He had been suffering from congestive heart failure, said his daughter Summer Harman, who confirmed his death.
Mr. Harman played on an estimated 18,000 recordings, many of them major hits, in a career of more than five decades. He worked most sessions with the celebrated “A Team" of studio musicians who shaped the Nashville Sound of the 1950s and '60s, performing on Cash's “Ring of Fire," Roger Miller's “King of the Road" and Tammy Wynette's “Stand by Your Man," along with scores of hits by Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Ray Price and others.
Mr. Harman also made his mark on the pop charts, making distinctive contributions to records like the Everly Brothers' “Bye Bye Love," Presley's “Little Sister," Simon and Garfunkel's “Boxer" (as a percussionist) and Brenda Lee's “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." He played -- bass, not drums -- on Ringo Starr's 1970 country album, “Beaucoups of Blues."
Versatility and imagination were among Mr. Harman's great strengths as a musician. He could play everything from big-beat rock 'n' roll, as demonstrated by his pile-driving 4/4 on Roy Orbison's “Oh, Pretty Woman," to intimate cocktail jazz, as heard on his empathetic brushwork on Cline's “Crazy."
Drums were not commonly used in country music when Mr. Harman started working sessions in Nashville in the early 1950s. Later that decade, when he became the first house drummer for the Grand Ole Opry, he had to play behind a curtain because drums were not allowed on the show's stage at the time. Before long, though, Mr. Harman had established his instrument as an integral voice in modern country music.
Murrey Mizell Harman Jr. was born Dec. 23, 1928, in Nashville. His mother, who played drums in the family band, was an early musical inspiration, along with jazz players like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.
