I know when naming the greatest drummers of all time, one might leave
off one (or maybe even two) really important people. Some people could argue that some on the list shouldn't be, while others should. Fair enough.
But, in my in-depth analysis, I completely forgot about one of my (and Steve Gadd's) picks for greatest drummers: Richie Hayward.
He's one of those guys where you hear one measure and you know it's him. His sound and feel are truly his own thing. A while back, a friend had house seats at Carnegie Hall for Joan Armatrading and asked if I wanted to go. I thought ,"Joan Armatrading... o.k but..."
I went anyway.
Was I glad I did - Richie AND Bill Payne (also from Little Feat) were in her band. What a GREAT night. I highly recommend checking him out if he's not too familiar. I'd start out with Little Feat's
live album 'Waiting for Columbus'.
Update: Unfortunately, Richie lost his battle with liver cancer.
Our thoughts go out to his family.
