Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Attractions)
Pete Thomas was tasked with holding down Elvis Costello’s ever-changing rhythm section. Costello, as many know, has bounced around through a ton of genres, holding his surf and jazz roots close at all times though (one of the original Jazzmaster players, go figure). Pete Thomas held every single album down, and is considered by Elvis Costello himself as the “single best drummer of our generation, without a doubt.” That sounds pretty biased, but if you listen to “Lipstick Vogue” off of This Year’s Model, you’ll understand in the first 5 seconds of the song.
Steve Jordan (Stevie Wonder, John Mayer)
This dude has such an extensive resume, it's almost a shame to keep this concise. Steve Jordon backed Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and the X-Pensive Winos, John Mayer, Neil Young, and even was hired to play in the Blues Brothers' fictional band. If Benny Goodman is the King of Swing, Steve Jordon would be the Hand of the King. That, and he was powerful, flavorful, fast, and creative. He was extremely well respected in the percussion world.