Last Updated on December 18, 2025 by Black Sunshine Media
Drummers are the foundation of modern rock music, and the nature of the instrument is rhythmic support. Televised network “talent” shows never feature standalone rock drummers because (almost) nobody wants to hear two minutes of drums and nothing but drums. Neil Peart wouldn’t make it past the second round of American Idol – not that anybody is suggesting he should.
My favorite drummer joke goes like this.
Q: How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five. One to change the bulb, and four to stand around and talk about how much better Neil Peart would have done it.
Many drummers may be the best musicians in their respective bands, but the job description calls for relative anonymity. Hit the skins, keep the beat, and stay out of the way.
There was a reason John Bonham (usually*) didn’t have a vocal microphone—he couldn’t sing, and he probably didn’t have much to say, except, “Thanks for coming out to the show! I’m John Bonham, the greatest rock drummer of all time.” What I’m saying is that many drummers don’t get the credit they don’t deserve.
Theoretically, I should be cool with that. John Bonham may have played 1,000 drum solos in his career, but he never recorded a solo album.
*Bonham occasionally contributed backing vocals live and in the studio, receiving credit most notably on “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp” (Led Zeppelin III). According to Richard Cole’s Hammer of the Gods, Bonham was semi-notorious for going off on drunken rants when given a microphone. In a non-scientific Google search, most photos (and videos) do not show Bonham having a vocal mic.
Exceptions to the Rule
There are exceptions. Lars Ulrich was deeply involved in the Metallica songwriting process. Levon Helm sang some of the Band’s most beautiful jams. And our pal Neil Peart was clearly more than just a drummer in Rush.
There are and have been a surprising number of multi-talented drummers who are equally adept at other instruments and aspects of music-making, and on rare occasions, even better than they are on drums. “Better” needs context, and we must approach this in terms of productivity and technical prowess.
For example, Phil Collins is a phenomenal drummer and award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer. But the drums only took him so far. It wasn’t until Genesis got into the power ballad racket (“Follow You Follow Me”, 1978) that their records started selling. In the 1980s, Collins released a series of multi-platinum solo albums that eclipsed the success of Genesis.
Fact: As a solo artist, Phil Collins has outsold Genesis by roughly 30–50 million records worldwide. Collins has sold 33.5 million albums in the U.S., versus 21.5 million units sold by Genesis.
So, Phil Collins was a far better musician on drums than keyboards, but he was far more productive and successful as a standalone pop machine.
Drummers Who Made Solo Records (and Those Who Didn’t)
“There are only two types of bands in the world – bands with guys that make solo records, and bands that don’t.”
One day, I ventured off to investigate: Just how many band members of general, across-the-board rock bands made solo records, and how many didn’t?
But wait, how many of those bands had drummers who made solo records? That was the most important question. That’s where I wanted to go.
Technical Specifications
As with everything related to this writing gambit, there must be parameters. The solo records by rock drummers’ criteria needed some fine-tuning. From the start, there are usually two ways a solo record happens.
Either the guy/girl makes the record while still a band member, or they leave the band to pursue a solo career. In the end, both are acceptable.
The BSM Criteria for Inclusive Solo Album Discussion Eligibility
- One-off singles are ineligible for consideration. EPs must meet additional requirements.
- A solo album MUST be eponymous (or close enough), e.g., Tommy Lee – Tommyland: The Ride (2005); Bill Bruford – Feels Good to Me (1977). Piggybacking is acceptable, e.g., Mick Fleetwood & the Zoo, or Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders.
- The album(s) MAY contain guest appearances by current or former bandmates; however, the record MAY NOT feature the current lead vocalist of said band, i.e., DQ’d if Freddie Mercury had sung lead on any of Roger Taylor’s five solo albums. Conversely, Ozzy Osbourne singing on Bill Ward’s 1990 solo album is acceptable because neither was in Black Sabbath at the time.
