Who played drums in the group, T. Rex?

Mickey Finn played drums and percussion in T. Rex. Born Michael Norman Finn, he joined Marc Bolan’s band in 1969 and became an important member during the group’s transformation into one of the defining acts of glam rock. Finn was especially associated with bongos and congas, but he also played drums, bass and provided backing vocals.

Before T. Rex, Finn had worked with the psychedelic group Hapshash and the Coloured Coat. His rhythmic percussion helped shape the sound of Bolan’s recordings and live performances during the band’s most successful period in the early 1970s. T. Rex hits such as “Get It On,” “Metal Guru” and “Telegram Sam” helped establish Bolan and Finn as major figures in British glam rock.

The wording can cause a small historical confusion: Finn was primarily known as T. Rex’s percussionist rather than its conventional full-time kit drummer. Paul Fenton was the group’s better-known drummer in later lineups, while Finn’s bongos and other percussion were central to the classic sound. After T. Rex ended, Finn worked as a session musician and later participated in a T. Rex tribute band.