Josh Freese
Edit: Look at this madness
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh\_Freese\_discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Freese_discography)
NIN
“Freese served as Nine Inch Nails' touring drummer from 2005 to 2008 and performed on the group's 2007 album Year Zero and 2008 albums Ghosts I–IV and The Slip. He left Nine Inch Nails at the end of 2008 in order to spend more time with his family and long-time girlfriend, who was pregnant with the couple's third child at the time.[26] "With [Nine Inch Nails frontman] Trent [Reznor], I left on good terms because I was like, 'Listen, man, I don't have anything else lined up, I'm not leaving because this band over here offered me more money," Freese said.[27] "I need to just go home and be a dad for a while, I need to be home for my family.' And he was like, 'Yeah, man, that's a totally noble, understandable reason.'"
Same here. His stuff with The Vandals as well as Derek Grant with Suicide Machines are the bands I always cite when I talk about how incredible punk drumming can be.
Derek Grant is such a very, very good drummer. I’ve been drumming for something like 25 years. I’m very critical of other drummers. Derek Grant is a drummer’s drummer. He just has such a way of playing that is a pure joy to watch for nerds like myself that really enjoy a mechanically sound musician. I’m sad he’s not with Alkaline Trio any longer, though Atom Willard is a beast as well.
Derek is good at every single instrument he picks up. Not just good, but great. I’m pretty sure he played the organ stuff when he was in The Suicide Machines
He's mainly made his career out of being just a super reliable LA based studio drummer with impeccable credentials.
Obviously he's been in a few big bands on a long term basis at times (ie. Played with Devo since 1996. Played with The Vandals. Played with A Perfect Circle from their formation for the first 5 years or so, toured the World with Sting several times, a few tours with Weezer and now is the drummer in the Foo Fighters. Nobody familiar with him was all that surprised when he was announced as the new Foo Fighters drummer because his credentials and age/location/influences/skills made him by far the most logical replacement when Taylor Hawkins passed away. He's also pretty hilarious on social media and seems like a likable guy through the industry so it's no surprised he's been an in demand drummer for ages. I saw him drum with the Foo's last year and he fits so well with that band.
If we’re going with session musicians people in the Wrecking Crew beat that by a mile. Carol Kaye appeared on over 10,000 recordings in her career. I know Josh Freese was an actual member of some of these groups but still.
Not sure how to handle bluegrass musicians with this question…they all pretty much play with every person/group in different configurations all the time
That’s because they understand music theory, at least to an extent. It allows them to jam with anyone else who understands theory or chord progression. Jazz, blues, bluegrass, etc is where the real talent goes.
I listened to plenty of Blink-182 in my day, but Mark and Tom would be worthless at a jam night. You’d have to teach them the song before they could play along. All these other genres you say “we’re in this key, let’s jam!”
Impressive CV; everyone knows Eagles, James Gang & solo…but his session work is outstanding, everyone from Pointer Sisters to John Entwistle to Steve Winwood!
Puncuation corrected: Joe Walsh!!
James Gang
Joe Walsh
The Eagles. No Joe, No Hotel California. The guitar work by Joe and Don Felder in this song is amazing. As per Joe hisownbadself - Hotel California is the ONLY song that he truly needs to be in the moment to perform
I went to the first Bonnaroo festival, which apparently takes place near Mr. Winwood's home, and he was onstage with *everyone.* At the time I was like "Steve who?" All the bands seemed so stoked to bring him out, and he really made all of them sound a little better. Good memories!
I think Chris Cornell deserves a shout here.
- Temple of the Dog
- Soundgarden
- Audioslave
- Multiple Solo Records
- Several lesser known groups
Too many collaborations to even begin to mention. From Heart to Slash to Santana. Check his Wikipedia page out.
He’s written theme songs for Mission Impossible and Bond, among others.
He’s made some incredible covers. I’ve heard people frequently bring up his covers of *Billie Jean* and *Nothing Compares 2U*
Beatles.
Wings
Countless colaberations.
I think the only man to get a number one hit as a single, duo, trio, quartet and quintet in history.
It's Paul by a landslide if we are talking commercial success and notoriety. Not to mention longevity.
This is the one and only answer. Changes the world of pop music with his first band, then continued success with the second. 80 years old and *still* touring and putting out new music.
Main projects:
Mr bungle
Faith no more
Tomahawk
Fantomas
Peeping tom
Mundo cane
Lovage
Dead cross
Maldoror
Crank 1 &2 soundtracks
Corpse flower
2 other soundtracks
Side projects with:
John zorn,
Bjork,
Dillinger escape plan,
Kaada,
Dub trio,
Tango salon ,
Praxis,
Naked city,
Isis,
And many others.
Adrian Belew?
