Mick Fleetwood’s five favourite drummers
Drummer Mick Fleetwood is, of course, half of the reason Fleetwood Mac are called just that. His surname was combined with bassist John McVie’s to create the blues-come-pop-rock band’s iconic name. Fleetwood formed the band with Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning in 1967.
Of course, Fleetwood Mac have been through several lineup changes over the years, with the departure of Peter Green leading to the introduction of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. But one thing always remains consistent: the drumming of Fleetwood. The famous percussionist once named his five favourite drummers in a feature with Esquire, so let’s take a closer look at his biggest rhythmic influences.
First up for Fleetwood is one of the most celebrated drummers of all time, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. Fleetwood said of Bonzo: “People who are really super-talented may overuse their skill. He had both, which is why, as a contemporary rock-and-roll drummer, he had all of it. And huge power. The signatures that Led Zeppelin used, whether people know it or not, are quite complicated, and he made those signatures feel very normal. That’s a real skill, and that’s all about feel.”
Perhaps a lesser-known drumming love (at least compared to Bonham) of Fleetwood’s is Sandy Nelson, who sessioned on several well-known hits throughout the 1950s and 1960s. “Sandy Nelson was someone who was played on the radio, and I couldn’t believe you’d have a drummer with a hit record. He became a hero,” Fleetwood said. “My dream was to be Sandy Nelson. And all I’ve done is drum, so I have no complaints.”
Louie Bellson is credited with pioneering the use of a double bass drum and, behind Bob Hope, has the highest number of White House appearances as a musician. He’s another of Fleetwood’s favourite drummers, and the Fleetwood Mac stickman said of him, “His tom-tom work was so melodic. I’ve tried to pay attention to that in the way I play, just trying to make it musical.”
B.B. King’s drummer on Live at the Regal was Sonny Freeman, who was the “master of the shuffle”, according to Fleetwood. I listened until my eardrums fell out. He just was so swingin’, and of course, B.B. King became a huge favourite of mine. He was one of our heroes.” It was King and Freeman who inspired much of the early Fleetwood Mac output.
Mick Fleetwood’s five favourite drummers:
- John Bonham
- Sandy Nelson
- Louie Bellson
- Sonny Freeman
- Charlie Watts
Finally, we have good old Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones, who Fleetwood claims was “instrumental” in the early Stones sound. I learned to love a lot more about Charlie Watts and how instrumental he was as a power,” he said. “He knew his stuff and had a huge influence on the early Stones, who they were, what they liked, and what they did, and not many people know about that.”
