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 1-25 of 484 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | G2WB-0218 | 10-in. | 1/11/1956 | I was the one | Elvis Presley | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO48805 | 10-in. | 1/18/1953 | I'm looking for love | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO48807 | 10-in. | 1/18/1953 | Don't let your pride break your heart | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO48808 | 10-in. | 1/18/1953 | I didn't have the nerve it took to go | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO49077 | 10-in. | 3/8/1953 | Mexican Joe | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO49996 | 10-in. | 9/27/1953 | I got lost along the way | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO49997 | 10-in. | 9/27/1953 | I can't keep the girls away | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO52848 | 10-in. | 12/2/1954 | Let me hear from you | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO52849 | 10-in. | 12/2/1954 | Hey! | Billy Walker | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO55807 | 10-in. | 3/1/1956 | Crazy arms | Ray Price | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO55808 | 10-in. | 3/1/1956 | You done me wrong | Ray Price | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO56863 | 10-in. | 9/3/1956 | I've got a new heartache | Ray Price | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Decca | NA 2656 | 2/29/1952 | That heart belongs to me | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2657 | 2/29/1952 | I just can't be true | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2658 | 2/29/1952 | So used to loving you | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2659 | 2/29/1952 | I haven't got the heart | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2702 | 4/21/1952 | Slowly | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2703 | 4/21/1952 | The last waltz | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2704 | 4/21/1952 | Bow Thy head | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2705 | 4/21/1952 | Country church | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2812 | 7/29/1952 | Back street affair | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 2813 | 7/29/1952 | I'm only wishin' | Webb Pierce | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 9278 | 1/24/1956 | If I never had anything else | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 9279 | 1/24/1956 | So doggone lonesome | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano | |||
| Decca | NA 9325 | 4/12/1956 | Old love letters (bring memories of you) | The Texas Troubadours ; Ernest Tubb | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cramer, Floyd," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/202179.
Cramer, Floyd. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/202179.
"Cramer, Floyd." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Floyd Cramer
Discogs: Floyd Cramer
Allmusic: Floyd Cramer
Grove: Floyd Cramer
IMDb: Floyd Cramer
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cramer, Floyd, 1933-1997 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n95112842
Wikidata: Floyd Cramer - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q969629
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/24786776
MusicBrainz: Floyd Cramer - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a7921b29-671a-4378-8a61-539cf73d7588
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1524762 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1524762
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.
