The Golden Belt Community Concert Association will present an encore performance of Jason Coleman with “The Legacy of Floyd Cramer” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Great Bend Municipal Auditorium, Lakin and Stone. The concert is available to concert association members. Full-time students will be admitted to the concert for a $5 donation at the door. The auditorium will open at 6:30 p.m.
Coleman, who is Cramer’s grandson, plays in the signature style of his grandfather, the Nashville pianist and musical legend of the 1960s. Coleman made his first appearance on the GBCCA stage in March 2011, garnering the enthusiasm and high praise of those in attendance.
In his concerts, Coleman highlights the far-reaching influence of his grandfather’s “slip notes” as he plays a nostalgic lineup of country, pop and easy listening standards, including many that featured Cramer on the original recordings or were his own self-penned hits.
Coleman has played the piano since he was barely able to reach the keys. Over time, his playing style has matured into an uncanny reflection of his grandfather’s own artistry. He now enjoys entertaining audiences by giving new life to Cramer’s music.
He began taking piano lessons at age 5 and continued for the next eight years. He sang when he was only 2 years old on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry at one of Cramer’s concerts. Coleman performed twice with his grandfather on national TV. At age 4, he sang while Floyd played on “Nashville Now,” hosted by Ralph Emery. As a 9-year-old, he played a memorable Christmas piano duet with his grandfather on “Music City Tonight,” hosted by Lorraine Crook and Crystal Gayle. Coleman also remembers playing on occasion at his grandfather’s live concerts.
Throughout his school years, he was constantly involved in church musicals and school choirs as both a vocalist and accompanist. After high school, Coleman continued his studies at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University in Nashville. In May 2006, he graduated magna cum laude at the age of 21.
Coleman made his own Grand Ole Opry debut at age 17, when country music legend Hank Locklin asked him to play the piano for him on the classic song, “Please Help Me, I’m Falling,” which Cramer originally recorded with Locklin more than 40 years before. Undoubtedly, the highlight of Coleman’s burgeoning musical career occurred in May 2004, when he was given the honor of playing for the Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony recognizing Cramer’s induction into the Hall of Fame.
Since then, Coleman has taken to the studio and the stage for his own career. In 2010, after years of headlining local and regional concerts, Coleman embarked on his first-ever nationwide concert tour – “The Legacy of Floyd Cramer” – bringing his music to more than 70 cities across the United States.
Following the tremendous audience response to his first tour, Coleman is currently carrying on with these popular concerts, doing his part to ensure that “the legacy continues.” Coleman makes his home in Hendersonville, Tenn., with his wife, Natalie.