What can you tell us about the life and career of Floyd Cramer?
—Harvey and Tere, Hutchings, Tolarosa, N.M.
One of the most popular and distinctive piano players of all time, Cramer was born Oct. 27, 1933, in Campti, La. (pop. 1,057). After a stint as a performer on The Louisiana Hayride, the live radio show based in Shreveport, La., he moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1955 and soon was in high demand for recording sessions. Cramer perfected a melancholy, "slip note" style of piano playing, sliding up to a note from the one beneath it, which became his trademark on numerous country hits of the 1950s and '60s, and most notably on his own hit single, "Last Date," in 1960. He died of cancer on Dec. 31, 1997.
