Famous Drummers From A to Z > D

Famous Drummers

D

Your complete resource to info on the most famous drummers in the world. This page contains everyone who's anyone with a last name beginning in the letter D.

Paulinho DaCosta
Born: May 31, 1948. This percussionist, composer, and producer currently has four solo albums to his credit. This is his Official Web site.

Dino Danelli
Born: July 23, 1945. Enjoy a bio on New Jersey native Dino Dinelli and The Rascals, his most famous band. From the Ultimate Italian site. See Bob and the Beachcomber's Web site for more on Dino and the Rascals. And check out their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Mike D'Angelo
This up-and-coming drummer played at the Modern Drummer Festival 2000 when he was 12, after winning Modern Drummer Magazine's Best Undiscovered Drummer Under 18 contest that year.

Zach Danziger
I'm looking for a good link on Zach. If you've got one, please click here to email it to us.

Alan Dawson
Born: July 14, 1929. Died: February 23, 1996. Good bio on Dawson, including quotes on his impact in the field from other Famous Drummers. Courtesy of PAS.org.

Keith Dawson Jr
First Nations drummer, Keith Dawson Jr, has worked in literally hundreds of bands including Eagle Feather (nominated for two Junos and an ECMA), Relatives (nominated for ECMA, MIANS), and his current band Forever (winner 2003 MIANS, 2004 ECMA awards, and nominated for Native American Music Award, Albuquerque, NM).

I have seen Keith perform live and he impressed me as an accurate and powerful player with an extremely musical touch.

Keith also performs in a drum duo called Project A.D. with Bruce Aitken. For a sample performance of Keith and Bruce, see our coverage of the Cape Breton International Drum Festival 2005.

Chet Deboe
Founder and one third of the unique drumming act, Hip Pickles.

Barret Deems
The ultimate link on Barrett Deems, brings you interviews, a discography, and lots more on the late, great drummer. Courtesy of the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Jimmy DeGrasso
Enjoy this interview with Metal drummer Jimmy, courtesy of ProMark-Stix.com

Jack De Johnette
Jack De Johnette homepage by Piotr Marek, Jr. Along with the usual stuff, site includes track by track comments on many of Jack's recordings by Jack himself. Good stuff.

Dennis DeLucia
One of the most respected percussion teachers, arrangers, clinicians and judges in the US, Dennis has led drumlines to sixteen "High Percussion" championships and has conducted clinics in 41 states and abroad. In addition to his sixteen championships, Dennis netted the only Triple Crown in drum corps history in 1981. He is an associate professor of percussion at Rutgers University, a member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame and the Drum Corps International (DCI) Hall of Fame, and a television analyst for the annual DCI finals on PBS. Click the above link and listen as Dennis takes you on an audio tour of Drum and Bugle Corps from 1959-1974 (uses RealAudio), courtesy of VicFirth.com.

Les DeMerle
Not only did Les play with the Harry James Big Band from '70 through '82, he also backed other music greats including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Low Rawls, Joe Williams, Wayne Newton, and Manhattan Transfer. Today, he leads his own band. Click the above link to sample DeMerle's own Big Band sound (along with lots of other info) at his own Web site. Click here for his Pearl Drums setup.

Kenwood Dennard
Kenwood has performed with many of the greatest names in jazz and then some. Check out his discography, bio, performance credits, and other good stuff here.

John Densmore
Born: December 1, 1945. Learn about drummer and founding member of the Doors, from the Doors Official Web site.

Liberty DeVitto
A self-taught drummer, Liberty's career began with a gig with Mitch Ryder but he is most known for his work with Billy Joel. This is his Official Web site.

Wim DeVries
One half of the Drumbassadors. Check out the Tiger's review of their performance at the Modern Drummer Festival 2003.

Fred Dinkins
This teacher/drummer/author began his career working with various gospel acts at the age of 13. He has since played on numerous recordings and worked with many artists. Fred currently teaches at the Percussion Institute of Technology and is also the drummer and musical director for the Emotions.

Warren "Baby" Dodds
Died: February 14, 1959. Brief bio of Warren "Baby" Dodds, whom both Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa considered to be one of the great jazz drummers of all time. By redhotjazz.com.

Virgil Donati
Jazz or rock, you name it, Virgil does it all and has chops to spare. Check out his official Web site, you can even contact Virgil via email.

Paul Doucette
Check out this interview with Paul, from the Bergen Record August 7, 1998.

Bernie Dresel
Bernie has worked with Chaka Khan, Maynard Ferguson, David Byrne, Police guitar player Andy Summers, Brian Wilson, and now Brian Setzer. Here's his bio, courtesy of the Official Brian Setzer Web site.

Martin Drew
Martin has worked with tons of greats including Ronnie Scott, Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Barney Kessel, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul McCartney, Terry Gibbs, and many others. This is his Official Web site.

Spencer Dryden
Born: April 7, 1938. Died: January 12, 2005. Spencer, who played drums with Jefferson Airplane during their best years 1966-1970, passed away after a bout with colon cancer at age 66. Check out Spencer's Bio.

DrummerGirls
The best man for the job just might be a woman! Read interviews with female drummers, buy and sell used gear, post your upcoming musical event. Are you a drummer in need of a band or band in need of a drummer? You can post that here too.

DrummerWorld
The title says it all. If you're looking for Audio and Video clips plus lots of cool photos of the pros, check out Bernhard Castiglioni's excellent site.

Billy Drummond
Bio, itinerary, reviews, gear, and more on Billy's Official Web site.

Drums of Black Bottle
An innovative percussion ensemble whose unique style has won them acclaim at drum shows in Koblenz, Germany, Canada, and at the Percussive Arts Society International (PASIC) Convention in Nashville.

Aynsley Dunbar
Born: January 10, 1946. He's worked with too many people to mention from Beck to Bowie to Journey to Jefferson Starship to Whitesnake to Zappa, the list goes on and on – like Dunbar's talent. Click the above link for Aynsley's Official Web site and here's more info, courtesy of Miguel Terol.

Sly Dunbar
Born: May 10, 1952. Lowell Charles (Sly) Dunbar came to fame as half of the duo Sly & Robbie, considered reggae's most innovative rhythm section. Here's Sly's bio.

Frankie Dunlop
Here's a bio and partial discography of the drummer who has worked with Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Maynard Ferguson, Duke Ellington's band, and Thelonious Monk. From ArtistDirect.com.

Nick D'Virgilio
Nick came on the scene through his work with the progressive rock band "Spock's Beard" and he has been busy ever. Including work on his own solo projects. Check out his new Web site, which (as of June 2003) was still under construction. And here's an interview with Nick.

 

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