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". |
Birth and Death Data: Born New Orleans (largest city of the state of Louisiana, United States), Died September 19, 2008 (Banning (city in Riverside County, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1969
Roles Represented in DAHR: drums, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 108 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial | IM-274 | 10-in. | April, 1951 | Bee's boogie | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-276 | 10-in. | April, 1951 | My baby was right | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-451 | 10-in. | 6/3/1952 | The bells are ringing | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-452 | 10-in. | 6/3/1952 | Lillie Mae | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-455 | 10-in. | June, 1952 | Lavinia | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-456 | 10-in. | June, 1952 | I live my life | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-457 | 10-in. | June, 1952 | Good times | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-458 | 10-in. | June, 1952 | A day is coming | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-515 | 10-in. | November, 1952 | Who drank the beer while I was in the rear | Dave Bartholomew | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-569 | 10-in. | 2/9/1953 | I'm crying | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-570 | 10-in. | 2/9/1953 | Rack ‘em back | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-571 | 10-in. | 2/9/1953 | I'm a young man | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-572 | 10-in. | 2/9/1953 | Angel child | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-593 | 10-in. | May, 1953 | The wedding bells are ringing | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-594 | 10-in. | May, 1953 | Meant for me | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-601 | 10-in. | 7/27/1953 | I love you for sentimental reasons | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-603 | 10-in. | 7/27/1953 | Little Fernandez | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-604 | 10-in. | 7/27/1953 | It's music | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-621 | 10-in. | 8/26/1953 | Texas hop | Dave Bartholomew | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-659 | 10-in. | 12/31/1953 | Joe the grinder | The Hawks | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-660 | 10-in. | December, 1953 | It ain't that way | The Hawks | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-661 | 10-in. | December, 1953 | Candy girl | The Hawks | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-662 | 10-in. | December, 1953 | I-yi | The Hawks | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-680 | 10-in. | 1/7/1954 | Baby's gone | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-681 | 10-in. | 1/7/1954 | Sister lucy | Bobby Mitchell ; The Toppers | instrumentalist, drums |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Palmer, Earl," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/336198.
Palmer, Earl. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/336198.
"Palmer, Earl." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Earl Palmer
Discogs: Earl Palmer
Allmusic: Earl Palmer
Grove: Earl Palmer
RILM: Earl Palmer
IMDb: Earl Palmer
Britannica: Earl Palmer
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Palmer, Earl - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84040525
Wikidata: Earl Palmer - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q710357
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/19867618
MusicBrainz: Earl Palmer - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a4c717c6-fda3-4707-aa82-34345c85ae94
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/137018 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/137018
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