Floyd Cramer Piano Style: Country and Western Piano Pleasures

Some musicians are true naturals. This certainly is true of Floyd Cramer, who learned to play the piano by ear at the age of five. Once he refined his raw talent, Floyd Cramer was on his way to being a musician others would seek when recording. Today, Floyd Cramer’s legacy is the wealth of music recordings that display his elegant style of piano playing. Floyd Cramer piano style has become a legend.

Born on October 27, 1933 in Samti, Louisiana, near Shreveport, Floyd Cramer subsequently grew up in Huttig Arkansas. He taught himself to play piano and returned to Louisiana in 1951. He proceeded to play in the studio band on the popular radio show Louisiana Hayride. In 1955, he migrated to Nashville, Tenn.

In Nashville, Floyd Cramer’s skills were apparent, and he became an in-demand studio musician for country and western recordings. The piano was an instrument that this genre’s artists were using more in their music. As a studio musician, he played for Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers and more.

While being a studio musician was his specialty, Floyd Cramer did record solo albums too. In fact, in his career he recorded more than 50 albums under his name. In the early 1960s, he had three Top 100 Hits. Two of these were “Last Date” and “On the Rebound,” both original compositions. The third hit was his rendition of the Bob Wills hit “San Antonio Rose.”

Floyd Cramer did state that he felt the song “Last Date” was a good one for piano students. He said the song is an exercise for both hands. “Last Date” has solid left hand patterns. The song also makes a pianist play a dominant melody with the right hand. It provides for good interplay between the left and right hand.

In the 1960s, Floyd Cramer did touring with the guitarist Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph. Chet Atkins was the producer of Floyd Cramer’s albums with RCA. For approximately two decades, the pianist worked for the recording giant.

Floyd Cramer’s signature style was his Slip Note or Bent Note sound. This style involved hitting a note and then immediately sliding into the next note. He noted that he was trying to fashion this sound after Mother Maybelle Carter’s auto harp playing.

This signature style was part of the Nashville sound prevalent in country and western music of that era. The Nashville sound of that time was a polished, slick form of country music. It employed ultra smooth production values. In addition, songs of this period often had lush background vocals. Floyd Cramer was one of the pioneers or architects of this Nashville sound.

Floyd Cramer won a Grammy Award in 1979 for Best Country Instrumental. This was for his song “My Blue Eyes.” In 2003, he received a double honor, posthumous. This was the year he received induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Today, biographies often label him as a true American Hall of Fame pianist.

Along with his music, Floyd Cramer employed other means to give to others. He funded a music scholarship at East Tennessee State University. He also worked each year to help organize an annual music festival in Nashville.

Though known for his contributions to the country and western music canon, Floyd Cramer played other styles as well. He was proficient in gospel, light classical and jazz music too. He never felt he should play only one style of music. He recorded versions of many popular top 40 tunes, such as “Mona Lisa,” “Music Box Dancer,” “Spanish Eyes” and “The Summer Wind.”

Floyd Cramer died on December 31, 1997 from cancer, at 64. He left the world a myriad recordings of beautiful music. From his country and western gems to his offerings in other styles, Floyd Cramer was a true professional musician. Whether on his own, or backing others in the studio, he has left us a treasure trove of recorded music.

Here is his video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DONI-EfZrqM

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