About Me
Earl Palmer (October 25, 1924 - September 19, 2008) grew up in New Orleans and later moved to Los Angeles, impacting the music scenes in both cities as a first-call session drummer.
From 1950 to 1957, Palmer's powerful backbeat and mastery of second-line shuffle rhythms made him a much in-demand percussionist in his hometown. He was hired by bandleader Dave Bartholomew in 1947 after a stint in the army and recorded extensively with Bartholomew protege Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Smiley Lewis and other New Orleans artists at Cosimo Matassa's famed J&M studio.
He also played on the seminal rock and roll recordings of Little Richard, who wrote in his autobiography that Palmer "is probably the greatest session drummer of all time."
Lured to California to work for Aladdin Records in 1957, he's played on literally thousands of rock, jazz, R&B and soundtrack sessions over the years. From his home base in Los Angeles, Palmer drummed for producer Phil Spector and for Motown.
His list of session credits includes artists as diverse as Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Duane Eddy, Frank Sinatra, the Monkees, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Otis, Neil Young and Elvis Costello.
Though Palmer's first love was jazz—"I lived in a jazz world," he allowed in his 1999 autobiography Backbeat: Earl Palmer's Story—he laid the foundation for rock and roll drumming with his solid stickwork and feverish backbeat.
September 19, 2008: Earl Palmer, 84, Legendary Session Drummer, Is Dead
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Earl Palmer, the session drummer whose pioneering backbeats were recorded on such classics as Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," has died. He was 84.
Drummer Earl Palmer worked with musical legends such as Little Richard and Fats Domino.
Palmer died Friday at his Los Angeles home after fighting a lengthy illness.
Born in New Orleans in 1924 and later moving to Los Angeles, Palmer worked extensively in both cities, recording with some of the music world's all-time greats on thousands of tracks.
His beats form the backdrop on Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High," Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" and "I Hear You Knockin"' by Smiley Lewis.
From his Los Angeles home, Palmer drummed for music producer Phil Spector and Motown, and his session credits include artists as diverse as the Monkees, Neil Young and Frank Sinatra.
Palmer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. According to the institution's Web site, Little Richard wrote in his autobiography that Palmer "is probably the greatest session drummer of all time."
Palmer married four times and is survived by his seven children.
cnn.com
