Although there have been quite a few songs to mention drums in their titles (like Joni Mitchell's "Fiddle and the Drum," and Todd Rundgren's "Bang On the Drum All Day," etc.) it wasn't until The Stone Roses, who gave us "She Bangs The Drums" in 1989, that a female was included in the fun -- but, here we are.
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Of course, there have been quite a few amazing women keeping time over the years: The Carpenters' Karen Carpenter was a well-known percussionist, as well as The Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker, Sandy West of The Runaways, and even Viola Smith before all of them.
Below, we've listed just seven of our favorite female drummers for you to check out and continue to follow along on their incredible, and incredibly LOUD, journeys!
Sheila E.
Prince, Madonna, Ringo Starr, Cyndi Lauper, Beyoncé
Known worldwide as the 'Queen of Percussion,' Sheila Cecilia Escovedo, Sheila E. for short, got started in the mid-'70s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. The California native went solo in 1983, releasing her hit single "The Glamorous Life," and continued to release music as a solo artist while working with some of the biggest names in Pop music throughout her career, including Prince, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Gary Clark Jr., Pharrell, and more. Keep up with all things Sheila E. on Instagram.
Meg White
The White Stripes
Multi-GRAMMY winner Meg White was one half of Detroit rock duo The White Stripes which, along with singer and guitarist Jack White, brought audiences all of the rock they came to expect, with a stripped-down rawness that made fans "Fall In Love with a Girl" behind the drumset. After suffering a bout of anxiety while touring in 2007, the band canceled all remaining dates and in February 2011 the Stripes announced they would no longer be active.
Nandi Bushell
Drumming's bright shining star...
Nandi Bushell broke into our lives back in 2020 at just 10-years-old after she challenged Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl to a drum off, setting in motion a whirlwind couple of years for the young British/South African multi-instrumentalist. After beating Grohl fair and square, she's continued to impress viewers with incredible videos, amazing covers, and even wild guest appearances on arena stages! Keep up with Nandi on Instagram.
Jess Bowen
The Summer Set
In a 2011 post on Modern Drummer's blog Jess Bowen admits, "I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t face the same struggles that all female drummers face before establishing themselves. I knew that before I was even given the chance to prove myself on stage... I remember playing one of our first shows in L.A., and the sound engineer didn’t let me check my own drums." Those problems are way out the window now, with Bowen proving herself time and again that she's got the chops. You can see the Arizona native perform with her band The Summer Set wherever tours are held, as well as in Netflix's incredible drum documentary, Count Me In.
Nikki Glaspie
Beyoncé, Dumpstaphunk, The Nth Power
Raleigh, NC native and Berkley College of Music grad, Nikki Glaspie, has laid down beats for the likes of Chaka Kahn, JAY-Z, Kanye West, and Destiny's Child as well as Beyoncé's all-woman backup band, which she toured the world with from 2007 to 2012. Ever since, she's been teaching her craft and putting out music with her own New Orleans-based project, The Nth Power. Find out more about Nikki right HERE and follow her on Instagram.
Cindy Blackman Santana
Lenny Kravitz, Santana
Sure, eagle-eyed listeners will remember Yellow Springs, Ohio's Cindy Blackman, from her prominent feature in Lenny Kravitz's 1993 music video for "Are You Gonna Go My Way." What they may not know is that Cindy, a jazz-trained performer, got the job playing for Kravitz over the phone. Cindy was married to Carlos Santana in 2010, and has also been the Classic Rock icon's long time touring drummer, as well as an accomplished solo artist. Her latest release was 2020's 17 track album, titled Give the Drummer Some. Follow Cindy on Instagram.
Madden Klass
Soul Coughing, Wheatus
Break out your metronome for this one! New York-based drummer Madden Klass has played for Alternative rock favorites Soul Coughing and Wheatus, as well as her own projects Mæges, Space Junk is Forever, and Raavi & the Houseplants. Keep up with Madden (if you can) on Instagram.
With so many incredible female musicians who have graced our ears since the beginning of time, choosing "the best" of anything is subjective, to say the least, and perhaps impossible at best. But we've also narrowed things down to the age of the guitar, and the iconic ladies who have picked and strummed their way into our hearts over the years. See the list HERE.
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