The legendary New Orleans session drummer Earl Palmer had one of the most influential and storied careers in popular music. From the time he joined the leading New Orleans bandleader Dave Bartholomew's band in 1947, Palmer participated in just about all the key New Orleans R&B sessions, including such seminal recordings as Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti." In the process, Palmer's driving "backbeat" helped to define the unique rhythms of the newly emerging rock & roll genre. Moving to Los Angeles through his association with Aladdin Records, Palmer then went on to a long and fruitful residence in the L.A. studios, and played on countless albums, including that of The Beach Boys, The Monkees, and Frank Sinatra, in addition to highly lucrative film and TV work. Earl Palmer died in Los Angeles in 2008 at the age of 83.