Floyd Cramer
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Biography
Floyd Cramer
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cramer grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas, teaching himself to play the piano. After finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a pianist for the Louisiana Hayride radio show.
In 1952, he made his way to Nashville at a time when the use of piano accompanists in country music was growing in popularity. Before long, Cramer would become one of the busiest studio musicians in the industry, playing piano for stars such as Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, The Browns, Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and the Everly Brothers, and many others. It is Cramer’s piano that is heard, for example, on Presley’s first national hit, “Heartbreak Hotel.”
However, Cramer remained a virtual unknown to anyone but music industry insiders until he recorded a 45 rpm single in 1960 called “Last Date.” An instrumental, the music exhibited a relatively new concept for piano playing known as the “slip note” style. The record went to Number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. By the mid-1960s, Cramer had become a respected performer, making numerous record albums and touring with guitar maestro Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph.
Floyd Cramer died of lung cancer in 1997 at the age of 64 and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in the Nashville suburb of Madison, Tennessee.
Top Tracks
Top Albums
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The Essential Floyd Cramer
23,548 listeners21 tracks
Released:
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Piano Masterpieces 1900-1975
4,232 listeners10 tracks
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Collector's Series
7,972 listeners9 tracks
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Countrypolitan Piano / The First Four Albums
407 listeners48 tracks
Released:
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davidgeorgea
Thank you Marjo (*_*) Delightful
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mad_grinder
on the rebound from *an education* the best i`ve ever heard.as if it was modern
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Grablelegs
Love his music,
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henry352
Rhythm of the Rain is my favorite
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Like it.
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Vote for a new picture.
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huBelial
I love his work!
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Psytasya
Adoro Floyd Cramer
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TheMusicMaestro
one of the top 10 piano players of all -time!
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Ramez05
he plays piano very well
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