David "Panama" Francis, drummer, 82

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

November 15, 2001 Posted: 10:58 AM EST (1558 GMT)

Drummer Francis dies

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- David "Panama" Francis, whose drumming was
featured both in top Harlem nightclubs and legendary rock songs, died
Tuesday after a stroke. He was 82. 

Francis' career spanned seven decades. He first reached fame in the
late 1930s playing with the Savoy Sultans -- described by Dizzy
Gillespie as "the swingingest band there ever was" -- at the Savoy
Ballroom in Harlem. 

The Sultans re-emerged four decades later under Francis' leadership and
drumming expertise. The Sultans were awarded The Best Big Band by the
New York Jazz Society in 1980 and received Grammy nominations for two
of their six albums. 

When pop became a viable genre in the 1950s, Francis' services were in
demand and he became one of the top studio drummers of the era. 

His stickwork can be heard accompanying Buddy Holly ("Peggy Sue"), The
Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man"), The
Platters ("Only You," "The Great Pretender," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
and "My Prayer"), Bobby Darin ("Splish Splash") and Neil Sedaka
("Calendar Girl"). 

Francis' rhythm-and-blues recordings include "Prisoner of Love" for
James Brown, "What a Difference a Day Makes" for Dinah Washington,
"Drown in My Own Tears" for Ray Charles, and "Jim Dandy" for Laverne
Baker. 

Francis' autobiography, "David Gets His Drum," was published in 1999. 

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