Essay:Earl Palmer

Earl Palmer (October 25, 1924 - September 19, 2008) was one of Rock and Roll's all time great musicians. Session drummer Palmer played on some the genre's most endearing songs including: (and if you don't know ALL these songs, we need to talk, seriously)


 * Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Lloyd Price - 1952
 * Ain't that a Shame (and most others by Fats) - Fats Domino - 1955
 * I Hear you Knockin'  - Smiley Lewis - 1955
 * Feel so Good - Shirley and Lee - 1955
 * Tutti-Frutti (and most others by LR) - Little Richard - 1956
 * Chicken Shack Boogie - Amos Milburn - 1956
 * Ooh-Wee Baby - Art Neville - 1956
 * You Send Me - Sam Cooke - 1957
 * Leavin it all Up to You (and the rest of D&D's stuff) - Don and Dewey - 1957
 * Little Bitty Pretty One - Thurston Harris - 1957
 * Buzz, Buzz, Buzz - Hollywood Flames - 1957
 * Be-Bop Baby (and more) Ricky Nelson - 1957
 * Bony Maronie - (and most songs by) Larry Williams- 1957
 * Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran - 1958
 * Rockin Robin - Bobby Day - 1957
 * Everybody Loves a Lover - Doris Day - 1957
 * Willie and the Hand Jive - Johnny Otis - 1957
 * La Bamba - Richie Valens - 1957
 * Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley - 1957
 * Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb - Ed Byrnes & Connie Stevens - 1959
 * Hippy Hippy Shake - Chan Romero - 1959
 * Book of Love - Bobby Bare - 1960
 * Dutchman's Gold - Walter Brennan - 1960
 * Take Good Care of My Baby - Bobby Vee - 1960 - #1 Hit
 * Love Walked In - Dinah Washington - 1960
 * Dance On Little Girl - Paul Anka - 1961
 * Turn Around, Look at Me - Glen Campbell - 1960
 * You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby - Bobby Darin - 1961
 * Heaven is Being With You - Jackie DeShannon - 1961
 * (He's the ) Great Impostor - Fleetwoods
 * When I Fall in Love - Lettermen - 1961
 * A Dollar Down - Limelighters - 1961
 * Gene McDaniels - A Hundred Pounds of Clay'' - 1961
 * Above My Head - Lou Rawls - 1961
 * Hurt_ Timi Yuro - 1961
 * The Lonely Bull - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - 1962
 * ''Till there Was You - Anita Bryant - 1962 or 1959
 * I Can't Stop Lovin' You - Ray charles - 1962
 * Ramblin Rose - Nat King Cole - 1962
 * Ballad of Paladin (Have Gun, Will Travel) - Duane Eddy - 1962
 * Don't Ask Me To Be Friends - Every Brothers - 1962
 * Everybody's Twistin' - Frank Sinatra (hard to find) - 1962
 * Half a Man - Willie Nelson - 1962
 * Surf City - Jan and Dean - 1963 - #1 Hit
 * Rave On - Waylon Jennings - 1963
 * Deep Purple - Nino Tempo and April Stevens - 1963 - #1 Hit
 * Can't Get Used to Loosing You - Andy Williams - 1963
 * Please Let Me love You - Beefeaters, later the Byrds - 1963
 * You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling (and much of the rest of the RB song book)- Righteous Brothers - 1964 - #1 Hit
 * You Baby - Ronettes - 1964
 * Baby the Rain Must Fall - Glen Yarbrough - 1964
 * Please Let Me Wonder - Beach Boys - 1965
 * Theme from Payton Place - Stan Kenton - 1965
 * What Now My Love - Sonny & Cher - 1965
 * A Lover's Concerto - Supremes - 1965
 * River Deep, Mountain High - Ike and Tina Turner - 1966
 * Misty Roses - Tim Hardin - 1966
 * Niki Hoeky - P.J. Proby - 1966
 * Tapioca Tundra' - Monkees - 1967
 * Legend of Paul Revere - Paul Revere and the Raiders - 1967
 * World (Part 1) - James Brown - 1969
 * Constipation Blues (needs to be heard to be believed)

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - 1969

And the end of the 1960s seems like a good place to stop. This list will more or less (hard to get some of these tunes) make up the play list for next Thursday's OMAR's Dance Party - Live on KLDK. Not web cast, for those who might ask. Also not web cast for those who won't.

Palmer was inducted (or was it indicted ? Depends on what you think about those folks) into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 - the first year that session musicians were allowed this somewhat dubious distinction.

Christian fundamentalists, notable those who can up with the equation" Music + beat = Satan " were never big fans of Palmer or the music that he produced. From its very beginnings rock & roll was seen as being a challenge to the authority of America's (and probably Britain's and much of the rest of the world's) Elders. The music the Palmer played on was much of the reason for it. The banning of the playing and performing of R& B and R&R began almost as soon as the music hit the streets.

It is this editor's intention to more fully explore the relationship between Earl Palmer's music and this web site. Care to join me?

Earl Palmer songs covered by the Beatles
and a few more covered by the solo John Lennon
 * 1) Long Tall Sally
 * 2) Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey
 * 3) Bad Boy
 * 4) Dizzy Miss Lizzie
 * 5) Slow down
 * 6) Lucille
 * 7) Ooh my Soul
 * 1) Rip it up
 * 2) Ready Teddy
 * 3) Ain't that a shame
 * 4) Slippin' and slidin'
 * 5) Bony Morone

The world
will miss the man but the music will live on.