A tribute to Floyd Cramer .

1 MP3 Songs in this album (3:11) !
Related styles: COUNTRY: Honky Tonk, COUNTRY: Traditional Country

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Known as the mystery man of Texas country music, Mike Runnels has been praised for his âknack of recreating the sounds and styles of the days when country music was at its purest,â as Music News Nashville observes. Having won critical acclaim and radio play across North America and Europe and even in Japan, Runnels now delivers another winning slice of true country with his latest single release, âLast Date,â a salute to the musical spirit and style of pianist Floyd Cramer.

Taking its cue from the 1960 #2 instrumental pop hit of the same name that introduced Cramerâs influential âslip noteâ style to the world, âLast Dateâ is a new Runnels original whose melody and even lyrics resonate with the no-nonsense country music values of some six decades ago while renewing them for the modern age. The track features Cramer-inspired piano work from Grammy-winning Texas keyboard master Floyd Domino, known for his work with Asleep at the Wheel, Merle Haggard, George Strait and many others, and praised by Cramer himself, who noted, âLike me, Floyd plays from the heart, it's real and I can hear it in every note he plays.â The song also boasts steel guitar by Herb Steiner, whose credits include playing and recording with Linda Ronstadt, Alvin Crow, Michael Martin Murphey, Jerry Jeff Walker, Johnny Bush, Gary P. Nunn and a host of other notables.

Over the last decade, the Austin-based Runnels has some created some of the finest pure country music for the modern age on his albums Top of the World, One More Time, Donât Tell Candy and most recently Jukebox Boulevard. Reviewers and radio broadcasters here and abroad have praised his âgood and solid honky-tonk songsâ as âwonderful,â âperfect,â âassured,â âextremely listenableâ and âjust the music we love.â

Floyd Cramer is a member of both the Country Music and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame whose piano playing made an indelible imprint on American popular music. First making his mark as the pianist for the legendary Louisiana Hayride, Cramer became Nashvilleâs first-call A-team session piano player in the mid 1950s. âLast Dateâ established him as a hit recording artist (and even reached #3 on the Black Music chart), and was soon followed by such Top 10 instrumental pop hits as âOn The Reboundâ and âSan Antonio Rose.â He played piano on Elvis Presleyâs first national hit, âHeartbreak Hotel,â as well as singles and albums by Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee, Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins, The Everly Brothers, Don Gibson and countless others.

âI see myself and my art as a tribute to the legendary artists of country music,â explains Runnels. âIâm influenced by them and live in their shadows. And I do my little part to keep this sound alive.ââ¨
More information on and music by Mike Runnels can be found at www.mikerunnels.com and www.myspace.com/mikerunnels.