Gene Krupa
In a lot of ways, Gene Krupa was the first rock drummer in history. He relished in the spotlight, and he always sought opportunities to play much harder and much, much faster as often as he could.
Walkin' Down Easy Street
Krupa tried to simplify all of his playing as best he could. However, when he increased his speed, his technique didn't change at all. He was solid as a rock until the day he died, and he influenced the vast majority of all the memorably good drummers from the heyday of music.