Earl Palmer - A Legend Passes

By Mochilla | September 19, 2008

This year really makes one realize the fragility of this whole life thing. Today at the grand age of 84 – a legend passed on. He fueled so many great hits its hard to know where to start. Earl Palmer was from The Black Vaudeville era. He came from New Orleans and through his tap dancing he learnt to drum. This drumming defined Rock’n’Roll drumming. His hits with Little Richard and Fats Domino engraved the “swamp beat” as David Axelrod has called it into the American psyche. The music Earl made with Axelrod became the raw materials of mid nineties hiphop. Thats how we met Earl – first on the video for Midnight in a Perfect World

and then later in Keepintime.

Earl was so great. Damn we will miss him. Much love to all the family and especially Penny our homie.