Craig Krampf is an American musician and songwriter. The majority of his notable credits are as a studio drummer.



Craig Krampf was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His father was a railroad engineer who would bring home records with almost every paycheck influencing Craig and his older brother, Carl, from an early age.



“It was a lot of ethnic music, a lot of polka and waltzes,” said Krampf, “but still there was big band stuff in there - Glenn Miller and whatever the hits were of the day - sometimes even used records out of jukeboxes.”



When his brother started playing the accordion at age 10, Craig would ‘accompany’ him. “There were drumsticks in the house - why they were there, I don’t know,” Krampf laughed, “but they were there and I literally started playing pots and pans and a wooden chair along with Carl on the accordion. I really think it was from listening to all that music and I kind of knew what the drums were supposed to do.”



When he was 8, Krampf got his own $40 set of Sears drums and played them until the heads broke. At that point, his parents realized his talent and he began building a professional drum set one piece at a time. “I played my first gig when I was 9,” Krampf recalled, “a communion party - all polkas and waltzes.”



Since the 1970s, Craig Krampf has played on over 200 albums by many artists ranging from Steve Perry and aul Stanley, to Alabama to Kim Carnes to Flo and Eddie to Alice Cooper to Melissa Etheridge. Craig Krampf, along with Perry, were founding members of the short-lived rock group Alien Project.



As a songwriter, Craig Krampf's biggest hit was with Steve Perry's Oh Sherrie, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Craig Craig Krampf also 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 Kim Carnes and Duane Hitchings, I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is, on the Grammy-winning Flashdance soundtrack.



As a producer, Craig Krampf's most notable credit is for producing Ashley Cleveland's 'Big Town' (1991, Atlantic Records). Krampf also produced Disappear Fear's self-titled album (1994, Rounder Records).