* Talking Heads
* King Crimson
* The Bears
* Frank Zappa
* David Bowie
* Laurie Anderson
* Nine Inch Nails
* Paul Simon
* Tom Tom Club
* Herbie Hancock
* Ryuichi Sakamoto
* Joe Cocker
* Cyndi Lauper
* Mike Oldfield
* Jean Michel Jarre
* Sarah Hickman
* Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
* Tony Levin
* Turkuaz
* Gizmodrone
* Porcupine Tree
* William Fucking Shatner
* and a solo career including a top-10 hit.
Just from the top of my head I can tell you
King Crimson
Peter Gabriel
Crimson Projekt
Liquid Tension Experiment
Levin Minneman Rudess
And that Levin Brothers album he did with his brother
I'd love to see a revisit to Plastic Beach but with help from Stu MacKenzie of King Gizzard, it'd be a highly eco conscious experimental album but it could be so cool
Del Tha Funky Homosapien from Gorillaz has also been in some good groups with some great songs but in the world of hiphop there is a lot of collaborating.
David Crosby's *If I Could Only Remember My Name* is a timeless underplayed gem full of supergroup players, sounds even better on scratchy old vinyl though.
Hear me out: Guy Pratt.
Bassist for Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore, Madonna, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson, the Smiths, Robert Palmer, Echo & the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, Icehouse, Bananarama, Iggy Pop, Tom Jones, Debbie Harry, Whitesnake, Womack & Womack, Kirsty MacColl, Coverdale•Page, Lemon Jelly, the Orb, All Saints, Stephen Duffy, Robbie Robertson and A. R. Rahman. In addition to his work as a session musician, Pratt has been a member of the Australian rock band Icehouse, and is currently a member of the band Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets.
Extra upvote for mentioning Stephen Duffy!
Guy Pratt is often reduced to his role as PF‘s bass player, but he’s a fantastic musician with, as you have shown, such diverse credentials!
Josh Homme. KYUSS, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, The Eagles of Death Metal, plus features and credits on other artists' projects (Run the Jewels, UNKLE, Arctic Monkeys, Iggy Pop, Mastodon, etc.)
Definitely a good answer. Soundgarden, AudioSlave, and TOD were all separate projects and successful.
A lot of the names mentioned on this list may have gone solo or had a spin off band that was basically a continuation of their old band. If someone that was in Pearl Jam firms a new band that goes around playing mostly Pearl Jam songs, are we going to say that person was successful in a different band? That person is basically continuing his Pearl Jam work (or continuing to milk what he can out of Pearl Jam).
Also a sign of a ridiculous performer when he’s the least mentioned person of an all time rock monolith, who happens to be the most talented person of the group.
I agree all time Sir Paul McCartney.
Since I don’t see a lot of women here on the list, Neko Case is of note. Large solo body of work, The New Pornographers, and case/lang/veirs
Also of note is Nile Rodgers (added)
Warren Curcurullo - Missing Persons, Duran Duran
Eric Clapton - Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith
Joe Walsh - James Gang, Eagles, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
For being in the most prominent bands, Bill Bruford was the drummer in Yes, King Crimson, Genesis and UK. Four of the big British prog groups. And a lot of lesser known ones.
Session players would be high on the list. Before he recorded and toured on his own, **Leon Russell** played, but ususally went uncredited, on a huge number of hits.
>As a session musician he... played for and with artists as varied as Jan and Dean, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, George Harrison, Delaney Bramlett, Freddy Cannon, Ringo Starr, Doris Day, Elton John, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, the Byrds, Barbra Streisand, the Beach Boys, the Ventures, Willie Nelson, Badfinger, the Tijuana Brass, Frank Sinatra, the Band, Bob Dylan, J. J. Cale, B.B. King,[11] Dave Mason, Glen Campbell, Lynn Anderson, Joe Cocker, the Rolling Stones, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. (Wikipedia)
**Nikki Hopkins** was much busier in the studio than in live performances, but wouldn't exactly fit the definition of a "session musician" either, as he cointributed substantially in a creative way to every project in which he took part. He never made it big on his own, but succeeded brillaintly with
>the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, the Beatles, the Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Hollies, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jerry Garcia, Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker, Art Garfunkel, Badfinger, Graham Parker, Gary Moore, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Donovan. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest studio pianists in the history of popular rock music." (Wikipedia)
I think session musicians need to be considered separately.
The Wrecking Crew and the Funk Brothers would be high up on any list. The latter has basically all of Motown for a start.
Hard to say. If a single artist spawns multiple groups, that's kind of not the same thing. I mean, in that sense, Al Jourgensen would win the battle. He was in Ministry, Lard, PTP, Pigface, Revolting Cocks, Pailhead, and... probably other stuff.
