You might not have heard of Aronoff, but he is among the great live drummers, celebrated by fans and disliked by artists for blowing them off their stages. Known primarily as John Mellencamp's drummer, his resume features a who's who of rock.

A cut above Tommy Lee and all the other heavy metal drummers, he redefined how metal drumming sounded in the late 80's. Although he's a loudmouth and a Napster-hater, you can't fault his technique as all flash, as you could many others of his ilk.

Another great live and session drummer, Thompson was the drummer for the funk and soul band Chic, before branching off into rock with Bowie. He later met Robert Palmer, and formed Power Station, melding his funk style with power pop.

An inimitable player, he would have been more of a star, if not for his brother getting the spotlight. While Alex was doing ground-breaking things on the drum kit, Eddie was doing earth-shaking things on guitar, and getting all the attention. Too bad, because no one has ever done hard rock better.

Clem was often accused of being the only real musician in Blondie. Not only was he a world of talent apart from the rest of the band, he was way ahead of anyone else in his genre. He set the stage for all new wave and pop drummers that followed. His progressions and changes are pure magic.

"Bonzo" wasn't the most brilliant drummer ever--he was great, but not elite--but what he did for rock drumming is unparalleled. The style, and more importantly, the sound that came out of Led Zep's drums revolutionized the whole game. Drummers all over the world suddenly heard what they had been listening for all their lives.