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Pop

The Drummers

By GINA VIVINETTO
Published February 15, 2005

Drummers laying down their sticks to step into the spotlight? It happens, and has happened with some pretty famous pop stars.

Here's a short list of some who have done it with success:

DAVE GROHL: Front Foo Fighter Grohl began as the powerhouse drummer for the legendary Nirvana, playing Kurt Cobain's songs. Now he sings and plays guitar on his own Grammy-winning tunes.

DON HENLEY: Henley was once the drummer for 1970s rockers the Eagles, but he is now better known as the solo artist singing and playing guitar on the hits Dirty Laundry and The Boys of Summer.

PHIL COLLINS: Remember when Collins was the drummer for Genesis? Or do you know him just as the singer of sappy Disney soundtrack tunes or the guy behind Against All Odds?

MOBY: The electronica and dance music pioneer got his start banging on drums in punk rock bands.

BELINDA CARLISLE: The lead Go-Go who sang Our Lips Are Sealed, Vacation and We Got The Beat really did have the beat, playing drums in the late 1970s for Los Angeles punk band the Germs.

MADONNA: Before she took over the world for two decades, Madonna in 1979 played drums in the New York band the Breakfast Club.

KEITH MOON: The Who's manic madman, dead of an overdose at 32, was one of rock's best drummers, but criminy, the man could not write or sing. That didn't stop him from releasing 1975's solo Two Sides of The Moon.

ROGER TAYLOR: Queen drummer Taylor sang tricky harmonies and several of his wn songs with the band, and he composed a hit (1984's Radio Ga Ga) before releasing solo albums. In 1986, Taylor formed the Cross, in which he played guitar and sang.

TOMMY LEE: The Motley Crue skin-pounder plays a multitude of instruments and, uh, raps. Lee's brief hip-hop project, Methods of Mayhem, scored a hit with Get Naked.

The Multitaskers

Not every musician can keep time and sing a melody. It's like patting your head and rubbing your belly. Here are some who do it the best:

DON HENLEY: In the Eagles, Henley played drums while singing the hits Hotel California and The Long Run.

PHIL COLLINS: Collins was behind the kit and on lead vocal (after original singer Peter Gabriel split) when Genesis scored big with That's All, Abacab and Invisible Touch.

LEVON HELM: Helm dazzled fans of the Band with his simultaneous drumming and singing. Of course, Helm, a multi-instrumentalist, can do just about anything.

MICKEY DOLENZ: The Monkees' drummer alternated between singing while he played the drums and singing out front. Dolenz, an actor, learned to do both to be a Monkee. Hey! Hey!

KAREN CARPENTER: Sure, Carpenter crooned (They Long To Be) Close To You and Rainy Days and Mondays. She also played the drums. Sister rocked out (well, sort of) on Another Song (on the 1970 Close To You album).

MEG WHITE: White Stripes fans rejoiced when Jack's "little sis" Meg sang and played drums on In The Cold, Cold Night from 2003's Elephant.

THE GUY IN THE ROMANTICS: Whose name is Jimmy Marinos. Although eclipsed in the early 1980s by his big, freaky hairdo, Marinos kept the beat as he sang the hit That's What I Like About You.

ANIMAL FROM THE MUPPETS: Animal was Keith Moon in Muppet form - untethered and wild, but a tad less self-destructive - although Animal's drum set often went flying willy nilly. Animal's garbled, gleeful "delivery" may not have been on pitch, but it sure sounded like rock 'n' roll bliss.

[Last modified February 15, 2005, 09:14:18]