Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer | |
|---|---|
Honky Tonk, Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Years active | 1953−1980 |
| Labels | Abbott |
Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American
Nashville A-Team and he performed on scores of hit records
. Biography
Cramer was born in
radio show Louisiana Hayride, with a banjo-bass-and-drums combo. His earliest recordings, on the Abbott
label, carry the credit "Featuring Floyd Cramer on the Piano with Louisiana Hayride Band".
After
RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel
". While Cramer was well-established as a session player, he had a long career as a solo performer with dozens of his own albums and singles, including some Top 40 instrumental hits.
Cramer had released records under his own name since the early 1950s and became well known following the release of "
gold disc. The song was kept out of the number 1 position by Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"[9]
The session pianist for Elvis's recording of that #1 song, in a very early morning session (about 4:00 AM) at RCA Studio B in Nashville, was none other than Floyd Cramer himself.
Trying to launch myself on a solo career, after being Elvis Presley's pianist for so long, placed me in an unenviable position. Some people thought I was trying to cash in. If I had wanted to cash in on my association with Elvis, I would have done it five years ago.
In 1961, Cramer had a hit with "
San Antonio Rose
" (number 8).
By the mid-1960s, Cramer had become a respected performer, making numerous albums and touring with guitar maestro
saxophonist Boots Randolph, sometimes headlining and sometimes as the opening act for Eddy Arnold. Cramer also performed with them as a member of the Million Dollar Band
.
Cramer died of
Spring Hill Cemetery in the Nashville suburb of Madison, Tennessee
.
Legacy
Cramer’s grandson, Jason Coleman, followed in his footsteps taking up the piano, performing with him on television and in concert at a young age. At age 17, he played "
Country Music Hall of Fame
. He carries on his grandfather's legacy with recordings and a touring tribute concert, The Piano Magic of Floyd Cramer, sharing the piano arrangements and story of Cramer's contributions to American music.
Awards
In 2003, Cramer was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, his recording of "Last Date" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, established to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. In 2008, Cramer was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City, Tennessee, offers the Floyd Cramer Competitive Scholarship.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1957 | That Honky Tonk Piano | — | — | MGM Records |
| 1960 | Hello Blues | — | — | RCA Victor
|
| 1961 | Last Date | — | — | |
| On the Rebound | — | 70 | ||
| 1962 | America's Biggest Selling Pianist | — | — | |
| Floyd Cramer Gets Organ-ized | — | 113 | ||
| I Remember Hank Williams | — | 130 | ||
| 1963 | Swing Along with Floyd Cramer | — | — | |
| Comin' On | — | — | ||
| Three Great Pianos (with Peter Nero and Frankie Carle) | — | — | ||
| 1964 | Country Piano-City Strings | — | — | |
| Cramer at the Console | — | — | ||
| The Best of Floyd Cramer | — | — | ||
| 1965 | Hits from the Country Hall of Fame | 10 | — | |
| Class of '65 | — | 107 | ||
| The Magic Touch of Floyd Cramer | — | — | ||
| 1966 | The Distinctive Piano Style of Floyd Cramer | — | — | |
| Only the Big Ones | — | — | ||
| Class of '66 | — | 123 | ||
| 1967 | Night Train | — | — | |
| Here's What's Happening! | 20 | 166 | ||
| Floyd Cramer Plays the Monkees | — | — | ||
| Class of '67 | 21 | — | ||
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas | — | 26 | ||
| 1968 | Floyd Cramer Plays Country Classics | 16 | — | |
| Class of '68 | — | — | ||
| Floyd Cramer Plays MacArthur Park | 36 | — | ||
| The Best of Floyd Cramer Volume 2 | — | — | ||
| 1969 | Class of '69 | 31 | — | |
| Floyd Cramer Plays More Country Classics | 17 | — | ||
| 1970 | The Big Ones, Vol. 2 | — | 183 | |
| With the Music City Pops | — | — | ||
| This Is Floyd Cramer | 39 | — | ||
| Class of '70 | 43 | — | ||
| 1971 | Almost Persuaded | — | — | |
| Chet, Floyd & Boots (with Chet Atkins and Boots Randolph) | — | — | ||
| Sounds of Sunday | 44 | — | ||
| Class of '71 | 34 | — | ||
| 1972 | Detours | — | — | |
| Class of '72 | — | — | ||
Best of the Class of Floyd Cramer
|
— | — | ||
| Date with Floyd Cramer | — | — | ||
