Drummers have had to learn to live with satirical jokes about their musicianship or aspects of their personalities, but Taylor Hawkins proved that the drummer could be a star in his own right, and also that being a drummer could co-exist happily with being a singer, songwriter and bandleader.
Hawkins, who has died suddenly aged 50 while on tour with Foo Fighters in Colombia, had been a member of the group since 1997. His first album with them was There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999), which reached the Top 10 in the US and the UK and brought them their first Grammy award (for best rock album).
