Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signature playing style was a cornerstone of the pop-oriented "Nashville sound" of the 1950s and 1960s. Cramer's "slip-note" or "bent-note" style, in which a passing note slides almost instantly into or away from a chordal note, influenced a generation of pianists. His sound became popular to the degree that he stepped out of his role as a sideman and began touring as a solo act. In 1960, his piano instrumental solo, "Last Date" went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart and sold over one million copies. Its follow-up, "On the Rebound", topped the UK Singles Chart in 1961. As a studio musician, he became one of a cadre of elite players dubbed the Nashville A-Team and he performed on scores of hit records. |
Birth and Death Data: Born October 27, 1933 (Shreveport), Died December 31, 1997 (Nashville)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1952 - 1969
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, organ
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 472 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | NA 2656 | 2/29/1952 | That heart belongs to me | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2657 | 2/29/1952 | I just can't be true | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2658 | 2/29/1952 | So used to loving you | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2659 | 2/29/1952 | I haven't got the heart | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2702 | 4/21/1952 | Slowly | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2703 | 4/21/1952 | The last waltz | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2704 | 4/21/1952 | Bow Thy head | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2705 | 4/21/1952 | Country church | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2812 | 7/29/1952 | Back street affair | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 2813 | 7/29/1952 | I'm only wishin' | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9278 | 1/24/1956 | If I never had anything else | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9279 | 1/24/1956 | So doggone lonesome | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9325 | 4/12/1956 | Old love letters (bring memories of you) | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9326 | 4/12/1956 | Jimmie Rodgers' last blue yodel | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9327 | 4/12/1956 | Travelin' blues | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9409 | 6/12/1956 | You're the only good thing | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9410 | 6/12/1956 | I've got the blues for Mammy | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9411 | 6/12/1956 | I dreamed of an old love affair | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9412 | 6/12/1956 | I know my baby loves me in her own peculiar way | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9413 | 6/13/1956 | Mississippi gal | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9414 | 6/13/1956 | There's no fool like a young fool | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9415 | 6/13/1956 | I knew the moment I lost you | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9416 | 6/13/1956 | You're breaking my heart | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9417 | 6/14/1956 | When a soldier knocks and finds nobody home | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | NA 9418 | 6/14/1956 | This troubled mind o' mine | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cramer, Floyd," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/202179.
Cramer, Floyd. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/202179.
"Cramer, Floyd." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Floyd Cramer
Discogs: Floyd Cramer
Allmusic: Floyd Cramer
Grove: Floyd Cramer
IMDb: Floyd Cramer
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cramer, Floyd, 1933-1997 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n95112842
Wikidata: Floyd Cramer - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q969629
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/24786776
MusicBrainz: Floyd Cramer - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a7921b29-671a-4378-8a61-539cf73d7588
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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