Drummers Who Sing

So, being a big fan of rock music, I've come to notice there are not a lot of bands that feature singing drummers.  There may be a couple of reasons for this; 1) lead singers like the limelight and are usually front and centre while the drums are usually stuck near the rear of the stage, and 2) it's got to be really hard to concentrate on drumming and singing at the same time...doesn't it?!?  I mean, I've never tried, and I'm by no means musically inclined so maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about, but drummers have so many parts moving at once, how could they possibly remember lyrics, too??  Anyway, there are, and were, some rock drummers who were able to play great beats and sing some pretty good songs all at the same time, and I've decided to make a list.  The list is in no order of greatness, rather just jotted down as I thought of them.

LEVON HELM

When I think of singing drummers, Levon Helm is always top of mind.  He was the driving back beat of The Band from their first formation in 1967, after playing in Ronnie Hawkins' band in Toronto with Robbie Robertson and Rick Danko.  Helm stayed with The Band until their final performance on November 25, 1976, a performance made famous by Martin Scorsese's film The Last Waltz.  The Band reunited in 1983 without Robertson to do some touring, resulting in a few more albums and another break-up in 1999.  Although The Band used many members as lead vocals on their albums, it was always easy to tell which songs were sung by Levon Helm, his country twang always making the listener feel at ease.  His more famous songs as lead singer include "The Weight" (with Danko), "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "Up On Cripple Creek" and "Mystery Train".  Helm passed away on April 19, 2012 from throat cancer at the age of 71.

PHIL COLLINS

When I was around 12 years old, listening to AM radio in my room, this band called Genesis was all over the airwaves.  The songs "Mama", "That's All" and "Illegal Alien" seemed to be on constant rotation, and I liked them all.  I thought to myself "I really like this new band called Genesis!".  It wasn't too long after wards that I learned Genesis had been around for a few years prior to those songs.  I also learned that Phil Collins, the lead singer, was also the drummer of the band.  My mind was blown!  I believe this was my first introduction to a singing drummer, first that I remember anyway.  Now, as an adult, I can honestly say Phil Collins is not the best drummer, nor is he the best singer, but he definitely could play some hit songs when he wanted to!  When he joined Genesis in 1970, he largely played drums and percussion supplying backing vocals until 1975.  That's when lead singer Peter Gabriel left the band.  After auditioning hundreds of wannabe rock stars, Genesis decided to let Collins take lead vocals on their 1976 album A Trick Of The Tail.  Collins' list of accomplishments after that album are immense, either recording with Genesis or as a solo artist.  Tragically, in 2009, Phil Collins let it be known to the world that he could no longer play the drums because of problems with his neck (dislocated vertebrae) and his hands (nerve problems).  His most recent tour in 2018 had him singing his hits from a chair on stage while a band played behind him.

ROGER TAYLOR

When one thinks of songs being sung in the band called Queen, usually the name Freddie Mercury pops up.  And why wouldn't it?!?!  Mercury was perhaps one of the best rock voices we will ever know.  But what many don't realize is that the drummer of the band, Roger Taylor, provided most of those fantastic harmonies.  He also lent his voice as the lead singer to a few Queen songs over the years, my favourite being "I'm In Love With My Car" from the album A Night At The Opera.  In addition to his work with Queen (which started in 1970 and still goes on today) Taylor has released 5 solo albums where he plays a whole myriad of instruments and sings lead vocals.  He also had a side band while still recording with Queen called The Cross that released 3 albums of their own from 1987 to 1993.

GIL MOORE

He's the drummer and vocalist in my second favourite power trio from Toronto, Triumph.  (Please don't ask who my favourite power trio from Toronto is).  The thing about Gil Moore is that he was and is a terrific drummer.  To add to that talent, he can sing!!  Most of Triumph's more radio-friendly, successful songs have guitarist Rik Emmett as the lead singer, but Moore can be heard on quite a few of their songs, including the one that may have broken the band into the mainstream, Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" in 1977.  He also sang lead on other hard rockers like "Rock And Roll Machine", "Young Enough To Cry", "Allied Forces" and "I Can Survive".  Moore has been a member of Triumph since 1975, until their break-up in 1993, and reunion in 2008.  In 1978, Moore founded Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada's largest recording studio.  Acts such as Drake, Guns N Roses and Aerosmith have recorded there over the years.

