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| Robert Palmer |
| Born: 1-19-1949 Died: 9-26-2003 ........from a heart attack. |
| The singer was born in Batley, Yorkshire, in 1949, but spent the majority of his youth on the island of Malta. At the age of 19, Palmer returned to England where he sang with the Alan Bown Set and a soul group, Vinegar Joe, before beginning a solo career in 1974. He debuted with "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley," recorded with members of Little Feat and the Meters. With 1975's "Pressure Drop," he tackled reggae, a trend furthered following a move to Nassau prior to 1978's "Double Fun," which featured Palmer's first hit, "Every Kinda People." With 1979's self-produced "Secrets," his music moved into more rock-oriented territory, as typified by the single "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)." Palmer's stylistic experimentation continued with 1980's "Clues," a foray into synth-pop aided by Gary Numan and Talking Heads' Chris Frantz which yielded the club hit "Looking for Clues." After 1983's "Pride," Palmer teamed with the Duran Duran side project Power Station, scoring hits with the singles "Some Like It Hot" and "Get It On" (a T. Rex cover), which returned the singer to overt rock territory. After exiting the band prior to a planned tour, Palmer recorded the 1985 solo album "Riptide," a sleek collection of guitar rock which scored a number one hit with "Addicted To Love," the first in a string of videos which offered him in front of a bevy of beautiful women. The follow-up, "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On," continued to play with the sex symbol image and hit number two, as did "Simply Irresistible," the first single from 1988's "Heavy Nova." By 1990's "Don't Explain," Palmer returned to the eclecticism of his earliest material; without any attendant soft-core videos, sales plummeted, but he stuck to his guns for 1992's "Ridin' High," a collection of Tin Pan Alley and cabaret chestnuts. Two years later, Palmer's wide array of worldbeat influences cropped up again on "Honey," which also featured guitar work from Extreme axeman Nino Bettencourt. "Woke Up Laughing" followed in 1998, it was an adventurous, if somewhat odd, collection of non-hit album tracks remixed and in some cases re-recorded. "Rhythm & Blues," a slick set of adult contemporary pop, came out in 1999 to lukewarm sales and reviews. After a live album in 2001, Palmer bounced back with the future blues of 2003's "Drive." In September Palmer, who had lived in Switzerland for 16 years, was staying in the French capital with his partner, Mary Ambrose, after traveling from the United Kingdom where he had been recording a TV show. He suffered a heart attack in the early morning hours and the world lost a class act entertainer. |
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