by Matthew Robley
The 90’s was a great time for rock music. Many popular and iconic bands, such as Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, emerged in the 1990’s. The 1990s were a special era for drumming. Here, in no particular order, are my top drummers from the 1990s.
Lars Ulrich (Metallica): Lars was one of the original band members of Metallica and also helped write many songs such as Fade to Black, One, For Whom The Bell Tolls, and many others. He has a fast style of drumming, utilizing a double bass kick on many songs.
Travis Barker (Blink 182): Travis Barker is one of the most impressive punk drummers ever. He has the perfect blend of speed and precision to nail songs – just listen to Hearts All Gone by Blink-182. He mixes the styles of punk rock and drumline. Travis faces his toms flat so he can hit all rudiments and have perfect precision. He is also left-handed but plays on a right-handed drum kit, which gives him the ability to perfectly move around the set comfortably with both hands.
Dave Grohl (Nirvana & Foo Fighters): Dave Grohl is considered one of the best drummers of all time. Originally, he started in the very popular band Nirvana in 1990. He was influenced by the legendary drummer John Bonham from the 60’s band, Led Zeppelin. If you listen to Dave, you can hear the same power and swagger in his drumming just like Bonham. After Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, he started a new band named the Foo Fighters, which had great success releasing very popular songs such as Everlong, My Hero, The Pretender, and many more. Even though Grohl does not drum anymore for the Foo Fighters, he is still considered one of the greatest drummers of all time.
Joey Jordinson (Slipknot): Joey Jordinson is one of the fastest drummers of all time with his impressive skills on fills and the double bass. He was the original drummer for Slipknot in 1999 when they released their first album “Slipknot”. Some songs that Joey Jordinson shines on are Eyeless, Psychosocial, Wait and Bleed, The Heretic Anthem, and Duality. In one of his performances, he has a record of 2677 hits in two minutes! Jordinson is one of the best metal drummers of all time with his skill and precision.
Tré Cool (Green Day): Tré Cool, known as the best Green Day drummer in the world, is one of the best punk rock drummers of all time. He wrote Green Day’s most popular song Basket Case which is considered to have one of the best drum intros of all time. Tre Cool is very creative yet functional, which has made him so exceptional today.
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Chad Smith is one of the best technical drummers ever. He joined the RHCP in December 1988, after the band was blown away from the audition by his precision and persistence. Two of his biggest hits were Give It Away and Under The Bridge. Chad has been drumming since he was in the 5th Grade! With his skill and awe-inspiring precision, he is considered one of the best drummers of all time.
Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters): Taylor Hawkins is one of the best versatile rock drummers ever. Many artists like Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Jimmy Page said they were lucky to work with him while he was alive (Hawkins passed away in 2022). He was one of the most influential, inspiring, and passionate musicians in the 1990’s and greatly impacted the drumming community.