DON HENLEY

Similar to Phil Collins with Genesis, when I first heard of Don Henley I had no idea that he used to be the drummer for the Eagles.  I knew he was in the band, and sang some songs for them, but drummer???  No way.  Along with writing almost all of the Eagles' songs, along with Glenn Frey, he also lent his voice to a bunch of their biggest hits; "Witchy Woman", One Of These Nights", "Life In The Fast Lane", "Desperado" and some song called "Hotel California".  It has been said that Henley may not have been the best or most technical drummer the rock world has ever known, but, again, all those moving parts, keeping the beat AND singing some of the most beloved songs in rock history is pretty damned impressive to me.  When Henley went solo he recruited a whole group of session artists, but he would still play drums on a few tracks like "All She Wants To Do Is Dance", "The End Of The Innocence" and "The Last Worthless Evening" to name a few.  He still plays with the Eagles on tour but hasn't released a solo album since 2015.

PETER CRISS

The original Catman, Peter Criss came to the rock band KISS after he placed an ad in a rock magazine...drummer looking for a band.  Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons called him up, liked him, and the rest is history.  Criss played drums on the first 6 KISS studio albums until he was in a serious car crash in 1978.  Although he played on one track on KISS' seventh album, Dynasty, he left the band in May of 1980, replaced by Eric Carr.  Criss reunited with the band in 1996, but left again soon after their tour.  During his first years with the band, many rock pundits didn't give him too much credit as a drummer, but he lent his gravelly voice to some popular songs while behind the kit; "Black Diamond", "Hard Luck Woman" and "Mainline".  His most famous vocal performance, coincidentally, is one that doesn't have a drum track, "Beth".  Peter Criss hasn't been doing too much in the music industry for the last couple of years, so it's about time to rejoin KISS, I guess.

PETER HOORELBEKE

You may not know the name, but I bet you know the voice.  Hoorelbeke, sometimes known as Peter Rivera, was the main singer and bad-ass drummer of the funkiest white band around, Rare Earth.  Hoorelbeke joined Rare Earth at their formation in 1960 and stayed around until 1974.  During that time the band became the biggest white band signed by Motown Records.  Between 1968 and 1972 the band recorded some major hits for the label, all with Hoorelbeke as the main vocalist while killing on the drums.  Some hits include "Get Ready", "Born To Wander", "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and "I Just Want To Celebrate".  He still performs to this day, releasing a new album in 2014 under the name Peter Rivera.  

MICKY DOLENZ

I gotta tell ya, I had no idea Micky Dolenz sang so many songs for The Monkees.  I just assumed it was Davy Jones laying down all those vocals.  To tell you the truth, I was never a huge fan of the band, but I do remember hearing that Dolenz wasn't a drummer when the band was formed for their TV show in the '60's.  He had to learn as he went along, at first miming at playing, then learning to actually play.  When The Monkees started to tour after the success of their show, Dolenz had become a fairly good drummer.  The songs he would sing behind the kit included "Last Train To Clarksville", "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", "I'm A Believer", "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and the Monkees' theme song.  Now I want to know what the hell Davy Jones sang?!?  Dolenz has released many solo albums, releasing his latest in 2017, and still plays with whatever formation of The Monkees comes around.

Here are a few more singer/drummer people worth mentioning:

Karen Carpenter - She was a fabulous drummer, and an amazing singer, but she never really did both at the same time (with the exception of The Carpenters' first album).

Eric Carr - The man who took over for Peter Criss in KISS, he pretty much sang the songs Criss did.

Ringo Starr - Played for a band known as The Beatles for a time.  So-so drummer, terrible singer!

