# Floyd Cramer

Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "whole-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.

## Biography

Cramer was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas. He taught himself to play the piano. After finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a ragtime pianist for the 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 Elvis Presley performed on Louisiana Hayride in 1955, he hired his own band which included Cramer, Jimmy Day, Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana. This group remained his supporting band for much of that year; however, when Presley asked them to relocate to Hollywood, Cramer and Day declined to follow him there, preferring to remain in Nashville to pursue independent careers as studio musicians. In Nashville, Cramer found that piano accompaniment in country music was growing in popularity. By the next year he was, in his words, "in day and night doing session". Before long, he was 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, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson, and the Everly Brothers, among others. It was Cramer's piano playing, for instance, on Presley's first 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 "Last Date", a 45-rpm single, released by RCA Victor in 1960. The instrumental piece exhibited a relatively new concept in piano playing known as the "slip note" style. The record went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The song was kept out of the number 1 position by Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" 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 "On the Rebound", which went to number 4, and number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. ("On the Rebound" was featured during the opening credits of the 2009 Oscar-nominated film An Education, which was set in England in 1961.) Also 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 Chet Atkins and 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 lung cancer on New Year's Eve, 1997, at the age of 64. He was interred in the 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 "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", the first song to feature Cramer's signature slip notes, with Hank Locklin at the Grand Ole Opry, and two years later played piano for the Medallion Ceremony at Cramer's induction into the 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 | Chart Positions | Label |
| Year | Album | US Country | US | Label |
| 1957 | That Honky Tonk Piano | — | — | MGM Records |
| 1960 | Hello Blues | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1961 | Last Date | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1961 | On the Rebound | — | 70 | RCA Victor |
| 1962 | America's Biggest Selling Pianist | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1962 | Floyd Cramer Gets Organ-ized | — | 113 | RCA Victor |
| 1962 | I Remember Hank Williams | — | 130 | RCA Victor |
| 1963 | Swing Along with Floyd Cramer | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1963 | Comin' On | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1963 | Three Great Pianos (with Peter Nero and Frankie Carle) | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1964 | Country Piano-City Strings | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1964 | Cramer at the Console | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1964 | The Best of Floyd Cramer | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1965 | Hits from the Country Hall of Fame | 10 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1965 | Class of '65 | — | 107 | RCA Victor |
| 1965 | The Magic Touch of Floyd Cramer | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1966 | The Distinctive Piano Style of Floyd Cramer | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1966 | Only the Big Ones | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1966 | Class of '66 | — | 123 | RCA Victor |
| 1967 | Night Train | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1967 | Here's What's Happening! | 20 | 166 | RCA Victor |
| 1967 | Floyd Cramer Plays the Monkees | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1967 | Class of '67 | 21 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1967 | We Wish You a Merry Christmas | — | 26 | RCA Victor |
| 1968 | Floyd Cramer Plays Country Classics | 16 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1968 | Class of '68 | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1968 | Floyd Cramer Plays MacArthur Park | 36 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1968 | The Best of Floyd Cramer Volume 2 | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1969 | Class of '69 | 31 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1969 | Floyd Cramer Plays More Country Classics | 17 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1970 | The Big Ones, Vol. 2 | — | 183 | RCA Victor |
| 1970 | With the Music City Pops | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1970 | This Is Floyd Cramer | 39 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1970 | Class of '70 | 43 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1971 | Almost Persuaded | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1971 | Chet, Floyd & Boots (with Chet Atkins and Boots Randolph) | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1971 | Sounds of Sunday | 44 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1971 | Class of '71 | 34 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1972 | Detours | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1972 | Class of '72 | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1972 | Best of the Class of Floyd Cramer | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1972 | Date with Floyd Cramer | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1973 | Floyd Cramer Plays the Big Hits | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1973 | Super Country Hits | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1973 | Class of '73 | 34 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1974 | Young and Restless | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1974 | Spotlight On | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1974 | Floyd Cramer in Concert | 25 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1975 | Piano Masterpieces 1900–1975 | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1975 | Class of '74 and '75 | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1976 | Floyd Cramer Country | 46 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1977 | Floyd Cramer & the Keyboard Kick Band | 50 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1977 | Chet, Floyd & Danny (with Chet Atkins and Danny Davis) | 46 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1978 | Looking for Mr. Goodbar | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1979 | Super Hits | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1980 | Dallas | 29 | 170 | RCA Victor |
| 1981 | Great Country Hits | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1981 | The Best of the West | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1982 | 20 of the Best | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1985 | Collector's Date | — | — | RCA Victor |
| 1985 | Country Classics | — | — | Pair Records |
| 1988 | Special Songs of Love | — | — | Step One Records |
| 1988 | Country Gold | — | — | Step One Records |
| 1988 | Just Me and My Piano | — | — | Step One Records |
| 1989 | Forever Floyd Cramer | — | — | Step One Records |
| 1989 | We Wish You a Merry Christmas | — | — | Step One Records |
| 1989 | Originals | — | — | Step One Records |
| 1991 | Gospel Classics | — | — | Step One Records |
| 1994 | The Piano Magic of Floyd Cramer | — | — | Ranwood |
| 1995 | Favorite Country Hits 1 | — | — | Ranwood |
| 1996 | The Piano Magic of Floyd Cramer 2 | — | — | Ranwood |
| 1997 | Blue Skies | — | — | Ranwood |
| 1997 | Favorite Country Hits 2 | — | — | Ranwood |

### Singles

| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Album |
| Year | Single | US | US Country | US R&B | US AC | UK | Album |
| 1953 | "Fancy Pants" | | — | — | — | — |
| 1958 | "Flip Flop and Bop" | 87 | — | — | — | — | Last Date |
| 1960 | "Last Date" | 2 | 11 | 3 | — | — | Last Date |
| 1961 | "On the Rebound" | 4 | — | 16 | — | 1 | On the Rebound |
| 1961 | "San Antonio Rose" | 8 | 8 | — | 3 | 36 | On the Rebound |
| 1961 | "Your Last Goodbye" | 63 | — | — | — | — | America's Biggest Selling Pianist |
| 1961 | "Hang On" | 95 | — | — | — | — | America's Biggest Selling Pianist |
| 1962 | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | 36 | — | — | 9 | — | (single only) |
| 1962 | "Let's Go" | 90 | — | — | — | — | Floyd Cramer Gets Organ-ized |
| 1962 | "Lovesick Blues" | 87 | — | — | 20 | — | I Remember Hank Williams |
| 1962 | "Hot Pepper" | 63 | — | — | — | 46 | (singles only) |
| 1962 | "Swing Low" | 110 | — | — | — | — | (singles only) |
| 1962 | "Losers Weepers" | 127 | — | — | — | — | (singles only) |
| 1963 | "Java" | 49 | — | — | 12 | — | Swing Along with Floyd Cramer |
| 1963 | "(These Are) The Young Years" | 129 | — | — | — | — | Comin' On |
| 1963 | "How High the Moon" | 121 | — | — | — | — | (single only) |
| 1963 | "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 cover version of the theme to the popular TV series, peaked at No. 8 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.