News
Earl Palmer 1924 – 2008
Gary Cooper Sep 30 2008, 9:32am
Top session drummer leaves legacy of some of the finest songs in popular music
Earl Palmer, who has died aged 84, was arguably the greatest of all the Rock and Roll drummers – with a credits list that spanned the golden years and fans who included Charlie Watts and Shelly Manne.
Palmer played on hits such as Little Richard's Tutti Frutti, The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Ike and Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, Fats Domino's The Fat Man and I’m Walkin’ as well as Smiley Lewis’s I Hear You Knockin', Ritchie Valens’s La Bamba, Bobby Day’s Rockin’ Robin and Kitty Lester’s Love Letters. Among the countless artists with whom he worked were Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Neil Young, Marvin Gaye and The Beach Boys.
Earl Palmer was born on October 25, 1924 in the Tremé district of New Orleans. Growing up in New Orleans, Palmer was exposed to music from birth and after wartime service, immediately found a place at a local school of music, after which he found employment, including regular gigs at the legendary Dew Drop Inn - where he first encountered the young Fats Domino.
In 1950, Palmer backed Domino on his million selling record The Fat Man and that set the trend for much of Palmer’s future as perhaps the ultimate American session drummer of his generation. Playing sessions by day and gigs by night, in 1955 he created a unique style of backbeat Rock and Roll drumming when he was booked to record the first of a a string of hits by Little Richard, including Long Tall Sally, Tutti Frutti, Lucille and Good Golly Miss Molly.
Soon after, Palmer moved to California where he began a second career, moving beyond the confines of Rock and Roll to embrace a diversity of styles. In 1999 he published a biography, appropriately entitled Backbeat.
NAMM Historian/Librarian Dan Del Fiorentino, who knew Palmer well said: “Earl was an incredible person, a warm and dear friend and his drumming career was iconic. He was a pioneer who was just trying to raise a family, a creative craftsman who was often surprised by the influence he had on newer generations of percussionists and drummers, but most of all he was a gentleman who loved making music - and it showed.
“Earl was interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program and a tribute video clip will be posted on the NAMM web site in tribute to Earl. Some of us remember when Earl came down to Carlsbad during the Museum of Making Music’s drum series in 2002. Earl provided a special tour of the museum with NAMM CEO Joe Lamond and took part in a panel discussion with Remo Belli.
“He will be missed, lucky for us he can be heard most every time we turn on the radio.”