Sheila E. - Kinda looked like a novelty when introduced by Prince back in the '80's.  Turned out she could really play and was a pretty good singer, too.

Dave Grohl - He didn't sing while behind the kit for Nirvana, then he sang like crazy for the Foo Fighters, but didn't play drums all that much.

Buddy Miles - Played with Jimi Hendrix and his Band Of Gypsys, then sang and played in a whole myriad of bands afterwards.

Albert Bouchard - Played with Blue Oyster Cult, sang a few songs, including "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll".

There are many other drummer/singers....who are your faves??????

(There Are No) Bit Parts

So I was watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the four hundredth time the other day and started thinking about some of the actors in that iconic film who weren't named Harrison Ford or Karen Allen.  The film has a cast of literally hundreds, from the Nazis that follow Belloq around to all those Arabs who help dig up the ark for them.  Some of these actors are not folks that would be recognizable to anyone other than their own families, but a few had long careers in the biz.  I thought I'd take a look at some of these actors and give them the proper recognition that they deserve...not only for Raiders, but for other classic films that made me happy as a growing boy.  See if you can remember all these roles and the folks that played them...

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Fred Sorenson

Jock (the pilot)

Sorenson's only film role was in Raiders.  He is not an actor, but an actual pilot.  In fact, he was hired by the production team of the movie to fly them around while they were scouting locations.  At some point during these travels, Frank Marshall or Steven Spielberg asked if he'd be interested in the small role of Jock, the pilot that helps introduce Indiana Jones' fear of snakes.  He said "sure", and he was in the film.  Sorenson went on to have a very long career as a commercial airline pilot, retiring in 2014 at the age of 65, the mandatory age of retirement set by the FAA.

Patrick Durkin

Australian Climber (bar scene)

He never even said a word, but everyone who loves Raiders knows Durkin very well.  If you thought this was just a one-off for an actor you may have never seen before, you'd be sorely wrong.  He was a British actor who appeared in more than 20 feature films and 75 television series in his long career.  He was a stage actor and part of a popular comedy team with Tommy Cooper in the UK.  And if you've ever heard of the "Carry On" series of TV shows and films, then you undoubtedly have seen Durkin's mug before.  He even showed up on a couple of episodes of "Coronation Street"!!  Durkin passed away on September 1, 2009 at the age of 73.

PAT ROACH

Giant Sherpa/1st Mechanic

One of my favourite scenes in Raiders was the big bald dude that comes out and fights Indy at the plane.  I just assumed this role was played by some random stuntman.  Well, I was wrong.  Pat Roach did do stunt work, but he was the "big guy" in many films along the way.  He was a professional wrestler at one time, fighting under the name of "Bomber" Roach.  His first two film roles were in Stanley Kubrick movies; A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon.  That's him in the Milk Bar.

He actually appears in the first three Indy films, small parts of course, but you can find him if you look!  He also made appearances in the original Clash Of The Titans, Never Say Never Again, Conan The Destroyer, Red Sonja and Willow.  He passed away from throat cancer on July 17, 2004 at the age of 67.

TERRY RICHARDS

Arab Swordsman

Here is a case of a stuntman getting a prime role.  In one of the most talked about scenes from when the movie was released, Indy finds himself face to face with an expert swordsman who looks as if he could end the film right there.  But Indy, not wanting to waste any more time trying to find Marion, decides to just take out his pistol and shoot the Arab.  Hilarious!  Little did I know that the swordsman was not Arab (some white British guy), but also a professional stuntman who worked on dozens of films throughout his career.  He worked on seven James Bond films, starting with From Russia With Love in 1963 to The World Is Not Enough in 1999!  He also worked on The Dirty Dozen, The Empire Strikes Back, Superman II and The Princess Bride.  Richards passed away on June 14, 2014 at the age of 81.