- The artist MUST be the most recognizable [drummer] of the band. For instance, Megadeth has had no less than eight different drummers, and I couldn’t even guess a name. Jethro Tull had at least three drummers, including Clive Bunker and Barriemore Barlow. Bunker released two solo records: Barlow, zero.
I thought of Ringo Starr immediately because I’ve owned at least two of his solo albums (Ringo, (1973) and Goodnight, Vienna (1974)).
The second drummer who came to mind was Rick Allen (Def Leppard), who, much to my disappointment, has not made a solo record. “The Thunder God” has participated in various side projects, but nothing with his name on the marquee. Much respect. While lots of guys go off and form other bands, to me, it only counts as a solo project if the guy’s name is part of the band’s name, like, for instance, Ginger Baker’s Air Force.
Rock Drummers Who Never Made a Solo Album
The results of my informal survey concluded that approximately half of rock drummers have made some sort of solo album. Here’s a list of big-name rock drummers who never made a solo album.
- Alex Van Halen (Van Halen)
- Neil Peart (Rush)
- John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
- Matt Cameron (Soundargen, Pearl Jam)
- Kenny Arnoff (John Cougar, et al)
- Joey Kramer (Aerosmith)
- Bill Berry (R.E.M.)
- Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
- Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
- Richie Heyward (Little Feat)
- Jai “Jaemoe” Johanson (Allman Brothers)
- Dennis Elliot (Foreigner)
- Brian Downey (Thin Lizzy)
- Mike Joyce (The Smiths)
- Martin Chambers (The Pretenders)
- Tommy Ramone (Ramones)
- Earl Hudson (Bad Brains)
- Mike Bordin (Faith No More)
- Brann Dailor (Mastodon)
- Larry Mullen Jr. (U2)
- Stan Lynch (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
- Phil Rudd (AC/DC)
- Danny Carey (Tool)
- Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine, etc.)
- Sean Kinney (Alice in Chains)
- Bev Bevan (Electric Light Orchestra)
- Murph (Dinosaur Jr.)
- Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction, etc.)
- Steve Gorman (The Black Crowes)
- John Farris (INXS)
- Will Champion (Coldplay)
- Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy)
- Vinnie Paul (Pantera)
Rock Drummers Who Made Solo Albums
The following rock drummers have made solo albums that run the gamut from amazing to embarrassing (and worse).
Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters)
The incredibly talented and sadly departed Mr. Hawkins had an active musical life outside the Foo Fighters. Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders released three albums between 2006 and 2019.
The record you must hear is Kota (2016), a six-song EP featuring Hawkins on all instruments and vocals. It’s fuckin’ stunning. A thousand times better than anything Dave Grohl has ever done.
Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground)
After leaving the Velvet Underground in 1971, Moe Tucker moved to Arizona and raised a family. Ten years later, she began releasing solo albums on a series of independent labels: Playin’ Possum (1981, Rough Trade), Life in Exile After Abdication (1989, 50 Skidillion Watts), I Spent a Week There the Other Night (1991, New Rose), and Dogs Under Stress (1994, Sky).
Moe Tucker wasn’t the most technically proficient musician on the planet, but she was the ONLY person who could play drums for the Velvet Underground. And that’s exactly what her solo albums sound like.
Mickey Dolenz (The Monkees)
Mickey was always more than a drummer, so his solo career makes a lot of sense. He’s released nearly two dozen solo albums (in addition to his work with the Monkees). Albums include such titles as Micky Dolenz Puts You to Sleep (1991), Broadway Micky (1994), A Little Bit Broadway, a Little Bit Rock and Roll (2015), and Dolenz Sings Nesmith (2021).
But the recording I want to spotlight is a four-song EP released in 2023 by 7a Records, Mickey Dolenz Sings R.E.M. It’s truly incredible. I beseech you to hear the Beach Boys’ treatment of “Shiny Happy People”.
