Craig Krampf (August 25, 1945 – April 16, 2026) was an American drummer, percussionist, arranger, record producer and songwriter.
The majority of his notable credits are as a studio drummer. Since the 1970s, he played on albums by other artists, including Steve Perry, Alabama, Kim Carnes, Flo & Eddie, Alice Cooper, and Melissa Etheridge. Additionally, Krampf and Perry were founding members of the short-lived rock group Alien Project.
As a songwriter, his biggest hit was with Perry's "Oh Sherrie" (co-written with Perry, Randy Goodrum, and Bill Cuomo), which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[ Billboard.com] Besides "Oh Sherrie," Krampf co-wrote three other songs on Perry's Street Talk album, including "Strung Out", which made it to #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also co-wrote a song with Carnes and Duane Hitchings—"I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is"—on the Grammy Award-winning Flashdance (1983) soundtrack.
As a producer, his most notable credit is for producing Ashley Cleveland's "Big Town" (1991, Atlantic Records),"Big Town." Big Town (Musical CD, 1991) WorldCat. Worldcat.org, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2013. Krampf also produced Disappear Fear's self-titled studio album (1994, Rounder Records).
Krampf died in Nashville on April 17, 2026, at the age of 80.Noted Percussionist/Producer/Songwriter Craig Krampf Passes
Partial résumé Kim Carnes – "Bette Davis Eyes", "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)", Romance Dance, Mistaken Identity, Voyeur, Café Racers, Barking at Airplanes, Light House, View from the House Alice Cooper – Special Forces, Zipper Catches Skin Paul Stanley – Paul Stanley Lita Ford – Lita Cher – "Skin Deep" Richard Simmons – Reach Jane Wiedlin – Jane Wiedlin Randy Meisner – One More Song Timothy B. Schmit – Playin' It Cool Joan Armatrading – "Drop the Pilot" Steve Perry – Street Talk The Motels – "Only the Lonely" Melissa Etheridge – "Bring Me Some Water" Pam Tillis – Above and Beyond the Doll of Cutey Patty Loveless – "You Can Feel Bad" Tanya Tucker – "Can't Run from Yourself" Nick Gilder – "City Nights" Silver Condor (feat. Joe Cerisano) – "Trouble At Home"
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