STAR WARS

PHIL BROWN

Uncle Owen

Now here's an interesting story: Phil Brown was a film and stage actor in New York in the 1940's and '50's.  His association with a particular acting group came under scrutiny in the early '50's when the House Un-American Activities Committee started it's witch hunt for those they felt were communists.  Brown became blacklisted, although maintained he had no communist associations, and eventually moved his family overseas to England.  There, he acted in dozens of movies and TV shows.  When George Lucas was casting for his new space opera in England, he wanted a actor with a strong American accent to play Luke's uncle.  Brown, originally from Massachusetts, won the role right away.  His small role in Star Wars made him more famous than ever, and he attended many conventions from then on.  Brown passed away from pneumonia on February 9, 2006 at the age of 89.

SHELAGH FRASER

Aunt Beru

Shelagh Fraser enjoyed a 60-year career on stage, in films and on television, mostly in her home country of England.  Nothing would vault her to stardom like the role of Luke Skywalker's aunt in Star Wars, but she did appear in over 70 movies and TV shows in her time, starting with her first film, Welcome, Mr. Washington, way back in 1944.  She was also a popular member of the BBC Repertory Company where she appeared in more than 500 radio plays!  If you lived in Britain during the 1970's, there is no doubt you watched her on TV in her role as Jean Ashton on "A Family At War".  Fraser passed away on August 29, 2000 at the age of 79.

DREWE HENLEY

Red Leader

Henley was a British actor who appeared in about three dozen films and television shows during his career, which began in the early 1960's.  He was an accomplished theatre actor as well.  He appeared, without credit, in 1966's A Man For All Seasons, as well as Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy in 1972.  His role as Red Leader in Star Wars would prove to be his last filmed as he soon after retired from acting due to manic depression.  Tragically, Henley died from choking on food on February 14, 2016.  He was 75 years old.

TAXI DRIVER

DIAHNNE ABBOTT

Concession Girl

She sold treats to Travis Bickle at the porn theatre, and then she stole his heart.  Actually, I'm not kidding...soon after filming Taxi Driver, Abbott and DeNiro were married, and stayed married for over a dozen years!  She appeared in a couple of other Scorsese/DeNiro films (New York, New York and The King Of Comedy), but has only appeared in a handful of productions since.  Her cousin, Gregory Abbott, had a hit single in 1986 called "Shake You Down"...oh wella-well.

LEONARD HARRIS

Charles Palantine

Leonard Harris is not an actor, although he did a fine job as the U.S. Senator in Taxi Driver.  He was cast in the role because Martin Scorsese was an acquaintance.  Really, he was a journalist who began his career writing obituaries and book reviews in Hartford, Connecticut in the mid-1950's.  From 1966 to 1974 he was the on-camera culture critic for CBS in New York City.  He was also the writer of three novels.  Harris had one other film role, in 1980's Hero At Large, where he played the Mayor. He passed away from pneumonia on August 28, 2011 at age 81.

NORMAN MATLOCK

Charlie T.

He only appeared in about a dozen films, but some were pretty good ones!  Before playing a cabbie in Taxi Driver, Matlock appeared in the cultish Across 110th Street from 1972.  Later on he played the Police Commissioner in a couple of old favourites; The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.  He also showed up in a couple of Spike Lee movies; Crooklyn and Clockers.  Matlock passed away on September 30, 2015 after living 90 years.

STEVEN PRINCE

Andy (Gun Salesman)

Prince appeared in only five movies, but his introduction to the film world is very interesting.  He was hired for the role of Andy because Martin Scorsese was told he was a fast-talking, hard-living dude who actually used to run guns.  During the filming of the scene, Prince would discuss stories about his life, which included being a heroin addict and a road manager for Neil Diamond (!).  Scorsese really liked the guy and decided to make a documentary about him in 1978 titled American Boy: A Profile Of Steven Prince.  In that, Prince tells a story about having to revive a friend of his who was overdosing on heroin.  He had to inject an adrenaline shot into the heart of a woman while reading how to do it from a medical dictionary.  As a young lad, Quentin Tarantino saw this documentary and added that scene into his own movie, Pulp Fiction!

