The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word STARR
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
T
A
R
R
More clues leading to the result STARR
- Rush up north for Jewish bond
- Drummer among first arrivals
- Great performer, furthest back of four
- Best replacement, a bit less than stellar?
- British musician, illustrious, welcomes queen
- Put station next to railroad for Ringo
- Ringo, an outstanding performer for the audience!
- Listen to lead member of the Beatles
- Percussionist hero accompanying Romeo
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Percussionist" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case percussionist = starr.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.