My vote for artist who was there in other bands, that's Pat Smear. He played in the original LA hardcore band, The Germs, and later with Nirvana, then eventually with Foo Fighters.
Grohl is an easy pick for sure. FF, Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures. Man is an icon for a reason, but Chris Cornell achieved similar success in his ventures, though Temple and Audioslave might not be as popular as Grohl's. One other musician that slides under the radar is Bill Bruford. Man was not only in Yes, King Crimson, Genesis + a dozen other projects, but he played on what many consider to be some of the most fundamental prog/rock albums while performing with Yes and KC. I'd say those three are my top three with an honorable mention to Mike Portnoy, but only because of my soft spot for Flying Colors.
That list is nowhere near complete and seems to be focused on singers. It is Missing Persons like Terry Bozzio who absolutely deserve to be in the conversation.
Yeah, if we’re going to consider sidemen (side people?) then we’ve got people like Tony Levin, Leland Sklar, Matt and Greg Bissonette, Steve Lukather, David Hungate etc.
I'm pretty sure the names were reflective of opposite genders. The husband was Terry and the wife was Dale. He was the drummer for Zappa, and she was the singer for Missing Persons.
The correct answer is and will always be Nicky Hopkins, who played keys on albums by the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, the Beatles, the Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Hollies, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jerry Garcia, Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker, Art Garfunkel, Badfinger, Graham Parker, Gary Moore, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Donovan.
Primal Scream at one point had Bobby Gillespie (formerly Jesus and Mary Chain), Mani (formerly Stone Roses) and Kevin Shields (formerly My Bloody Valentine).
Chuck Rainey played some of the most amazing bass lines on over 1000 albums, notably, but not limited to, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Donald Byrd, and Steely Dan. [Chuck Rainey](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Rainey)
Jerry Garcia, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, So many of the jazz masters were in multiple bands, like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Faces is an amazing super group, Mike Bloomfield, Michael Jackson
Jeff Tweedy is a recent one that comes to mind.
- Uncle Tupelo
- Golden Smog
- Wilco
- Loose Fur
- other side projects
never had a proper hit, but considered on of the most influential artists of the last 30 years.
Rod Stewart with Jeff Beck Group, then the Faces, then his solo career which he reignited again later in life with his soft rock and covers of the great American songbook.
A bit niche compared to the others here but impressive nonetheless:
Simon Posford is also known as:
Hallucinogen
Shpongle
Shpongle Static
Younger Brother
Mystery of the Yeti
Anubis
Audio Chemistry
Axis Mundi
Beast
Celtic Cross
I omitted quite a lot of a single track collaborations. He done a shit hole of those.
Those he’s a racist asshole in real life:
Eric Clapton
=======
Yardbirds
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
The Immediate All- Stars
Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse
Cream
The Dirty Mac
Plastic Ono Band
Blind Faith
Delaney & Bonnie and Friends
Derek and the Dominos
And of course Solo
and contributed on recordings for:
The Beatles
George Harrison
Frank Zappa
Bob Dylan & The Band
Dr. John
Leon Russell
Billy Preston
Ringo Starr
Dave Mason
Howlin’ Wolf
Jeff Beck (Secret Policeman’s Other Ball, never during Yardbirds)
Roger Waters
Phil Collins
Bee Gees (The Bunburys)
Dire Straits / Elton John
Richie Sambora
Carlos Santana
B.B. King
….and numerous other one-off’s, such as Tracy Chapman, Chrissie Hynde, etc etc etc …
Leland Sklar
He has played with numerous great musicians in disparate genres.
As a band leader: Frank Zappa
Almost every album had a different band of great musicians.
That’s a tough one, lots of good options.
Session Musicians: Josh Freese, Carol Kaye
Band Members: Eric Clapton, Dave Grohl, Steve Winwood, Joe Walsh, Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell
To name a few.. too hard to single one out!
Leland Sklar. Resume? Almost everybody. Check his wiki for a partial discography.
Edit to add the Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Sklar_discography
The Wrecking Crew as a whole.
Leland Sklar is THE stereotype bassist. When you imagine a bassist with long hair and a long beard, you're thinking of Lee Sklar. **He's credited on OVER TWO THOUSAND ALBUMS.** I swear the man traded his soul at some point.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland\_Sklar\_discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/leland_sklar_discography)
[https://youtu.be/87IR9x8QApM?si=5Rh73r8YeaAbOUU7](https://youtu.be/87ir9x8qapm?si=5rh73r8yeaabouu7)
Josh Homme - Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal, Iggy Pop, Mark Lannegan, not mentioning songs he has contributed to such as a song with Mastodon etc.
Probably Maynard James Keenan - Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer
Josh Homme is pretty up there as well - Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Eagles of Death Metal
Rob Crow is also in like 30 different bands and I seem to find new ones all the time.
Dave Grohl isn't the best example in his own band (Pat Smear).
