CMT News

The late Floyd Cramer, whose slip note piano style helped define the "Nashville Sound" during the early 1960s, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "sidemen" category. Known for his 1960 hit, "Last Date," Cramer was a successful solo performer, but his work as a Nashville studio musician included sessions with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers and many top country acts. Cramer, who died in 1997 at the age of 64, is not a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. This year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sidemen inductees include two other session musicians -- L.A.-based saxophonist Steve Douglas and Motown drummer Benny Benjamin. DreamWorks Records executive Mo Ostin will be inducted in the non-performer category during the March 10, 2003 ceremony in New York City. During his tenure as head of Warner Bros. Records, Ostin helped nurture the careers of Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Neil Young and Randy Newman, among others. 12/9/02