Grant Hart (Hüsker Dü)
A member and co-principal songwriter of the greatest punk band to emerge from the Midwest, and more than a few of my old friends really dig his first solo EP on SST Records (2541, 1988).
Matt Sorum (The Cult, Velvet Revolver, etc.)
Sorum has released two alternative hard rock solo albums, Hollywood Zen (2004) and Stratosphere (2014). He sings lead vocals on both. However, Sorum gained the most notoriety from the spoken word version of his book, Double Talkin’ Jive (2022). Highly recommended for rock star stories.
Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson)
Bill Bruford ranks among the elite drummers of modern rock music. His debut solo album, Feels Good to Me (1977), features guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John Goodsall, bassist Jeff Berlin, keyboardist Dave Stewart, and Kenny Wheeler on flügelhorn. It is considered a “vanguard of progressive jazz improvised music.”
*Technically, Bruford was considered a band; however, the band was assembled to make Bruford’s first solo album. So that’s kind of like the snake eating its tail.
Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe)
I have nothing against Tommy Lee or Mötley Crüe. “Too Young to Fall in Love” is a funny jam. “Kickstart My Heart” is a toe-tapper.
Lee has recorded two solo records to date. Never a Dull Moment (2002) and Tommyland: The Ride (2005) aimed for alternative, metal, and rap metal genres, but generally wound up in the cringeworthy neighborhood of Limp Bizkit, Nickelback, and Everlast.
Keith Moon (The Who)
Keith Moon’s lone solo album, Two Sides of the Moon (1975), is “the most expensive karaoke album in history” or “a cheeky parody of rock star solo album excess.” An uncomfortable mess of drunken self-indulgence with lowbrow cult status.
The record’s most surprising revelation is Moon’s enthusiasm for surf rock. Additionally, some really big names contributed to the record: Dick Dale, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, David Bowie, Joe Walsh, Jim Keltner, Bobby Keys, Klaus Voorman, John Sebastian, Flo & Eddie, and Spencer Davis.
Stewart Copeland (The Police)
Following the breakup of the Police, Copeland went to Africa, ostensibly to make a film and a record he called “a musical odyssey through the heart of Africa in search of the roots of rock & roll.” Combining field recordings with syncopated drums and percussion against a backdrop of atmospheric synthesizers, his first official solo release, The Rhythmatist (1985), was largely ignored upon release, except among fellow drummers and die-hard Police fans.
The must-hear Stewart Copeland album might be the soundtrack to the 1983 film, Rumble Fish.
Bill Ward (Black Sabbath)
I love Ozzy-era Black Sabbath with Bill Ward on drums. But Ward probably should have stayed with the band instead of going solo?
Ward has released three solo albums: Ward One: Along the Way (1990), When the Bough Breaks (1997), and Accountable Beasts (2015).
Honestly, Ward One has grown on me. It’s a surprisingly musical record. Ozzy Osbourne does lead vocals on “Bombers” and “Jack’s Land”.
Dennis Wilson (The Beach Boys)
Pacific Ocean Blue (1977) gets retroactive critical acclaim, but I think it’s bullshit. Now, there’s a 2-CD Deluxe Legacy Edition of a man at the end of his rope.
Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones)
Watts released a series of solo jazz records (as the Charlie Watts Quintet) that neither offend nor inspire on any level. Except they’re always well-dressed, you can count on that.
Simon Philips (Pete Townshend, The Who, Toto)
He’s not a household name, but Simon Philips has played on a shitload of music you might have heard.
Phillips was a highly regarded session drummer for Jeff Beck, Judas Priest, Tears for Fears, 10cc, Pete Townshend, and the Who, et al. He was the drummer for the Who during the band’s American reunion tour in 1989. He became the drummer for Toto in 1992 after the death of Jeff Porcaro.
His solo stuff veers toward a jazzy fusion of metal and progressive rock.
Roger Taylor (Queen)
Roger Taylor has released six solo albums to date—his last effort, Outsider, in 2021.