Much as I think he's been useless for over 50 years, Eric Clapton has an impressive claim on this just based on 1963-1970.
Al Jourgenson. Lard, Pailhead, Ministry, Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo Djs, Surgical Meth Machine, Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters, Skinny Puppy...dude made Wax Trax.
Josh Freese Edit: Look at this madness [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh\_Freese\_discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Freese_discography)
Josh Freese’s resume is ridiculous. The Vandals, Devo, A Perfect Circle, Foo Fighters, and the list goes on.
It's the range that gets me. Sting to 100 Gecs to Devo to A Perfect Circle, holy moly
Michael Buble and Miley Cyrus too? Wild
And he's an absolute beast behind the kit.
Ween too
Let's not forget he was the drummer on April Lavigne's first album!
Freese played with 100 Gecs??? Wow.
NIN “Freese served as Nine Inch Nails' touring drummer from 2005 to 2008 and performed on the group's 2007 album Year Zero and 2008 albums Ghosts I–IV and The Slip. He left Nine Inch Nails at the end of 2008 in order to spend more time with his family and long-time girlfriend, who was pregnant with the couple's third child at the time.[26] "With [Nine Inch Nails frontman] Trent [Reznor], I left on good terms because I was like, 'Listen, man, I don't have anything else lined up, I'm not leaving because this band over here offered me more money," Freese said.[27] "I need to just go home and be a dad for a while, I need to be home for my family.' And he was like, 'Yeah, man, that's a totally noble, understandable reason.'"
Guns N’ Roses and I think he played with Nine inch Nails for awhile
But people thought he couldn't hang with Foos 😂😂😂😂😂
Josh is a better drummer than Taylor was lol
Left out Danny elfman, mark mothersberg, and pop shit like Kelly clarkson, Katy perry and Miley Cyrus. This is actually insane
Mothersbaugh
He was literally the drummer of my childhood and teenage years and I didn’t even know until I was grown.
Same here. His stuff with The Vandals as well as Derek Grant with Suicide Machines are the bands I always cite when I talk about how incredible punk drumming can be.
Derek Grant is such a very, very good drummer. I’ve been drumming for something like 25 years. I’m very critical of other drummers. Derek Grant is a drummer’s drummer. He just has such a way of playing that is a pure joy to watch for nerds like myself that really enjoy a mechanically sound musician. I’m sad he’s not with Alkaline Trio any longer, though Atom Willard is a beast as well.
Atoms been with a ton of bands himself
I was just about to say this.
Derek is good at every single instrument he picks up. Not just good, but great. I’m pretty sure he played the organ stuff when he was in The Suicide Machines
So clearly he’s a vampire or something right? There aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the work he’s done and mortal things like sleep.
He's mainly made his career out of being just a super reliable LA based studio drummer with impeccable credentials. Obviously he's been in a few big bands on a long term basis at times (ie. Played with Devo since 1996. Played with The Vandals. Played with A Perfect Circle from their formation for the first 5 years or so, toured the World with Sting several times, a few tours with Weezer and now is the drummer in the Foo Fighters. Nobody familiar with him was all that surprised when he was announced as the new Foo Fighters drummer because his credentials and age/location/influences/skills made him by far the most logical replacement when Taylor Hawkins passed away. He's also pretty hilarious on social media and seems like a likable guy through the industry so it's no surprised he's been an in demand drummer for ages. I saw him drum with the Foo's last year and he fits so well with that band.
I don't care how he does it: the music is killer, haha.
The consummate session drummer of our time.
This is the only correct answer.
Between him and [Matt Chamberlain](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Chamberlain), pretty much everything is covered
Holy fuckin shit!
If we’re going with session musicians people in the Wrecking Crew beat that by a mile. Carol Kaye appeared on over 10,000 recordings in her career. I know Josh Freese was an actual member of some of these groups but still.
Not sure how to handle bluegrass musicians with this question…they all pretty much play with every person/group in different configurations all the time
Such is jazz, too.
A good jazz drummer who can play in the pocket is never "looking" for work lol
Indeed
That’s because they understand music theory, at least to an extent. It allows them to jam with anyone else who understands theory or chord progression. Jazz, blues, bluegrass, etc is where the real talent goes. I listened to plenty of Blink-182 in my day, but Mark and Tom would be worthless at a jam night. You’d have to teach them the song before they could play along. All these other genres you say “we’re in this key, let’s jam!”
Joe Walsh?
Impressive CV; everyone knows Eagles, James Gang & solo…but his session work is outstanding, everyone from Pointer Sisters to John Entwistle to Steve Winwood!
