Chattanooga native Clyde Stubblefield is listed by Rolling Stone at #6 on its list of greatest all-time drummers.
He and John "Jabo" Starks came to fame playing drums for soul singer James Brown.
The article says:
At the height of his band's rhythmic revolutions, Brown's percussion section was anchored by not one but two master drummers: the woefully underrated John "Jabo" Starks and Mr. Funky Drummer himself, Clyde Stubblefield. Starks began his career backing jazz and blues players, Stubblefield was an R&B man and, by coincidence, the two started with Brown's band just weeks apart.
Each brought a distinctive style that complemented the other. Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson once told
Rolling Stone that "Starks was the Beatles to Clyde's Stones. A clean shuffle drummer to Clyde's free-jazz left hand." Together, their partnership would help shape some of Brown's greatest songs, including "Cold Sweat," "Superbad" and of course "Funky Drummer." Their innovations would be felt again as they dictated the entire feel of hip-hop's Golden Era.