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 1-25 of 108 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | HCO97365 | 10-in. | between 5/23 and 25/1968 | Ain't that a lot of love | Taj Mahal | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Columbia | HCO97688 | 10-in. | 10/3/1968 | You don't miss your water (till your well runs dry) | Taj Mahal | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Columbia | HCO106001 | 10-in. | 6/10/1969 | Six days on the road | Taj Mahal | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Columbia | HCO106310 | 10-in. | 6/11/1969 | Take a giant step | Taj Mahal | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, drums | |
| Atlantic | 1173 | 10-in. | November 1953 | In the night | Professor Longhair and his Blues Scholars | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Atlantic | 1174 | 10-in. | November 1953 | Tipitina | Professor Longhair and his Blues Scholars | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-112 | 10-in. | 11/29/1949 | Boogie woogie mama | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-113 | 10-in. | 11/29/1949 | Shrewsbury blues | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-114 | 10-in. | 11/29/1949 | Early dawn boogie | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-115 | 10-in. | 11/29/1949 | Lonely man blues | Tommy Ridgley | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-118 | 10-in. | 11/29/1949 | Don't marry too soon | Jewel King | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-119 | 10-in. | 11/29/1949 | 3 x 7 = 21 | Jewel King | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-134 | 10-in. | 12/10/1949 | Hide away blues | Fats Domino | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-135 | 10-in. | 12/10/1949 | She's my baby | Fats Domino | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-136 | 10-in. | January, 1950 | Brand new baby | Fats Domino | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-139 | 10-in. | January, 1950 | Hey! la bas boogie | Fats Domino | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-152 | 10-in. | January or February, 1950 | Carnival day | Dave Bartholomew | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-153 | 10-in. | January or February, 1950 | That's how you got killed before | Dave Bartholomew | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-160 | 10-in. | March, 1950 | Tee-nah-nah | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-161 | 10-in. | March, 1950 | Lowdown | Smiley Lewis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-190 | 10-in. | April, 1950 | Story to tell | Dave Bartholomew Orchestra ; Joe Turner | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-191 | 10-in. | April, 1950 | Jumpin' tonight | Dave Bartholomew Orchestra ; Joe Turner | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-215 | 10-in. | 9/30/1950 | Korea blues | Fats Domino | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-216 | 10-in. | 9/30/1950 | Every night about this time | Fats Domino | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Imperial | IM-217 | 10-in. | Early September, 1950 | Careless love | Dave Bartholomew's Band ; Fats Domino | instrumentalist, drums |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Palmer, Earl," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/336198.
Palmer, Earl. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/336198.
"Palmer, Earl." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 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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