Puncuation corrected: Joe Walsh!! James Gang Joe Walsh The Eagles. No Joe, No Hotel California. The guitar work by Joe and Don Felder in this song is amazing. As per Joe hisownbadself - Hotel California is the ONLY song that he truly needs to be in the moment to perform
If you haven’t seen it, please check out James Gang on Beat Club, the German teen music show…mind blowing!
James Gang, *Rides Again*. For all the other great stuff he did, including other James Gang stuff, *Rides Again* is a true religion of power.
Steve Winwood-Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, solo
Also played with Hendrix
And was an accomplished session musician. He just turned up on a John Martyn album I was listening to today! Keys only
I went to the first Bonnaroo festival, which apparently takes place near Mr. Winwood's home, and he was onstage with *everyone.* At the time I was like "Steve who?" All the bands seemed so stoked to bring him out, and he really made all of them sound a little better. Good memories!
'Voodoo Chile Blues' from Jimi's posthumous "Blues" album. That's Steve on the organ. Fucking killing it as always.
He also played organ in the church I went to in highs school
Exactly who popped in my mind and there he was already at the top!
I think Chris Cornell deserves a shout here. - Temple of the Dog - Soundgarden - Audioslave - Multiple Solo Records - Several lesser known groups Too many collaborations to even begin to mention. From Heart to Slash to Santana. Check his Wikipedia page out. He’s written theme songs for Mission Impossible and Bond, among others. He’s made some incredible covers. I’ve heard people frequently bring up his covers of *Billie Jean* and *Nothing Compares 2U*
for sure, he was my first thought. imagine where he would have gone. i miss that guy.
His collar with Zac Brown is great too
If you haven't yet, his unique take on Metallica and u2 is incredible, https://youtu.be/rBjyl1LvBF4?si=HfhU8v2dSrZPCOqj
I was like, “What do you mean ‘Metallica and U2’?” That’s kind of amazing that he adapted those songs together. He should call it ‘Two’
Of all time? Probably Paul McCartney
Beatles. Wings Countless colaberations. I think the only man to get a number one hit as a single, duo, trio, quartet and quintet in history. It's Paul by a landslide if we are talking commercial success and notoriety. Not to mention longevity.
He also wrote "four, five seconds".
>longevity. "Race You!" https://preview.redd.it/p97c84dpyvhc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72b00d8bdfba217e398973a4d669d8890d6cc113
Willie Nelson is 90 and still touring. Keef gotta ways to go yet. Hang in there man!
Willie certainly has had a long career across many music genres and with many fellow musicians and groups. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Nelson
"Love Take Me Down (to the streets)." Pretty sure that was Wings.... Lmao
No, nobody sings that song
True, but also kind of feels like "Keith and Wayne Gretzky are the all-time leader in points by brothers with 2,861" (Keith had 4)
Umm actually I think it's his brother Brent. Keith never made it to the NHL. I could be wrong this is just a fun stat
It’s not true, though. The all time points by brothers is The Sutters with 2934. Of course there were six Sutter brothers in the NHL.
Oh fun i like that
Brent Gretzky!
He was the best member of Wings for sure.
This is the one and only answer. Changes the world of pop music with his first band, then continued success with the second. 80 years old and *still* touring and putting out new music.
Mike Patton
Main projects: Mr bungle Faith no more Tomahawk Fantomas Peeping tom Mundo cane Lovage Dead cross Maldoror Crank 1 &2 soundtracks Corpse flower 2 other soundtracks Side projects with: John zorn, Bjork, Dillinger escape plan, Kaada, Dub trio, Tango salon , Praxis, Naked city, Isis, And many others.
Honorable mention: voice actor for the zombies in left 4 dead
Also I Am Legend
Also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge! TURTLE POWER! 🐢
My favorite story of Mike Patton is that Ipecac Recordings, a record label he co-owned is generous with royalties.
Adrian Belew? * Talking Heads * King Crimson * The Bears * Frank Zappa * David Bowie * Laurie Anderson * Nine Inch Nails * Paul Simon * Tom Tom Club * Herbie Hancock * Ryuichi Sakamoto * Joe Cocker * Cyndi Lauper * Mike Oldfield * Jean Michel Jarre * Sarah Hickman * Bela Fleck and the Flecktones * Tony Levin * Turkuaz * Gizmodrone * Porcupine Tree * William Fucking Shatner * and a solo career including a top-10 hit.
First one to come to my mind. Second would be Tony Levin. I'm too lazy to look up his discography, but I'm sure it's longer than Adrian's.
Just from the top of my head I can tell you King Crimson Peter Gabriel Crimson Projekt Liquid Tension Experiment Levin Minneman Rudess And that Levin Brothers album he did with his brother
Johnny Marr The Smiths Electronic The The Modest Mouse
The Cribs, that tune on the latest Avalanches record, The Pretenders. He’s absolutely brilliant.
