5 Drum Solos We Wish We Could Hear Again For The First Time

Drummers are the heartbeat of any band. They keep the other musicians in check within a song's framework, guiding a song's dynamics and transitions. But every so often a drummer gets to shine, break away from the rest of the group, and give the audience a pyrotechnic performance. When you hear one of these seismic explosions of rhythmic brilliance from the likes of Rush's Neil Peart or big-band legend Buddy Rich, you may want to put the song on repeat. And while repeated listens do allow you to begin to pick up on various subtleties, it's not quite the same feeling you get from the first time you heard them.

The drum solos we're highlighting represent either the pinnacle of the craft, groundbreaking performances that changed the game, or solos so fierce and explosive that you can't quite believe what you heard (and in some cases they're all three). This list includes legends like Keith Moon, Neil Peart, and Sheila E., the latter of whom who we feel doesn't get enough love for her world-class skills on the skins.

The Who's Keith Moon has often been seen as a bit of a madman earning his nickname "Moon the Loon" with such antics as blowing up his drum kit on live TV. Roger Daltrey has admitted Moon's behavior perhaps obscured his brilliance. "The general perception of Keith Moon as a drummer is that he was chaotic, sloppy, but it was anything but," he told uDiscover Music in 2016. We concur. All you have to do is listen to his work on The Who classic "Won't Get Fooled Again" from 1971 to understand why Moon has earned his place in rock history.

There is some debate on whether Moon's legendary drum solo on the song, which occurs around the 7:31-minute mark, is a solo or actually a drum fill. We'll leave it to others to argue this point while we instead focus on its sheer brilliance. Moon launches into explosive drumming between Pete Townsend's pulsing organ and Daltrey's wild shriek that remains tightly within the framework of the song. Moon uses his toms to beautiful effect, rolling towards the song's climax, while his bass drums throb relentlessly. His drumming here is controlled, but still sounds spontaneous, and makes us wish we could go back in time to experience hearing it for the first time once again.

The singer, percussionist, and drummer Sheila E. (born Sheila Escovedo) may forever be linked to Prince as a protégé and romantic partner, but she's proven that she is so much more. She earned a Grammy award in 2025 for Best Global Music Performance along with six other nominations over her career. In 2021, she became the first female recipient of Modern Drummer's Readers Poll Hall of Fame, demonstrating how respected she is by her peers.

Back in 1987, Sheila E. played percussion and drums on "U Got The Look" and "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night" on Prince's landmark double album "Sign o' the Times." On record she shines, but it was as the Purple One's musical director and drummer for a European tour resulting in the concert film of the same name that really showcases her explosive drumming. She helms the drum kit throughout, but it's on the band's cover of jazz great Charlie Parker's bebop classic "Now's The Time" where she sets the stage on fire with an extended drum solo. The nearly three-minute long solo showcases her mastery of Latin, funk, and rock. It starts slowly, then builds and builds to climactic cymbal crashes that she finishes playing with her hands. But that's not the end. Sheila E. comes back for one final round with dramatic tom rolls and more furious drumming that has the crowd (and us) on its feet.

Gene Krupa changed the role of the drummer in popular music. Although he'd already made a name for himself in jazz circles as a teenager in Chicago, it was with the Benny Goodman orchestra where he broke the mold and took the drums center stage both figuratively and literally, since Krupa insisted on having his drum set near the front of the stage. He also transformed the drum kit, adding toms and more cymbals, which became the standard.

His spirited and flashy approach influenced two of the drummers on our list, Neil Peart and Buddy Rich, among others. It was the 1937 song "Sing, Sing, Sing" with the Benny Goodman Orchestra that really put him on the map. Between the original recording, considered one of the most important in history, his drum performance that same year in the film "Hollywood Hotel," and his Carnegie Hall performance of the song the next year, he cemented his status as a star.

Listening to the original recording, Krupa's tom-toms start things off and indicate just how big a part the drummer had in the tune. Rather than one dynamic drum solo, the more than eight-minute song is built up of a series of mostly tom solos throughout that continually build in intensity, texture, and speed, before Krupa helps close out the song with a rim shot and cowbell flourish. And just like that we're ready to listen to it again.

No discussions of incredible drum solos would be complete without mentioning Rush's Neil Peart and one of the greatest drum solos of all time on "YYZ" from the 1981 live album "Exit...Stage Left." He earned the No. 4 spot on Rolling Stone's list of the best drummers of all time (with Keith Moon in the No. 2 spot). Peart joined Rush in 1974 and brought a cerebral approach to the drums that matched the progressive style of Alex Lifeson's guitar and Geddy Lee's bass and keyboards. On the studio version of "YYT" from the 1981 album "Moving Pictures" Peart plays several masterful drum fills, but it's on "Exit...Stage Left" where he truly shows his brilliance behind his kit. While it wasn't Peart's longest drum solo of all time, it sure packed a punch.

Beginning around the 2:20-minute mark Peart demonstrates what makes him so masterful — precision, the use of an unusual time signature, melodic elements from different cowbells and varied drum tones, and sheer dynamism. For more than three minutes Peart wows the crowd (and us) with his impeccable snare work, hi-hat and double bass blasts, and whirlwind tom-tom runs that all build to a thunderous conclusion. This chill-inducing drum solo never gets old, but nothing can compare to the first time it hits your ears.

Like his friend and friendly rival, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich helped create modern drumming. Rich's playing was powerful yet subtle, going from near whisper to thunderous, and jubilant yet controlled. Like Krupa, Rich influenced younger rock drummers from Led Zeppelin's John Bonham to Cream's Ginger Baker to Queen's Roger Taylor.

Krupa and Rich had a series of long-running "battles," and appeared together on several albums. Rich's career started in 1937, the year Krupa's performance on "Sing, Sing, Sing" made Krupa famous. Rich got his big break with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra, but it was his own band, The Buddy Rich Orchestra, that was a true showcase for his vast talent. While there are a number of Buddy Rich drum solos that cemented his spot in classic rock history, his work in "Channel 1 Suite" is really something to behold.

Around the 9:10-minute mark of the version on the 1968 live album "Mercy, Mercy," Rich's blistering snare rolls and precise playing are show stoppers. For an even more breathtaking drum solo, check out the video of him with his Buddy Rich Big Band from Jazzfest Berlin in Germany in 1984. In a more than four-minute solo he leans into incredible extended cymbal work, subtle rim shots and stick clicks, and thunderous snare fireworks that demonstrate what a master he was. It's always a joy to watch, and, like the others in this list, has us wishing we could witness it again for the first time.