Most of us find it difficult to do two things at once. Like chewing gum and walking or reading our texts while crossing the road. Imagine how difficult it would be to use one side of your brain to play the drum while using the other to sing.
That’s why singing drummers are so rare.
You can probably name the great ones on the fingers of both hands. To get you started, may we suggest our favorite percussionists?
Micky Dolenz of The Monkee was a former child actor who learned quickly and can be heard singing “I’m a Believer,” and “Last Train to Clarksville.
Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters not only sang but was an excellent drummer and while Freddie Mercury was the king of Queen, drummer Roger Taylor did step up to the microphone. He sang on—” I’m in Love With My Car” “Father to Son” and “Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
Don Henley of The Eagles had plenty of talent up the front of the stage that could sing, but that’s drummer Don Henly singing lead on ”Witchy Woman,” “Desperado,” “Best of My Love,” “One of These Nights, “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “The Long Run,” to name a few.
While one of the world’s most recognized singers Phil Collins joined Genesis as a drummer before frontman Peter Gabriel left the band. Collins would later go on to have solo hits like “In the Air Tonight” and “Sussudio”.
Other great singer-drummers include Levon Helm from The Band, Peter Criss from Kiss and Sheil E. And while not one of the greats who can forget the performance of this guy from one-hit wonders, the Romantics?