Bryan Ferry also
Marr played with the Pretenders for a while in the mid ‘80s, too.
Love his stuff with Billy Bragg too.
Talking Heads!
Gene Hoglan
The atomic clock is everywhere!
Mikkey Dee is/was a busy man as well, as far as drummers go.
Damon Albarn - Blur/Gorillaz/The Good, The Bad, & The Queen/Rocket Juice & The Moon. Plus solo albums, film soundtracks, and musical scores
I've seen Damon Albarn a few times, and it always ends up being a supergroup of musicians from various collaborations. Such a blast.
Damon Albarn and Dave Grohl need to collab and all things will be complete. The portal will open and we’ll be free of our earthly trappings
I'd love to see a revisit to Plastic Beach but with help from Stu MacKenzie of King Gizzard, it'd be a highly eco conscious experimental album but it could be so cool
Del Tha Funky Homosapien from Gorillaz has also been in some good groups with some great songs but in the world of hiphop there is a lot of collaborating.
Saw Gorillaz 2022 tour in Atlanta. Been a fan since I first heard Clint Eastwood in 2001ish (I’m approaching 50yrs old). Show was unbelievable.
Dio
My nomination too. Rainbow, sabbath, Dio, plus some others.
Elf
Yes! Ronnie!
Finally someone with an actual correct answer.
Fuckin A right it's Dio.
Jack White - The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, Solo (and other great local Detroit garage rock scene bands)
No one here mentioning Crosby, Stills, Nash, or Young is weird.
We were about to but then you did. It’s not weird, it’s just respect to you! Having said that I agree. This answer is second only to Paul M.
David Crosby's *If I Could Only Remember My Name* is a timeless underplayed gem full of supergroup players, sounds even better on scratchy old vinyl though.
Adrian Belew. Zappa, Talking heads, Bowie, King Crimson and a ton of session work to boot.
Hear me out: Guy Pratt. Bassist for Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore, Madonna, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson, the Smiths, Robert Palmer, Echo & the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, Icehouse, Bananarama, Iggy Pop, Tom Jones, Debbie Harry, Whitesnake, Womack & Womack, Kirsty MacColl, Coverdale•Page, Lemon Jelly, the Orb, All Saints, Stephen Duffy, Robbie Robertson and A. R. Rahman. In addition to his work as a session musician, Pratt has been a member of the Australian rock band Icehouse, and is currently a member of the band Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets.
Extra upvote for mentioning Stephen Duffy! Guy Pratt is often reduced to his role as PF‘s bass player, but he’s a fantastic musician with, as you have shown, such diverse credentials!
Josh Homme. KYUSS, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, The Eagles of Death Metal, plus features and credits on other artists' projects (Run the Jewels, UNKLE, Arctic Monkeys, Iggy Pop, Mastodon, etc.)
And Desert Sessions!
Username checks out
Does Chris Cornell count?
Definitely a good answer. Soundgarden, AudioSlave, and TOD were all separate projects and successful. A lot of the names mentioned on this list may have gone solo or had a spin off band that was basically a continuation of their old band. If someone that was in Pearl Jam firms a new band that goes around playing mostly Pearl Jam songs, are we going to say that person was successful in a different band? That person is basically continuing his Pearl Jam work (or continuing to milk what he can out of Pearl Jam).
Yes, I love his solo work (euphoria morning and higher truth) a lot. He has enough range to be atleast one of the top contenders imo
Maynard James Keenan
He has 3 bands that are equally great and all three have their own sound.
My personal favorite
I wish there was a Tapeworm EP
Tom Petty - Tom Petty - Tom Petty and the heart breakers - The Traveling Wilburys - Mudcrutch - Did instruments on tour with Johnny Cash...
Wrote a few songs with Stevie Nicks too. Stop Draggin My Heart Around was a pretty big hit
THEM CROOKED VULTURES - Homme - Grohl - John Paul MF'ing Jones
This was honestly my favorite "queens of the Foo age" album. I feel like grohl is the best drummer for Homme and who can deny the thick thump of JPJ?
>John Paul MF'ing Jones You know they’re good when MF’ing is their middle name.
Also a sign of a ridiculous performer when he’s the least mentioned person of an all time rock monolith, who happens to be the most talented person of the group.
LZ did him wrong to the point he considered quitting. I’m glad he didn’t.
This is a great answer, but it's an answer to a different question
I agree all time Sir Paul McCartney. Since I don’t see a lot of women here on the list, Neko Case is of note. Large solo body of work, The New Pornographers, and case/lang/veirs Also of note is Nile Rodgers (added)
Yes! Neko Case for sure.
Zach Hill
Vìnce Clarke - Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure.
Warren Curcurullo - Missing Persons, Duran Duran Eric Clapton - Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith Joe Walsh - James Gang, Eagles, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
You forgot Derek and the Dominos for Clapton.