DIE HARD

ALEXANDER GODUNOV

Karl

The main henchman in Die Hard had a pretty cool back-story.  He began studying dance at the age of nine in his native Russia (back then the USSR).  He became good...really good, especially at ballet.  He ended up being a star in the Bolshoi Ballet after joining in 1971.  He ended up defecting to the United States in 1979, an act that would lead to a divorce from his dancing wife who wanted to return to Russia.  He joined the American Ballet Theatre under the guidance of director Mikhail Baryshnikov until they had a falling out in 1982.  He ended up going to Hollywood to be an actor.  Ain't that nuts?!?  He only appeared in about half a dozen films, his other most notable opposite Harrison Ford in Witness.  Godunov tragically died at a young age on May 13, 1995 after contracting hepatitis.  He was only 45 years old.

DE'VOREAUX WHITE

Argyle

I always thought one of the coolest roles in Die Hard was that of Argyle, the fast talking, eager to please limo driver who waits patiently for John McClane.  White only appeared in a handful of movies during his acting career, but I was shocked to learn that he appeared in one of my favourite films.  Here he is as a 14-year old in The Blues Brothers:

Yup!  He was the kid that tried to steal the guitar off the wall from Ray Charles' music shop!!  Crazy, man!  His acting career went back even further than that, as he made appearances on TV shows "The Jeffersons" and "What's Happening!" in the late '70's.  He ended up having a starring role in TV's "Head Of The Class" with Howard Hesseman.

CLARENCE GILYARD JR.

Theo

He was the main brains of the safe break, the one who knew how to stop the elevators from working and enter unknown security protocols.  Gilyard only appeared in about a dozen other films, most notably Top Gun as Sundown, but would show up from time to time on popular TV shows such as "Diff'rent Strokes", "CHiPs", "Simon & Simon", "The Facts Of Life" and "Matlock".  He scored a pretty substantial role as James Trivette on "Walker, Texas Ranger" opposite Chuck Norris from 1993 to 2001.  Later on he turned to teaching theatre at the University Of Nevada in Las Vegas.

ANIMAL HOUSE

MARY LOUISE WELLER

Mandy Pepperidge

She was the sexy, preppy girlfriend of Greg Marmalard.  She may have had a thing for Eric Stratton, but we were never too sure.  What we were sure of, though, is that she was the head of the local sorority, and the reason John Belushi fell of a very tall ladder!  Weller only appeared in about two dozen movies and TV shows, retiring early, her last credit being an appearance on "Quincy M.E." in 1983 when she was in her late-30's.  In her younger years, Weller was an experience horse rider, training with the U.S. Equestrian Team and participating in many competitions.

MARTHA SMITH

Babs Jansen

The other preppy who may have wanted to be a bad-girl, Barbara Sue "Babs" Jansen was a close friend to Mandy's.  The actress, Martha Smith, had only appeared in a handful of things before being cast as Babs.  But, in the mid-'80's, she would get an occurring role in the popular TV show "Scarecrow And Mrs. King" starring Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner.  From there she appeared in the occasional movie or TV show.  She may be remember best from the credits of Animal House in which it's said she became a tour guide at Universal Studios.  For years after, if you asked for Babs when visiting the Studio, you would receive a discounted price.

JAMES DAUGHTON

Greg Marmalard

"Greg Marmalard, damned glad to meet you".  James Daughton brought the perfect amount of scum and style to the role of Greg Marmalard.  Pretty to look at, but what a freaking jerk!  Before Animal House, Daughton appeared in a few TV shows, but seemed to gain some recognition in a few episodes of "Happy Days" in 1977.  After Animal House, he jumped around from TV show to occasional movie role.  I remember him most from Spies Like Us with Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase in 1985.  His last credited role came in 2002 in the movie Sorority Boys.  

There's just a few of the people we've seen but may not know.  I'll probably do a sequel to this post sometime...it was fun to investigate their lives and careers.

Hope you enjoyed!