POLL: the best funk/soul drummer of them all!!

As much as I love many of these folks, I have to go for Zigaboo Modeliste. I've never heard a funkier player on any instrument than him.

thanks for this. i'm not familiar with a lot of these drummers, but now i'll check them out.

I like Bootsy Collins' drumming

Missing:

http://991.com/newGallery/Hamilton-Bohannon-South-African-Man-488084.jpg

very, very hard to fuck with Bernard Purdie. You did it...you hired THE HITMAKER!

I have to go for Zigaboo Modeliste

Co-sign. Mad love for Stubblefield and Jackson too, but of the three Zig is the only one I've seen live, which sways my vote. I think I could listen to "Cissy Strut" on a loop for hours.

The SOUND of Al Jackson on those Al Green records though, man...

The SOUND of Al Jackson on those Al Green records though, man...

Unbeatable (sorry for slight pun)

Purdie was fantastic on Side 2 of Abbey Road

(x-post) I love this story from funkydrummer.com:

The other thing that Al used to do that was different - he wasn't the only drummer that ever did it - but when he came down to do a session, the first thing he did was reach in his back pocket, and pull out this big fat billfold and plop it on the snare. Other guys used tape or a muffler. Al just plopped a billfold down there. The old records didn't have a lot of decay time, the snares didn't ring too much and there's not a lot of cymbals, because we didn't mike the cymbals.

wallet-on-the-snare is a really old trick, that's used a lot

this is sorta impossible - Tony Allen and Clyde probably at the top for me, but on another day it could be Tiki or Gregg Errico/Rusty Allen (the drumming on those Sly records is sick)

purdie and ziggy are 1 and 2 for me. purdie gets the nod due to the breadth of his output and the head fuckery i get from trying to reproduce some of his beats.

I can't vote on this. I don't want to NOT vote for so many of these righteous folks!

is Idris Muhammad to jazz or what??

this is fucking ridiculously tough - had my wig flipped by too many of these guys to pick one.

abstaining.

al jackson'll probably take it - and he probably should - but come on

Jabo Starks, from Wiki (!!)

When not touring or recording, he performs five nights a week at the Picolo Restaurant and Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Florida.

couldn't not vote for Tony Allen, but now i feel i've wronged Clyde. i don't know how you can really compare the drumming on Fela's records vs. say Al Green's. seems kinda like apples and pomegranates to me....

seriously - comparing so many different shades of amazing here

agree that it's an impossible call. don't think stevie should be on this list, tho -- i'm not a big fan of his drumming, which to me is mostly functional. the funk on those records comes everything else he does much more than from his drumming.

is Idris Muhammad to jazz or what??

― hope this helps (Granny Dainger), Tuesday, May 25, 2010 9:29 AM (3 hours ago)

^^^^^^^

Purdie was fantastic on Side 2 of Abbey Road

― Bill Magill, Tuesday, May 25, 2010 4:01 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

...

this guy ain't buyin it

Purdie sounds like he's bullshitting, a la Carol Kaye

I thought of including Idris Muhammad, as he is one of the few drummers I rate as high as Zigaboo, but I wanted to keep this poll funk/soul only, so no jazz guys at all in it. And I already did a jazz drummers poll with Muhammad and other jazz-funk players in it.

Voted for Tony Thompson. Fantastic work with Chic.

fair enough, tuomas. gonna post this anyway:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZbE2VvZCqk

Jackson or Modeliste will probably win, but I threw in a vote for Will Calhoun.

Weinberg: You played on Beatles' tracks?

Purdie: Twenty-one of them.

Weinberg: Do you remember which ones?

Purdie: Ummhmm.

Weinberg: Which ones?

Purdie: That's information I don't disclose.

Weinberg: Why won't you name the tracks?

Purdie: Because if I need that information to get me some money, then I'll have what's necessary. I also played on songs by the Animals, the Monkees.

Weinberg: Everyone knows the Monkees were a fabricated band, but The Beatles?

Purdie: Ringo never played on anything.

Weinberg: Ringo never played on anything?

Purdie: Not the early Beatles stuff.

Maaaaaan, smells like someone's full of shit

Will Calhoun is supremely not funky. I mean, if you include him you should include John Bonham, who actually is supremely funky.

Bootsy, seriously underrated drummer.

But where's Sly Dunbar?

i voted for modeliste in a kind of how-can-you-not way, but have been on a big funkadelic kick lately, and tiki fulwood is one of the all time greats. however, so is tyrone lampkin, who isn't there!

have never really liked buddy miles as a "funk" drummer, imo too stiff. plus why is (actually great drummer) will calhoun in this poll? is living colour a funk band?

haha xpost!

Yeah, Calhoun is great, but funky he is not. He is black, though!

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

It would be easier to pinpoint the least funky drummer of all time. Probably the clown responsible for the snare roll in the middle of Laid by James, the low water mark of 20th Century artistic endeavour. Or Mr Horribly Charred Infant from Happy Flowers. Clyde for me. Jaki from Can should have got a look in. Kenneth Alexander. Russell Simins. Ray Pounds. Bobby Manigault. Greg Webster.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I voted Clyde Stubblefield for the influence of the "Funky Drummer" beat, and for being a great guy and active musician in Madison--was kind enough to do an interview with me when I was 18.

Somewhat mind-blowingly, Fulwood played with Miles Davis briefly in the early 70s. Haven't been able to track down a recording, though.

Had I been forced to vote in this poll, I prolly would've gone for Ziggaboo - but this one was just too hard. ;-)

http://www.npr.org/2015/01/05/374818384/the-original-funky-drummers-on-life-with-james-brown

Hearing that Jabo Starks has passed away???

He's criminally underrated. At least everyone knows that Clyde played on 'Funky Drummer' -- Jabo played the "Think (About It)" break! I...think.

Aw man no

whoa, missed this poll. Kind of feel like the result is wrong, Fulwood is not even close to better than at least a few of the other drummers on the list.

Also RIP Jabo

Love watching James footage when he has two drummers.

RIP Jabo :(
Today in my class I am going to talk about how heavily sampled JB is and this was an unwelcome surprise

RIP Jabo, this poll needs a redo top to bottom

RIP:(

(yes this poll is clearly ridiculous, James Gadson wasn't even an option)

it's criminal that the only place I am seeing this anywhere is in Bootsy's twitter feed wtf

i have seen drum people post about it
i did

talked about it in class last night too. they had just learned what sampling is/how it works :(

I know, I meant in the "music press" (such as it is these days)

my local weekly posted about him
that's how i knew it was real :(

ah Rolling Stone obit posted

James Gadson's first recording, goddamn. What a pleasure to be able to hear the drums so clearly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAFzh4WO_w0

(16th notes at 110 bpm is actually insane)

That rules

That can't be Gadson's first recording. He'd already done tons with The Watts 103 band and Bill Withers (among others) by then.

i'm wondering if J accidentally posted the wrong video bc there doesn't strike me as anything remarkable about playing sixteenth notes at that tempo?

unless you meant that it takes discipline not to rush at that tempo, which i agree with and raise you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqNcX4xFRz8