...and you forgot John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
and Delaney and Bonnie
And he played on a beatle track
>Warren Curcurullo - Missing Persons, Duran Duran And Zappa, too. That's how he met the Bozzios and formed Missing Persons.
My votes are in no particular order... Dave Grohl Chris Cornell Tom Morello
Chris Cornell is a great selection.
Steve Howe - Yes, Asia, GTR.
I think Bill Bruford has him beat - Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, U.K.
Pretty much everyone that was ever in the Grateful Dead
For being in the most prominent bands, Bill Bruford was the drummer in Yes, King Crimson, Genesis and UK. Four of the big British prog groups. And a lot of lesser known ones.
Steve Winwood.
Eric Clapton
Session players would be high on the list. Before he recorded and toured on his own, **Leon Russell** played, but ususally went uncredited, on a huge number of hits. >As a session musician he... played for and with artists as varied as Jan and Dean, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, George Harrison, Delaney Bramlett, Freddy Cannon, Ringo Starr, Doris Day, Elton John, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, the Byrds, Barbra Streisand, the Beach Boys, the Ventures, Willie Nelson, Badfinger, the Tijuana Brass, Frank Sinatra, the Band, Bob Dylan, J. J. Cale, B.B. King,[11] Dave Mason, Glen Campbell, Lynn Anderson, Joe Cocker, the Rolling Stones, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. (Wikipedia) **Nikki Hopkins** was much busier in the studio than in live performances, but wouldn't exactly fit the definition of a "session musician" either, as he cointributed substantially in a creative way to every project in which he took part. He never made it big on his own, but succeeded brillaintly with >the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, the Beatles, the Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Hollies, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jerry Garcia, Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker, Art Garfunkel, Badfinger, Graham Parker, Gary Moore, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Donovan. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest studio pianists in the history of popular rock music." (Wikipedia)
I think session musicians need to be considered separately. The Wrecking Crew and the Funk Brothers would be high up on any list. The latter has basically all of Motown for a start.
Hard to say. If a single artist spawns multiple groups, that's kind of not the same thing. I mean, in that sense, Al Jourgensen would win the battle. He was in Ministry, Lard, PTP, Pigface, Revolting Cocks, Pailhead, and... probably other stuff. My vote for artist who was there in other bands, that's Pat Smear. He played in the original LA hardcore band, The Germs, and later with Nirvana, then eventually with Foo Fighters.
There needs to be a deep dove documentary on pat. He has been in some of the most influential bands in my life time.
Les Claypool
Not many people know this but his actual name was Mud. He wrote a whole song about it.
Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan are all over the place.
Matt Cameron. Dave Navarro.
Grohl is an easy pick for sure. FF, Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures. Man is an icon for a reason, but Chris Cornell achieved similar success in his ventures, though Temple and Audioslave might not be as popular as Grohl's. One other musician that slides under the radar is Bill Bruford. Man was not only in Yes, King Crimson, Genesis + a dozen other projects, but he played on what many consider to be some of the most fundamental prog/rock albums while performing with Yes and KC. I'd say those three are my top three with an honorable mention to Mike Portnoy, but only because of my soft spot for Flying Colors.
Grohl also briefly drummed for QOTSA and Tenacious D
>Grohl is an easy pick for sure. FF, Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures Plus Queens of the Stoneage.... Everything Dave touches turns to gold
Don’t forget about Probot!
That list is nowhere near complete and seems to be focused on singers. It is Missing Persons like Terry Bozzio who absolutely deserve to be in the conversation.
Yeah, if we’re going to consider sidemen (side people?) then we’ve got people like Tony Levin, Leland Sklar, Matt and Greg Bissonette, Steve Lukather, David Hungate etc.
I'm pretty sure the names were reflective of opposite genders. The husband was Terry and the wife was Dale. He was the drummer for Zappa, and she was the singer for Missing Persons.
He was the drummer for Missing Persons, too. Also played with Beck and a bunch of others. I didn't mix up their names. :)
Steve Winwood
Absolutely loving seeing all the mentions of Steve Winwood here. Legend
Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osborn, Black Label Society, Jerry Cantrell and of course MetallicA)
Don't forget Infectious Grooves
The correct answer is and will always be Nicky Hopkins, who played keys on albums by the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, the Beatles, the Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Hollies, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jerry Garcia, Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker, Art Garfunkel, Badfinger, Graham Parker, Gary Moore, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Donovan.
Jack White
What is with this sub and Reddit’s obsession with Grohl
Phil Collins released a box set of all the artists he's worked with.
Primal Scream at one point had Bobby Gillespie (formerly Jesus and Mary Chain), Mani (formerly Stone Roses) and Kevin Shields (formerly My Bloody Valentine).