Fun in Space (1981) is the only record on which Taylor wrote every note and played every instrument. Fans of Queen’s Hot Space (1982) will dig this crap, for sure.
Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
The Artimus Pyle Band plays note-for-note cover versions of classic Lynyrd Skynyrd songs. Not much of a “solo artist,” but still, he’s out there. It’s kinda bugged me how the surviving members and families of the Skynyrd organization have carried the band’s legacy since the plane crash. While I’m empathetic about their loss, it feels exploitative.
Peter Criss (Kiss)
The Peter Criss solo album isn’t just bad; it goes well beyond the traditional parameters of taste or appreciation. It is unquestionably a record that never should have been made, never mind made available in every K-Mart record department in America. I know what the people involved in the making of this record were thinking when they unloaded it on the public: “We’re probably going to make some money on this piece of shit.” And they did.
On release, Peter Criss (1978) was certified platinum (1,000,000 copies) in the U.S., went to #43 on the Billboard albums chart, and has since been reissued four times on three different labels. Every remaining self-respecting Kiss fan has a copy of this record, which they have played exactly 0.5 times.
Don Henley (The Eagles)
Henley is the American version of Phil Collins, except his solo album sales (11.5 million) don’t come anywhere near the 120 million units moved by the Eagles. He’s released five studio albums since 1982. The End of the Innocence (1989) has sold 6 million copies and contains “The Last Worthless Evening”, which, for my money, makes Peter Criss sound like Metallica. It’s six minutes of adult contemporary flavorless gelatin.
Ginger Baker (Cream, Fela Kuti)
Baker released two albums with his jazz-fusion supergroup, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, a handful of records as Ginger Baker, and released another two dozen collaborative records with various artists. In 1994, he formed the Ginger Baker Trio with guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Charlie Haden. They released three albums of quirky contemporary jazz fusion.
Patrick Wilson (Weezer)
Kind of a cheating choice because Wilson’s name isn’t on this little-known side project called the Special Goodness, of which he’s the only member. The band has released four albums to date. Natural (2012) is a keeper.
Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses)
After getting fired from GN’R in 1990, Adler mucked around in side projects while battling a heroin addiction throughout the 1990s. In 2003, he formed a band called Suki Jones with former members of L.A. metal bands Slash’s Snakepit and Faster Pussycat. The group played mostly GN’R and classic rock covers, and later renamed Adler’s Appetite. They signed to Shrapnel Records and released a self-titled EP of original material in 2005. Another four-song EP, Alive, was released in 2012.
Big cowbell vibes on this “Stardog” cut.
Adler formed another band, Adler, in 2012, with another batch of L.A. musicians. They released one full-length album on New Ocean Media, Back From the Dead (2012). Their sound is competent and polished power rock and heavy metal, and Adler sounds like a great drummer. As I listened to the opening track from Back From the Dead, I wondered how long it would take before Adler hit a cowbell? Three minutes and 36 seconds.
What About…?
It’s obviously not a comprehensive list of rock drummers who’ve made solo albums, but I can only work within the parameters of my knowledge.
I’ve heard music by the following bands, but I couldn’t name a member:
Killswitch Engage, Mumford and Sons, MGMT, Trivium, Opeth, HIM, Down, The Gaslight Anthem, Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, Machine Head, Jimmy Eat World, Funeral for a Friend, …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead, Bullet for My Valentine, Panic! At the Disco, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, The Black Keys…
I can name at least one member of the following bands, but not the drummer:
My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, Oasis, Sublime, Paramore, Muse, TV On the Radio, Alice in Chains, Queens of the Stone Age, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down, Deftones, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, 30 Seconds to Mars, Kings of Leon, Nine Inch Nails, The Darkness, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, The Shins, or The Killers.
Plenty of rock drummers have released solo albums, but we couldn’t catch them all. Let us know if we missed your favorite drummer in the comments below!
