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Wed 12 November 2025 7:53, UK
Queen drummer Roger Taylor has an encyclopedic knowledge of his instrument, which he’s been playing for a living throughout his entire adult life. Taylor has intensely studied drumming for several decades, helping him achieve greatness with Queen and establish himself within the fraternity.
The late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins was a fully signed-up member of Taylor’s fan club and incredibly vocal about his appreciation for the Queen musician. He once told Anderson Cooper: “I wanted to be Roger Taylor and I wanted to be in Queen. I wanted to play stadiums when I was ten years old, there’s no question.”
Taylor’s position as a seismic and important drummer is often overlooked. Not part of the coolest band of the era, though a highly successful one, Taylor is rarely thought of in the same way as John Bonham or Keith Moon, but that is missing the point; like Ringo Starr before him, Taylor is a unique performer who has a magnetism that flows through his percussion. It means his drumming is more important than most.
However, for Taylor, his drumming heroes inspired him when he was older than ten. The first icon to capture his attention was Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, who, despite being in a band with arguably the greatest guitarist to ever live, was the only member of the group who interested the Queen member.
He once explained to Rhythm Magazine: “I was blown away by his playing. Everything was tight and so perfect and he always played for the song… His fills were just fantastic and he was so fast with those jazz chops that you barely saw his hands. ‘Fire’ and ‘Manic Depression’ from The Jimi Hendrix Experience [album] Are You Experienced? are still two of my favourite drum tracks.”
Once Queen formed in 1970, Taylor became infatuated with another drummer after he and his bandmate Freddie Mercury witnessed him play live. The musician in question is John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, a group that Mercury deeply admired and once hailed as “the greatest”.
In the same interview, Taylor explained why he was in awe of Bonham, noting: “Another drummer that blew me away when Freddie (Mercury) and I first saw (Led) Zeppelin play live was John Bonham. . . He sounded like thunder!”
The Queen drummer continued: “He was pure rock — he had speed, power and wonderful technique. Then there was his drum sound — massive and natural — and that became the benchmark that so many drummers strived for. He hit hard but he knew how to hit right. I loved his drumming and that big sound of his was a big influence on me.”
Bonham, it is safe to say, was an influence on everyone. Before him, drummers had been more concerned with precision and technical ability than power. Ginger Baker began to turn the tide on that front, but he still had more jazz affiliations than Bonham. When the Led Zeppelin man rose for the Midlands with hands like shovels, he completely changed the way drummers approached their instrument forever.
During the lockdown period in 2020, Taylor paid tribute to the late Led Zeppelin drummer by sharing a video tutorial, teaching fans how to channel their inner Bonham and play ‘Immigrant Song’. Additionally, he says in the clip, “Such a great drummer, he really knew how to do it.”
Stylistically, Taylor and Bonham have many differences, but seeing the latter command a room was an eye-opening occasion which taught the Queen drummer a vital lesson about the remit of his role in the band.
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