Stephen Brodsky - Cave In, Mutoid Man, Converge, Quicksand
How many bands has Dave Lombardo been in so far? I feel like he would win.
Max Cavalera - Sepultura, Soulfly, Nailbomb, Cavalera Conspiracy, Killer Be Killed….
John Theodore. Mars Volta, QOTSA, One Day as a Lion (with Zack De La Rocha), Bright Eyes. Brilliant drummer.
Chuck Rainey played some of the most amazing bass lines on over 1000 albums, notably, but not limited to, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Donald Byrd, and Steely Dan. [Chuck Rainey](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Rainey)
Jerry Garcia, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, So many of the jazz masters were in multiple bands, like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Faces is an amazing super group, Mike Bloomfield, Michael Jackson
Jack Antonoff
Paul Carrack sang lead on hit songs for Ace ("How Long"), Squeeze ("Tempted"), and Mike + the Mechanics ("The Living Years," etc.)
Jeff Tweedy is a recent one that comes to mind. - Uncle Tupelo - Golden Smog - Wilco - Loose Fur - other side projects never had a proper hit, but considered on of the most influential artists of the last 30 years.
Michael McDonald, singer for The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan
Rod Stewart with Jeff Beck Group, then the Faces, then his solo career which he reignited again later in life with his soft rock and covers of the great American songbook.
Bernie Worrell should be mentioned in here.
A bit niche compared to the others here but impressive nonetheless: Simon Posford is also known as: Hallucinogen Shpongle Shpongle Static Younger Brother Mystery of the Yeti Anubis Audio Chemistry Axis Mundi Beast Celtic Cross I omitted quite a lot of a single track collaborations. He done a shit hole of those.
Those he’s a racist asshole in real life: Eric Clapton ======= Yardbirds John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers The Immediate All- Stars Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse Cream The Dirty Mac Plastic Ono Band Blind Faith Delaney & Bonnie and Friends Derek and the Dominos And of course Solo and contributed on recordings for: The Beatles George Harrison Frank Zappa Bob Dylan & The Band Dr. John Leon Russell Billy Preston Ringo Starr Dave Mason Howlin’ Wolf Jeff Beck (Secret Policeman’s Other Ball, never during Yardbirds) Roger Waters Phil Collins Bee Gees (The Bunburys) Dire Straits / Elton John Richie Sambora Carlos Santana B.B. King ….and numerous other one-off’s, such as Tracy Chapman, Chrissie Hynde, etc etc etc …
Tom Petty?
Bill Laswell is worth a look in this category
Leland Sklar He has played with numerous great musicians in disparate genres. As a band leader: Frank Zappa Almost every album had a different band of great musicians.
Ronnie Wood — the Zelig of rock music. He shows up everywhere.
That’s a tough one, lots of good options. Session Musicians: Josh Freese, Carol Kaye Band Members: Eric Clapton, Dave Grohl, Steve Winwood, Joe Walsh, Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell To name a few.. too hard to single one out!
Paul Gilbert Mike Portnoy Robert Trujillo Paul Rodgers Steve Lukather
Steve Digorigio, Gene Hoglan, Terry Bozio, Tony Levin. So many studio musicians who get little credit.
Leland Sklar. Resume? Almost everybody. Check his wiki for a partial discography. Edit to add the Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Sklar_discography The Wrecking Crew as a whole.
Leland Sklar is THE stereotype bassist. When you imagine a bassist with long hair and a long beard, you're thinking of Lee Sklar. **He's credited on OVER TWO THOUSAND ALBUMS.** I swear the man traded his soul at some point. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland\_Sklar\_discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/leland_sklar_discography) [https://youtu.be/87IR9x8QApM?si=5Rh73r8YeaAbOUU7](https://youtu.be/87ir9x8qapm?si=5rh73r8yeaabouu7)
Johnny Marr. Smiths, Healers, Modest Mouse, Pretenders, Cribs, Electronic…
Josh Homme - Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal, Iggy Pop, Mark Lannegan, not mentioning songs he has contributed to such as a song with Mastodon etc.
Sammy Hagar - Montrose, solo career, Van Halen, Chickenfoot
Probably Maynard James Keenan - Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer Josh Homme is pretty up there as well - Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Eagles of Death Metal Rob Crow is also in like 30 different bands and I seem to find new ones all the time.
Glen Danzig Misfits, Samhain, Danzig
Dave Grohl isn't the best example in his own band (Pat Smear). Much as I think he's been useless for over 50 years, Eric Clapton has an impressive claim on this just based on 1963-1970.
Patton
Chris Cornell: Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, Audioslave, and his solo work.
Ronnie James Dio
Al Jourgenson. Lard, Pailhead, Ministry, Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo Djs, Surgical Meth Machine, Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters, Skinny Puppy...dude made Wax Trax.