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.

Birth and Death Data: Born Shreveport (parish seat of Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States), Died December 31, 1997 (Nashville (capital and largest city of Tennessee, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1952 - 1969

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, organ

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 484 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 9326 4/12/1956 Jimmie Rodgers' last blue yodel The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9327 4/12/1956 Travelin' blues The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9409 6/12/1956 You're the only good thing The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9410 6/12/1956 I've got the blues for Mammy The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9411 6/12/1956 I dreamed of an old love affair The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9412 6/12/1956 I know my baby loves me in her own peculiar way The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9413 6/13/1956 Mississippi gal The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9414 6/13/1956 There's no fool like a young fool The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9415 6/13/1956 I knew the moment I lost you The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9416 6/13/1956 You're breaking my heart The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9417 6/14/1956 When a soldier knocks and finds nobody home The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9418 6/14/1956 This troubled mind o' mine The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9419 6/14/1956 My hillbilly baby The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9420 6/14/1956 Daisy May The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9512 9/11/1956 Beside you Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9513 9/11/1956 I'm counting on you Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9514 9/11/1956 They can't take your love Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9515 9/11/1956 I'm tired of pretending Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9516 9/12/1956 Oh! so many years Webb Pierce ; Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9517 9/12/1956 One week later Webb Pierce ; Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9518 9/12/1956 When I'm with you Webb Pierce ; Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9519 9/12/1956 Can you find it in your heart Webb Pierce ; Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9520 9/13/1956 Repenting Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9521 9/13/1956 I guess I'll go on dreaming Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
Decca NA 9522 9/13/1956 Each day Kitty Wells instrumentalist, piano  
(Results 26-50 of 484 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cramer, Floyd," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/202179.

Cramer, Floyd. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/202179.

"Cramer, Floyd." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/202179

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