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Is it weird that the drummer is also the singer?

#41
glenb73 said:
I never saw a famous band that has a lead singer who is also the drummer. Does anyone have experience with this? Does it ever work out? I want to request we bring in a new singer, but don't want to hurt feelings. The drummer is a GREAT drummer , but a so-so singer, probably b/c he's trying to do both at the same time.
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If the Drummer want to sing and is a good singer,use him; if not, don't.
Easy.
 
#43
The drummer in our band has the best voice of the bunch, mind you he has a degree in voice training so that helped. First time ever that the drummer in a band I play in could sing this well. So we now have 4 part harmony and we sound like birds.

I'll add a name here I did not see in the other threads, Skip Prokop from Lighthouse.
 
#45
hrodbert696 said:
Collins has some serious health issues with his arms and can't drum any more. He played and sang ever since Peter Gabriel left, and through the 80s.

Hey, and who could forget Night Ranger?
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As soon as Peter Gabriel quit, and Phil Collins became the lead singer, Chester Thompson joined the band as their live drummer. Collins did all the studio work, but Thompson handled the majority of the live drumming from 77-92 and again in 07.

You gotta have a frontman!
 
#55
jaywa said:
Biggest thing is keeping time. No matter how good a singer your drummer may be, if there's a noticable drop in the quality of the drumming when he/she is singing, you'll have to settle on one or the other.
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^^^ This ^^^

What's your drummer's strongest hand? If it's hitting things with sticks, personally I'd look for a frontman (ideally one that can play an instrument), but if your sticks is a stronger singer & has the personality to front, then maybe find a new drummer.

Singing drummers can work, as evidenced by many of the responses so far... but it's a tough one to pull off.

Here's a vid from back in the day of Triumph:

YouTube - Triumph - Tear the Roof Off (1982)

Great band (a bit clichéd, but they did it well), but I still think that there's a visual hole at stage centre. Rik Emmett does his best, but still...

That said, I guess the question you need to ask yourselves is "Is it broken & does it need fixing?". If the answer is No in both cases, and you're getting bookings, I'd leave well alone. If a good frontman (or drummer) turns up out of the blue, maybe reconsider your options.
 
#60
Same as with bassists, if the drummer can keep time and sing then why not? Everyone in my band sings lead on at least a couple of tunes - the drummer does three - and we all do backing vocal work. Both the drummer and I do have to simplify our playing a little to be able to keep time and still get the vocal work done but that's not really that
big a deal.
 

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