“I Am the Drummer”: Female Drummers That You Should Know About

An audio engineer once approached Karen Carpenter and said, “Your boyfriend has trained you well for you to come and set up his drums for him.” Karen smiled and replied, “I am the drummer”.

Drumming, like most of the music industry, has been male-dominated. Conversations around drummers, male performers, and musicians are spotlighted as the best to ever get behind the kit. Female drummers have been around since as early as the 19th century. They have pioneered across genres such as Jazz, Rock, Punk, and Grunge. These women are the soul of the tracks they’d played on. Here are some female drummers everyone should know about. 

My whole world changed when I saw the Seven Nation Army music video for the first time at a very young age. When people talk about The White Stripes they tend to focus on Jack White’s overpowering riffs and noisy solos. People seem to forget he is only half of what makes up the legendary duo. When the conversation is centered around Meg, it is always debating her skill as a drummer.

The White Stripes officially broke up in 2011 and still there is discourse around Meg’s talent to this day. Meg’s critics attack her for her simple, minimalistic style of drumming. Jack White has mentioned in a few interviews that the band would be nothing without her. It is her minimalistic style of drumming that she is chastised for that is the heartbeat of every song.

Meg White changed my life at the age of nine. Seeing a woman who had her hair in her face most times, banging on the drums chemically altered my little brain.

In 1975, at the age of sixteen, drummer Sandy West teamed up with Joan Jett to form The Runaways. Popular music at the time leaned into folk with singer/songwriters and soft rock bands. The Runaways were far from that. They were loud, noisy, and screaming into their microphones. The ladies of the group were teenagers when they emerged. Some of the girls were still learning how to play their instruments. Sandy had been playing drums since the age of ten. She became the first female drummer in her elementary school.

There was no denying that Sandy West was an explosive force when she played. During their early years, most critics viewed the band as a gimmick. The Runaways were written off as eye candy jailbait. By the end of the decade, The Runaways were no more. It was due to poor management and the band being oversexualized. It was common for a teenage girl’s sexuality to be exploited. It is a tale as old as time. They still went on to be considered pioneers. As a band, The Runaways proved they can play as loud and hard as the boys.

Where do you begin with the legendary powerhouse percussionist, Sheila “Sheila E.” Escovedo? Some may say she got her start in Prince’s Shadow. If you have taken the time to watch her play the drums, she is a star in her own right. When starting her career she would tour with her father, Latin percussionist, Pete Escovedo throughout the 70s. He was in his own band, Azteca. When entering the 1980s she began touring with Marvin Gaye and eventually Prince. She gained mainstream notoriety when she appeared on Prince’s “Erotic City” track. It was then in 1984 that she made her solo debut with the single, “Glamorous Life”. Today, Sheila E. is still playing drums and sounds better than ever.

Most people tend to forget that Karen Carpenter played drums. She is known for her melodic and low vocals as well as being one part of the sibling duo the Carpenters. Karen once said that she would like to be remembered as a drummer who sings. In a quote, she says, “I love it. I wouldn’t be doing it [drumming] if I didn’t. People think it’s a gimmick. I don’t care what they think; it’s not a gimmick. It’s my instrument.” It takes a one-of-a-kind talent to manage to stay on time and navigate drum transitions all the while singing. In 1975, Playboy magazine ran a roll of who was the best drummer. Karen beat out the likes of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, The Who’s Keith Moon, and The Beatles’ Ringo Starr.

With a career that spans decades with several hits under her belt, not only is Chaka Khan a funky songstress, but an incredible drummer. During her time with Rufus, she played drums on a few of the tracks. Chaka Khan is also known to play the bass. Back in 1998, Chaka Khan went on the Rosie O’Donnell talk show and had a drum-off with the former talk show host. Yes, the former talk show host also plays drums and has sat in on playing drums for Cindy Laupher. 

“many of the star instrumentalists of the big-name bands are being drafted. Instead of replacing them with what may be mediocre talent, why not let some of the great girl musicians of the country take their place?''.

It was World War II and women were replacing men in predominantly male dominated spaces. Not only women were working and provided opportunities to play professional baseball, women were becoming musicians. Viola Smith was known at the time to be one of the fastest drummers. Before the war, it was Smith’s father who had her and her sisters pursue music.

 Her father believed that children’s time should be spent on music. She played with her sisters but then went on to play with Frances Carroll and The Coquette. She did not hide behind her kit, instead she let herself be in the spotlight. During the war, she advocated having more women in swing bands while the men were at war. She is forever known as one of the first female drummers of Jazz. When people called her the “female Gene Krupa,” she corrected them. “Krupa,” she said, “was the male Viola Smith.”

Another Pioneer of female jazz drumming is Pauline Braddy. She was one of the first African-American jazz drummers who found success in the 1940s. While in grade school, Pauline actually started out playing clarinet. Her playing the drums was almost by accident however it was an instrument she took to naturally. Braddy went on to play with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. It was the first integrated all-women's band in the United States. At the age of 33, she left the band and went on to play with a few other ensembles up until she retired. She is immortalized as the “Queen of Drums”. 

Another known name in jazz is Dottie Dodgion. Her career spans across sixty years where she has played with well known acts such as Benny Goodman, Marian McPartland and Ruby Braff. Like Viola Smith, Dottie Dodgion rarely recorded her. Unlike Viola who commanded her performances, Dottie did not draw too much attention to herself. “There’s no denying that many drummers love the spotlight,” she wrote in her autobiography. “That’s why I sometimes say I’m not a ‘real drummer.’” Even at the age of 90, she continued to play her drums in a trio. 

With no professional musical training, Maureen “Mo” Tucker became an asset to the Velvet Underground. She started playing drums on a second-rate snare drum. She never liked the use of cymbals, therefore, never really learned how to play with them. Despite joining The Velvet Underground in 1965, she maintained this style, saying cymbals drowned out the other members. She also felt that cymbals also drowned out the beat. She also preferred to use the mallet instead of drumsticks. Her style of drumming was very minimalistic. It allowed the other musicians and Lou Reed to improvise without her drumming overpowering and taking center stage. 

Patty Schemel is a legendary drummer who has played with bands like Hole and Juliette and the Licks. In her 20s, before Hole, she played with several different Seattle-based bands in the Grunge/Riot-Grrrl era. It was Kurt Cobain who sought out Patty to join Courtney Love’s band, Hole. She played the drums for Hole from 1992-1998. Her wild and energetic style can be heard on Hole’s Live Through This album. After leaving Hole, battling addiction, and becoming sober in the early 2000s, she reunited with Courtney Love. She played drums on Courtney’s solo album, America’s Sweetheart. Patty has lived through it all and remains a monster performer behind the kit.