Earl Palmer

Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of all time and played on thousands of recordings, including nearly all of Little Richard's hits, many of Fats Domino's hits, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers, and a long list of classic TV and film soundtracks. According to one obituary, "his list of credits read like a Who's Who of American popular music of the last 60 years".

Biography

Born into a show-business family in New Orleans and raised in the Tremé district, Palmer started his career at five as a tap dancer, joining his mother and aunt on the black vaudeville circuit in its twilight and touring the country extensively with Ida Cox's Darktown Scandals Review. His father is thought to have been the local pianist and bandleader Walter "Fats" Pichon.

Palmer was 12 when he headlined a floor show at the Rhythm Club in New Orleans, "a very beautiful spot where one can enjoy a floor show, headed by Alvin Howey and Little Earl Palmer".

Palmer served in the United States Army during World War II and was posted in the European theatre. His biographer wrote,

After the war ended Palmer studied piano and percussion at the Grunewald School of Music in New Orleans, where he also learned to read music. He started drumming with the Dave Bartholomew Band in the late 1940s. In the film, he performs "Rip It Up" with guest vocalist Ivan Neville and house band.

Palmer is also interviewed in the 2008 documentary film about Los Angeles session musicians, The Wrecking Crew.

Palmer died in September 2008, in Banning, California, after a long illness. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Personal life Palmer married four times and had seven children.

Awards In 2000, Palmer became one of the first session musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Hollywood Flames "Buzz-Buzz-Buzz" 11 December 2, 1957 Bobby Day, lead singer Little Richard "Lucille" 21 April 6, 1957 Little Richard "Jenny Jenny" 10 June 24, 1957 Bob Luman "Red Hot" Ricky Nelson "I'm Walkin'" 4 May 6, 1957 Palmer had previously charted with the Fats Domino original version of this song Ricky Nelson "Be-Bop Baby" 3 October 7, 1957 Larry Williams "Slow Down" Recorded September 11, 1957 Song later recorded by The Beatles Larry Williams "Short Fat Fanny" 5 July 8, 1957 Larry Williams "Bony Moronie" 14 November 11, 1957 Song later covered by John Lennon Percy Mayfield "Please Believe Me" 1958 Artist Song title Highest position on US charts Miscellaneous Eddie Cochran "Summertime Blues" #8 August 25, 1958 Bobby Day "The Bluebird, the Buzzard and the Oriole" Bobby Day "Rockin' Robin" #2 August 4, 1958 Bobby Day "Over and Over" #41 Covered by the Dave Clark Five for a #1 hit Doris Day "Everybody Loves a Lover" #6 August 4, 1958 Eddie Cochran "Jeannie Jeannie Jeannie" #94 Fats Domino "I Hear You Knocking" Previously (1955) recorded with Smiley Lewis Don and Dewey "Koko Joe" Recorded March 27, 1958 Song written by Sonny Bono and released as a single for The Righteous Brothers in 1963 Jan and Arnie "Jennie Lee" #8 Jan and Arnie later changed their name to Jan and Dean Johnny Otis Show "Willie and the Hand Jive" #9 Little Richard "Good Golly, Miss Molly" #10 Art and Dotty Todd "Chanson D'Amour" #6 The Burnette BrothersJohnny Burnette & Dorsey Burnette "Warm Love, Boppin' Rosalie" Recorded February 5, 1958 Eugene Church "Pretty Girls Everywhere" Ritchie Valens "Come On, Let's Go"#42 Ritchie Valens "Donna" #2, 12/15/58 Ritchie Valens "La Bamba" #22, 1/19/59 Larry Williams "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" Later covered by The Beatles Sheb Wooley "The Purple People Eater" #1 Remained #1 for 14 weeks

1959 Artist Song title Highest position on US charts Miscellaneous Edd Byrnes "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" #4 The female voice on the song is Connie Stevens Eddie Cochran "Teenage Heaven" #99 Anita Bryant "Till There Was You" #30 Ernie Fields "In the Mood" #4 Don and Dewey "Farmer John" Don and Dewey "Pink Champagne" Jan and Dean "Baby Talk" #10 Chan Romero "Hippy Hippy Shake" Later covered many times, notably by The Swinging Blue Jeans April Stevens "Teach Me Tiger" Don Ralke "Bourbon Street Beat" Connie Stevens "Sixteen Reasons" #3 The Teddy Bears "Oh Why" Larry Williams "Bad Boy" Recorded by The Beatles in 1964 Ritchie Valens "Stay Beside Me"

1960 Artist Song title Highest position on US charts Miscellaneous Bobby Vee "Devil or Angel" #6 Bobby Vee "Rubber Ball" #6 Bobby Bare "Book of Love" Dante & the Evergreens "Alley Oop" #15 Dinah Washington "Love Walked In" Walter Brennan "Dutchman's Gold" #30 Dorsey Burnette "Hey Little One" #48

1961 Artist Song title Highest position on US charts Miscellaneous B. Bumble and the Stingers "Bumble Boogie" #21 A reworking of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee B. Bumble and the Stingers "Nut Rocker" #23 A reworking of Tchaikovsky's March of the Toy Soldiers, Nutcracker ballet Glen Campbell "Turn Around, Look at Me" #62 Timi Yuro "Hurt" #4 Jimmy Witherspoon "Warm Your Heart" The Castelles "Sacred" Bobby Vee "Run to Him" #2 Bobby Vee "Take Good Care of My Baby" #1 Paul Anka "Dance On Little Girl" #10 Sam Cooke "Cupid" #17 Sam Cooke "Twisting the Night Away" #9 Bobby Darin "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" #5 Simms Twins "Soothe Me" #5 on the US R&B charts Written by Sam Cooke Jackie DeShannon "Heaven Is Being with You" The Fleetwoods "Tragedy" #10 The Fleetwoods "(He's) The Great Imposter" #30 Lou Rawls "Above My Head" The Lettermen "When I Fall in Love" #7 Gene McDaniels "Chip Chip" #10 Gene McDaniels "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" #3 Gene McDaniels "Tower of Strength" #5

1962 Artist Song title Highest position on US charts Miscellaneous Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass "The Lonely Bull" #6 Walter Brennan "Mama Sang a Song" Vicki Carr "He's a Rebel" #115 Ray Charles "I Can't Stop Loving You" #1 Ray Charles "You Don't Know Me" #2 Nat King Cole "Ramblin' Rose" #2 Johnny Crawford "Cindy's Birthday" #8 Bobby Darin "You're the Reason I'm Living" #3 Duane Eddy "Ballad of Paladin" #33 Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the top 100 Western songs of all time (#36). The Everly Brothers "Don't Ask Me to Be Friends" #48 Ketty Lester "Love Letters" #5 Willie Nelson "Half a Man" #25 on the US Country charts Clifford Scott "The Kangaroo/Skee-dattle to Seattle" Frank Sinatra "Everybody's Twistin'" Bobby Vee "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" #3

1963 Artist Song title Highest position on US charts Miscellaneous Roy Clark "Through the Eyes of a Fool" #128, #31 on Country chart Bobby Darin "Treat My Baby Good" #43 The Everly Brothers "It's Been Nice (Goodnight)" #101 Jan and Dean "Drag City" #10 Jan and Dean "Surf City" #1