaco Franco Del Prete Franz Di Cioccio Furio Chirico Gennaro Barba Giancarlo Golzi Gianni Belleno Gianni Dall’Aglio Giulio Capiozzo Karl Potter Michi Dei Rossi Paolo Siani Pierluigi Calderoni Roberto Gualdi Salvatore Garau Walter Calloni Walter Martino

German Progressive Rock & Krautrock

Bernd Noske Carsten Bohn Charly Terstappen Charly Weiss Christian Burchard Curt Cress Daniel Fichelscher Dieter Serfas Eroc Erwin Ditzner Falk Grieffenhagen Fernando Abrantes Fritz Hilpert Fritz Randow Gerry Brown Hans Bathelt Harald Grosskopf Hugo Egon Balder Jaki Liebezeit Jay Dittamo Jürgen Rosenthal Karl Bartos Lothar Scharf Mani Neumeier Manni von Bohr Marja Burchard Matthias Holtmann Nicky Gebhard Peter Giger Ramesh Shotham Rolf Möller Ron Howden Stephan Emig Thomas Dinger Werner “Zappi” Diermaier Wolfgang Flür

American Progressive Rock

Airto Moreira Albert Bouchard Alex Landenburg Aynsley Dunbar Bernie Pershey Bill Andrews Billy Cobham Blake Richardson Bobby Jarzombek Bobby Rondinelli Brain Brann Dailor Brooks Wackerman Burleigh Drummond Chris Pennie Chris Reifert Dana Burnell Danny Gottlieb Deen Castronovo DJ Ravidrums Ed Cassidy Gene Hoglan Gil Moore Hunt Sales Jan Uvena Jason Rullo Jay Lane Jeff Plate Jerry Gaskill Jimmy Keegan Joe Bergamini John Panozzo John Rutsey Josh Eppard Jules Radino Kam Lee Lenny White Mark Castillo Mark Zonder Matt Garstka Matt Halpern Michel Langevin Mike Mangini Mike Portnoy Mingo Lewis Narada Michael Walden Nate Kelley Navene Koperweis Neil Peart Nick D’Virgilio Paul Ramsey Paulo Baldi Phil Ehart Prairie Prince Richard Christy Rick Downey Rod Morgenstein Ron Bushy Ron Riddle Scott Rockenfield Sean Reinert Sebastian Thomson Steve Negus Steve Smith Steve Wacholz Steve Zimmerman Terry Draper The Rev Tim Alexander Todd Sucherman Van Williams Willie Wilcox

Modern Progressive Rock

Adrián Terrazas-González Alex Holzwarth Anders Kobro Anders Nordin Andy Edwards Blake Fleming Chris Maitland Craig Blundell Danny Carey Dave Elitch Deantoni Parks Dominic Howard Ed Warby Eric Moore Felix Lehrmann Håkon Gebhardt Johanne James Jon Theodore Jonathan Pérez Kenneth Kapstad Linda-Philomène Tsoungui Marcel Rodríguez-López Mario Duplantier Mark Heaney Martin Axenrot Martin Lopez Mattias Olsson Michael Cavanagh Morgan Simpson Piotr Kozieradzki Shaun Steels Thomas Pridgen Tomas Haake Waltteri Väyrynen Zoltán Csörsz

The Canterbury Scene

Asaf Sirkis Benoît Moerlen Bryan Spring Charles Hayward Chris Karan Clive Brooks John Marshall Laurie Allan Mike Travis Mireille Bauer Phil Howard Pierre Moerlen Pip Pyle Richard Coughlan Roger Sellers Tony Levin Trevor Tomkins

Neo-Progressive Rock

Brian Devoil Ian Mosley Jan-Vincent Velazco Jonathan Mover Mick Pointer

Symphonic Progressive Rock

Bert Smaak Christian Vander Colin Allen Collin Leijenaar Dave Kerman David Kemper Dušan Hájek Emlyn Crowther François Laizeau Gabriel Parra Geoff Chunn Jean-My Truong Jerzy Piotrowski Juanita Parra Loukas Sideras Malcolm Green Martin Valihora Morgan Ågren Noel Crombie Paul Hester Paul Wertico Pierre van der Linden Pim Koopman Vinicius Cantuária

Psychedelic & Space Rock

Ani Cordero Bertram Engel Bob Richards Stu Fisher Terry Williams Twink Viv Broughton Viv Prince

Progressive Metal

Andreas Lill Hannes Van Dahl Jonas Ekdahl Patrick Carlsson

Post-Rock & Math Rock

Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson Aidan Girt Britt Walford Damon Che Dano LeBlanc John Herndon John McEntire John Stanier Martin Bulloch Orri Páll Dýrason

Experimental & Post-Metal

Aaron Harris Jason Roeder Kim Abrams Thomas Hedlund

Tech & Extreme Prog Metal

Flo Mounier Jörg Michael Peter Wildoer Uli Kusch

Jazz Rock & Fusion

Alex Acuña Alphonse Mouzon Biboul Darouiche Chester Thompson Christian Lettner Cliff Davies Dennis Elliott Dom Um Romão Don Alias Eric Gravatt Ernst Ströer Gary Smith Jon Hiseman Kirk Covington Leon “Ndugu” Chancler Manolo Badrena Mino Cinélu Omar Hakim Peter Erskine Robert Thomas Jr. Tony Williams Udo Lindenberg Willy Ketzer Wolfgang Haffner

Progressive Folk

Dave Oberlé Henry Rogers Terl Bryant

Indo-Prog & Raga Rock

Paul Winterhart

RIO & Avant-Prog

Tatsuya Yoshida

Heavy Prog

Bobby Caldwell Brian Glascock Gary McCracken Guille Garcia

Crossover Prog

Gary Wallis Kevin Godley Oscar Moro Paul Burgess Roger Taylor Simon Fox Stuart Tosh Tomer Z

Eclectic Prog

Jeff Allen

Further reading on the blog

My ranking of the best prog rock drummers of all time is the companion to this directory. For the playing itself, try the best prog rock drum solos and the best drum sounds in prog rock, or go player by player with Neil Peart's drum solos, Bill Bruford's drum solos, Carl Palmer's drum solos, Mike Portnoy's drum solos and Gavin Harrison's drum solos.

How these guides work

Each musician guide follows the same plan: the bands, the albums where the playing can be heard, the line-ups the musician was part of and a place to start. A musician who played in several bands has one guide, filed under the band that made the name, with links to all the others. The guides go online in stages, scene by scene.