Drum and Drummer

The Beach Boys' rhythm section: Brian & Dennis.

Remembering the "father of rock and roll drumming" Earl Palmer who was born on this date October 25, 1924 in New Orleans, LA.

Born into a show-business family in New Orleans and raised in the Tremé district, Palmer started his career at five as a tap dancer, joining his mother and aunt on the black vaudeville circuit in its twilight and touring the country extensively with Ida Cox's Darktown Scandals Review.

Palmer served in the United States Army during World War II and was posted in the European theatre.

After the war ended Palmer studied piano and percussion at the Gruenwald School of Music in New Orleans, where he also learned to read music. He started drumming with the Dave Bartholomew Band in the late 1940s. Palmer was known for playing on New Orleans recording sessions, including Fats Dominos "The Fat Man" and "I'm Walkin" (and several more of Domino's hits), "Tipitina" by Professor Longhair, "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard (and most of Richard's hits), "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" by Lloyd Price, and "I Hear You Knockin'" by Smiley Lewis.

Palmer left New Orleans for Hollywood in 1957, initially working for Aladdin Records. . He soon started working with The Wrecking Crew The musicians union tracked Palmer playing on 450 dates in 1967 alone.

For more than 30 years he played drums on the soundtracks of many movies and television shows. Amongst the many artists he worked with were Frank Sinatra, Phil Spector, Ricky Nelson - Singer, Bobby Vee, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Eddie Cochran - Singer, Ritchie Valens, Bobby Day, Don and Dewey, Jan & Dean, The Beach Boys, Larry Williams, Gene McDaniels, Bobby Darin, Neil Young, the Pets, The Byrds when they were still known as The Beefeaters and B. Bumble and the Stingers. He also played in jazz sessions with David Axelrod, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Bostic, Onzy Matthews, and Count Basie, and he contributed to blues recordings by B. B. King. He remained in demand as a drummer throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1982, Palmer was elected treasurer of the Local 47 of the American Federation of Musicians. He served until he was defeated in 1984. He was re-elected in 1990.

In later years, Palmer played with a jazz trio in Los Angeles. In 2000, Palmer became one of the first session musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Palmer died in September 2008, in Banning, California, after a long illness.