| 1973 | Floyd Cramer Plays the Big Hits | — | — | |
| Super Country Hits | — | — | ||
| Class of '73 | 34 | — | ||
| 1974 | Young and Restless | — | — | |
| Spotlight On | — | — | ||
| Floyd Cramer in Concert | 25 | — | ||
| 1975 | Piano Masterpieces 1900–1975 | — | — | |
| Class of '74 and '75 | — | — | ||
| 1976 | Floyd Cramer Country | 46 | — | |
| 1977 | Floyd Cramer & the Keyboard Kick Band | 50 | — | |
| Chet, Floyd & Danny (with Chet Atkins and Danny Davis) | 46 | — | ||
| 1978 | Looking for Mr. Goodbar | — | — | |
| 1979 | Super Hits | — | — | |
| 1980 | Dallas | 29 | 170 | |
| 1981 | Great Country Hits | — | — | |
| The Best of the West | — | — | ||
| 1982 | 20 of the Best | — | — | |
| 1985 | Collector's Date | — | — | |
| Country Classics | — | — | Pair Records | |
| 1988 | Special Songs of Love | — | — | Step One Records |
| Country Gold | — | — | ||
| Just Me and My Piano | — | — | ||
| 1989 | Forever Floyd Cramer | — | — | |
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas | — | — | ||
| Originals | — | — | ||
| 1991 | Gospel Classics | — | — | |
| 1994 | The Piano Magic of Floyd Cramer | — | — | Ranwood
|
| 1995 | Favorite Country Hits 1 | — | — | |
| 1996 | The Piano Magic of Floyd Cramer 2 | — | — | |
| 1997 | Blue Skies | — | — | |
| Favorite Country Hits 2 | — | — | ||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [12] |
US Country | US R&B | US AC | UK
| |||
| 1953 | "Fancy Pants" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1958 | "Flip Flop and Bop" | 87 | — | — | — | — | Last Date |
| 1960 | "Last Date" | 2 | 11 | 3 | — | — | |
| 1961 | "On the Rebound" | 4 | — | 16 | — | 1 | On the Rebound |
| " San Antonio Rose "
|
8 | 8 | — | 3 | 36 | ||
| "Your Last Goodbye" | 63 | — | — | — | — | America's Biggest Selling Pianist | |
| "Hang On" | 95 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | 36 | — | — | 9 | — | (single only) |
| "Let's Go" | 90 | — | — | — | — | Floyd Cramer Gets Organ-ized | |
| "Lovesick Blues" | 87 | — | — | 20 | — | I Remember Hank Williams | |
| "Hot Pepper" | 63 | — | — | — | 46 | (singles only) | |
| "Swing Low" | 110 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Losers Weepers" | 127 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963 | "Java" | 49 | — | — | 12 | — | Swing Along with Floyd Cramer |
| "(These Are) The Young Years" | 129 | — | — | — | — | Comin' On | |
| "How High the Moon" | 121 | — | — | — | — | (single only) | |
| "Heartless Heart" | 124 | — | — | — | — | Country Piano-City Strings | |
| 1967 | "Stood Up" | — | 53 | — | 24 | — | (single only) |
| 1968 | "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" | — | — | — | 32 | — | |
| 1970 | "Theme from 222" | — | — | — | 39 | — | |
| 1977 | "Rhythm of the Rain" | — | 67 | — | — | — | Floyd Cramer & the Keyboard Kick Band |
| 1980 | "Dallas"A | 104 | 32 | — | 34 | — | Dallas |
- A"Dallas", a Country Tracks chart in Canada.
See also
References
- ^ "Country Music Hall of Fame To Welcome Floyd Cramer and Carl Smith". bmi.com. Broadcast Music. August 13, 2003. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Floyd Cramer". allmusic.com. AllMusic/Netaktion. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Floyd Cramer, 64, Pianist With a Nashville Sound". The New York Times. January 2, 1998. p. D–7. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Fulks, Sonny. "Remembering Floyd Cramer . . . and one last date!". pressprosmagazine.com. PressPros Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Jimmy Day". allmusic.com. AllMusic, Netaktion. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^ "Floyd Cramer" Archived 2015-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^ Chet Atkins interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
- ^ "Last Date" is the closing theme of Ray Hadley's radio show on Sydney's radio station 2GB.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 100. CN 5585.
- ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
Other sources
- Escott, Colin (1998), "Floyd Cramer". In Paul Kingsbury (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Country Music, New York: Oxford University Press., pp. 117–18.
External links
- Rockhall.com
- Spaceagepop.com
- "Floyd Cramer". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Floyd Cramer at Find a Grave
- Floyd Cramer recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
- Jason Coleman, grandson of Floyd Cramer
| International | |
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