John Dolmayan of System of a Down

John Dolmayan (born July 15, 1973) is a Lebanese-born Armenian–American songwriter and drummer. He is best known as the drummer of System of a Down. Dolmayan is also the drummer for the band Indicator and former drummer for Scars on Broadway. His energetic live performances with System Of A Down over the years, have garnered him critical acclaim. Loudwire listed him as one of the Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers Of All Time , with Dolmayan being ranked at #22

John Dolmayan was born in Beirut, Lebanon to Lebanese-Armenian parents.

During the Lebanese Civil War, the young Dolmayan's (empty) bed was hit by a stray bullet. After the incident his family decided to emigrate, and, after briefly living in Toronto, they moved to California.
Dolmayan first became interested in drums at the age of two. His father was a saxophone player and when his mother would take him to watch his father play, he would mimic his father's drummer. He learned to play the drums by putting on records and practicing, "4–6 hours a day, depending on the particular day. I did that for years and years. I developed my own style from basically taking from so many different styles. I used to play with whatever I could get my hands on, which included my Dad's collection of jazz albums and the rock albums that my friends and I had.

Dolmayan is a fan of The Who and cites Who drummer Keith Moon as his biggest influence. Other drummers that he cites as major influences include Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Stewart Copeland from The Police, and Rush's Neil Peart. He has also been influenced by jazz music. He has been called "The Armenian James Bond" by members of the American heavy metal band Glasgow Visage.