Zero Mercury Drummer
Senior Member
Don't be hatin'... And I know that the drummer might not have played the cowbell in studio, but he or she gets the credit.
In honor of the news that Mike Portnoy will be replacing the late AJ Pero on the new Twisted Sister tour, the ZM drummer presents you his original and totally biased list of the top rock and roll cowbell moments of all time: (off the top of his head, with minimal googling!)
Btw…AJ Pero is on this list and Portnoy is not. And all this stuff is on youtube if you’re bored.
10. Sheila E- “The Glamorous Life” Sheila Escovedo is from a long line of renowned percussionists and drummers. This Prince protege is master of the timbale and cowbell, and can probably play the best drum solo in the world in stiletto heels. She is also a serious and accomplished jazz musician while holding down her spot as an international sex symbol on the side. Bravo.
9. Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann- Grateful Dead- “A Million Dead Songs But You Probably Heard Touch of Grey” This duo played the crap out of a huge traveling drum percussion rack for decades with the Grateful Dead. Many cowbells were struck, so we’ll just give them a blanket place on the list.
8. Neil Peart- Rush "Witch Hunt" Neil Peart is of course a top drummer in rock history, but this list is basically one of popular cowbell songs. So he’s a bit further down the list than you might expect. The broken cowbell rhythm in the first verse of this “Moving Pictures” rock classic is a fabulous display of dexterity and musical placement.
7. John Bonham- Led Zeppelin “Good Times, Bad Times” Bonzo opens this song with a deceptively delicate cowbell/hi-hat part. It was the bass drum triplets done with one foot against the hi-hat later in this opening groove that went down in history, but it was the cowbell that rang it in.
6. Michael Shrieve and Santana- "Black Magic Woman"- I don't know exactly who played the cowbells in this hippie classic, but there are a lot of them. Reference 16-year-old drummer Shrieve's solo that is a highlight in the iconic "Woodstock" live movie.
5. Don Brewer- Grand Funk Railroad "We're An American Band"- again the cowbell starts the song, along with a perfect double bass fill in this 70s classic. It comes back in for the verse to really suck you in. Google It- it's badass.
4. AJ Pero- Twisted Sister "We're Not Gonna Take It" AJ's most famous beat and a basic food group of 80s glam metal. A chicken drumleg of a bass drum/cowbell moment to chomp on, immortalized for all history in a great MTV video. Featuring the frothing maniac Niedermyer.
3. Alex Van Halen- Van Halen "Dance the Night Away" A lot of people thought VH sold out to disco around this point, and they were right, but it's a catchy part that starts this song. And AVH has a secure place as a cornerstone of modern rock drumming.
2. Charlie Watts- Rolling Stones "Honky Tonk Woman"- it starts the song, you know the song, the song is legend. Enough said. Ever notice the tempo about doubles in this tune? You won’t see that in the modern age of computerized quantization and click tracks. But nobody remembers tempo.
1. Albert Bouchard- Blue Oyster Cult, "Don't Fear the Reaper"- this is no contest. It brought the phrase "more cowbell" into the public lexicon. It immortalized forever in one Saturday Night Live skit the sex appeal and magnetic allure of the humble cowbell. We salute you, Albert Bouchard the most famous drummer you never heard of.
In honor of the news that Mike Portnoy will be replacing the late AJ Pero on the new Twisted Sister tour, the ZM drummer presents you his original and totally biased list of the top rock and roll cowbell moments of all time: (off the top of his head, with minimal googling!)
Btw…AJ Pero is on this list and Portnoy is not. And all this stuff is on youtube if you’re bored.
10. Sheila E- “The Glamorous Life” Sheila Escovedo is from a long line of renowned percussionists and drummers. This Prince protege is master of the timbale and cowbell, and can probably play the best drum solo in the world in stiletto heels. She is also a serious and accomplished jazz musician while holding down her spot as an international sex symbol on the side. Bravo.
9. Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann- Grateful Dead- “A Million Dead Songs But You Probably Heard Touch of Grey” This duo played the crap out of a huge traveling drum percussion rack for decades with the Grateful Dead. Many cowbells were struck, so we’ll just give them a blanket place on the list.
8. Neil Peart- Rush "Witch Hunt" Neil Peart is of course a top drummer in rock history, but this list is basically one of popular cowbell songs. So he’s a bit further down the list than you might expect. The broken cowbell rhythm in the first verse of this “Moving Pictures” rock classic is a fabulous display of dexterity and musical placement.
7. John Bonham- Led Zeppelin “Good Times, Bad Times” Bonzo opens this song with a deceptively delicate cowbell/hi-hat part. It was the bass drum triplets done with one foot against the hi-hat later in this opening groove that went down in history, but it was the cowbell that rang it in.
6. Michael Shrieve and Santana- "Black Magic Woman"- I don't know exactly who played the cowbells in this hippie classic, but there are a lot of them. Reference 16-year-old drummer Shrieve's solo that is a highlight in the iconic "Woodstock" live movie.
5. Don Brewer- Grand Funk Railroad "We're An American Band"- again the cowbell starts the song, along with a perfect double bass fill in this 70s classic. It comes back in for the verse to really suck you in. Google It- it's badass.
4. AJ Pero- Twisted Sister "We're Not Gonna Take It" AJ's most famous beat and a basic food group of 80s glam metal. A chicken drumleg of a bass drum/cowbell moment to chomp on, immortalized for all history in a great MTV video. Featuring the frothing maniac Niedermyer.
3. Alex Van Halen- Van Halen "Dance the Night Away" A lot of people thought VH sold out to disco around this point, and they were right, but it's a catchy part that starts this song. And AVH has a secure place as a cornerstone of modern rock drumming.
2. Charlie Watts- Rolling Stones "Honky Tonk Woman"- it starts the song, you know the song, the song is legend. Enough said. Ever notice the tempo about doubles in this tune? You won’t see that in the modern age of computerized quantization and click tracks. But nobody remembers tempo.
1. Albert Bouchard- Blue Oyster Cult, "Don't Fear the Reaper"- this is no contest. It brought the phrase "more cowbell" into the public lexicon. It immortalized forever in one Saturday Night Live skit the sex appeal and magnetic allure of the humble cowbell. We salute you, Albert Bouchard the most famous drummer you never heard of.