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Hall of Fame drummer Earl Palmer dead at 84

48 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Earl Palmer, the session drummer whose pioneering backbeats were recorded on such classics as Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin,'" has died. He was 84.

Palmer died Friday at his Los Angeles home after fighting a lengthy illness, his spokesman Kevin Sasaki said.

Born in New Orleans in 1924 and later moving to Los Angeles, Palmer worked extensively in both cities, recording with some of the music world's all-time greats on thousands of tracks.

His beats form the backdrop on Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High," Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" and "I Hear You Knockin'" by Smiley Lewis.

From his Los Angeles home, Palmer drummed for music producer Phil Spector and Motown, and his session credits include artists as diverse as the Monkees, Neil Young and Frank Sinatra.

Palmer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. According to the institution's Web site, Little Richard wrote in his autobiography that Palmer "is probably the greatest session drummer of all time."

Palmer married four times and is survived by his seven children.

He was sitting in the aisle right across from me at the Stones last show at Dodger Stadium.

Was in a wheelchair and looked pretty fragile.

RIP

RIP Earl.

I'm sure we'll see a lot of local press about Earl Palmer here in New Orleans.
I'll try and post the articles when I find them.

This has been a terrible week for the Grim Reaper taking away much loved musicians. Earl was the quitessential rock n roll drummer and leaves a huge legacy. I'm sure Charlie, Ringo, Keith Moon and John Bonham were fans to name just a few out of thousands. God bless you Earl. We salute you.

indeed: thanks & praises, love & light

[blog.nola.com]

[offbeat.com]

what a resume!

earl palmer some say invented the rock and roll backbeat..

fabulous player...

He actually didn't play on "River Deep, Mountain High". A guy named Hal Blaine did. He, however, was a tremendous drummer with a great resume.

On a side note, "River Deep, Mountain High" was one of the most energetic, exciting, alive songs ever recorded. It is one of the underrated great songs of all time. Masterfully produced, perfectly put together, and unmatched energy. A true classic.

Quote
DaveG
On a side note, "River Deep, Mountain High" was one of the most energetic, exciting, alive songs ever recorded. It is one of the underrated great songs of all time. Masterfully produced, perfectly put together, and unmatched energy. A true classic.

ok... any other songs Earl Palmer didn't play on that you want to mention here?