Robert Palmer | |
|---|---|
 Palmer in 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Robert Allen Palmer (1949-01-19)19 January 1949 Batley,West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 26 September 2003(2003-09-26) (aged 54) Paris,France |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Robert Palmer discography |
| Years active | 1964–2003 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
Spouse | |
Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice,sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combiningsoul,funk,jazz,rock,pop,reggae andblues. His 1985 song "Addicted to Love" and its accompanying video came to "epitomise the glamour and excesses of the 1980s".[1]
Having begun in the music industry in the 1960s, Palmer had a spell withVinegar Joe in the 1970s and then found success in the 1980s. It came both in his solo career and withthe Power Station, scoring Top 10 hits in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2][3] Three of his hit singles, including "Addicted to Love", featured music videos directed by British fashion photographerTerence Donovan.[4]
Palmer received a number of awards throughout his career, including twoGrammy Awards forBest Male Rock Vocal Performance and anMTV Video Music Award. He was also nominated for theBrit Award forBritish Male Solo Artist in both 1987 and 1989.[5][6] He died at the age of 54 from a heart attack.
Palmer was born in 1949 inBatley.[1] When he was only a few months old, he and his family moved toMalta,[7] where his father worked in Britishnaval intelligence.[1][8] He was influenced as a child byblues,soul, andjazz music played onAmerican Forces Radio[8] and by his parents' musical tastes.[1] His family returned to the UK when he was 12.[9]
In his teens,[8] Palmer moved toScarborough.[10] He joined his first band, the Mandrakes, at the age of 15[1] while still atScarborough High School for Boys. He left school the next year, after obtaining sixO-levels[11] and briefly studied art at Scarborough School of Art & Design, before landing a job at theScarborough Evening News. He was reportedly fired after police found "the stub of a cannabis joint in a raid on his bedsit".[9]
Palmer's first major break came with the departure of singerJess Roden from the bandthe Alan Bown Set in 1969, after which Palmer was invited to London to sing on the band's single "Gypsy Girl".[12] The vocals for the albumThe Alan Bown!, originally recorded by Roden (and released in the US that way), were re-recorded by Palmer after the success of the single. According to music journalist Paul Lester, Palmer rose from northern clubs in England to become "elegant and sophisticated" and the master of several styles.[10]
In 1970, he joined the 12-piecejazz-rock fusion bandDada, which featured singerElkie Brooks and her husbandPete Gage. After a year, Palmer, Brooks, and Gage formedsoul/rock bandVinegar Joe. Palmer played rhythm guitar in the band and shared lead vocals with Brooks. Signed to theIsland Records label, the band released three albums:Vinegar Joe (1972),Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies (1972), andSix Star General (1973), before disbanding in March 1974.[12][13] Brooks later said Palmer "was a very good-looking guy", and that female fans were happy to find that Brooks and Palmer were not romantically linked.[14]
Island Records signed Palmer to a solo deal in 1974.[3] His first solo album,Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, recorded in 1974 inNew Orleans was heavily influenced by the music ofLittle Feat and the funk fusion ofthe Meters, who acted as the backing band along with producer/guitaristLowell George of Little Feat.[12] Unsuccessful in the UK, both the album and single reached the top 100 in the US.[12] Notably, "Sailin' Shoes" (the album's first track, and a Little Feat cover), Palmer's own "Hey Julia" and theAllen Toussaint-penned title track carry virtually the same rhythm, and were packaged on the album as a "trilogy" without a pause between them.
After relocating with his wife to New York City, Palmer releasedPressure Drop, named for the cover version of thereggae hit byToots and the Maytals, in November 1975 (featuringMotown bassistJames Jamerson).[12] He toured with Little Feat to promote thereggae and rock infused album.[12][3] With the failure of follow-up albumSome People Can Do What They Like, Palmer decided to move toNassau, Bahamas directly across the street fromCompass Point Studios.[12]
In 1978, he releasedDouble Fun, a collection ofCaribbean-influenced rock, including acover ofthe Kinks' "You Really Got Me". The album reached the top 50 on the USBillboard chart and scored a top 20 single with theAndy Fraser-penned "Every Kinda People" which featuredPhilly Sound bassistBob Babbitt.[12] The song has been covered by other artists includingChaka Demus and Pliers,Randy Crawford,the Mint Juleps (produced byTrevor Horn), andAmy Grant. It reached number 16 on theBillboard Hot 100.[12]
Palmer's next album was an artistic departure, concentrating on pure rock.[12] 1979'sSecrets produced his second top 20 single withMoon Martin's "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)".[12] The number 14 hit also gave Palmer his secondBillboard Hot 100 year-end chart hit. The following year saw the release ofClues, produced by Palmer and featuringChris Frantz andGary Numan, which generated hits on both sides of theAtlantic, first with the radio-friendly single "Johnny and Mary" and then "Looking for Clues".[12] Catchy music videos matching thesynth-pop stylings ofnew wave gave him much-needed exposure to a younger audience. The success was repeated with the 1982 EP release ofSome Guys Have All the Luck.[12] Going into the 1980s, Palmer's increasing commercial success as a performer fuelled his work as a producer, including on Jamaican ska legendDesmond Dekker's 1981 albumCompass Point. In 1984, he helped Island label-mateJohn Martyn in the production of his albumSapphire.
April 1983 saw the release ofPride. While not as commercially successful asClues, it featured the title song and Palmer's cover ofthe System's "You Are in My System", with the System'sDavid Frank on keyboards.[12] On 31 May 1983, Palmer's concert at theHammersmith Palais was recorded and broadcast onBBC Radio 1.[15] On 23 July 1983, he performed atDuran Duran's charity concert at Aston Villa football ground striking up friendships with members ofDuran Duran which later spawned thesupergroupthe Power Station.
When Duran Duran went on hiatus, guitaristAndy Taylor and bassistJohn Taylor joined formerChic drummerTony Thompson and Palmer to formthe Power Station.[3] Their albumThe Power Station, recorded mainly atthe New York recording studio after which the band was named, with overdubs and mixing atCompass Point Studios inNassau, reached the top 20 in the UK and the top 10 in the US. It spawned two hit singles with "Some Like It Hot" (US number 6) and acover of theT. Rex song "Get It On (Bang a Gong)", which peaked one position higher than the original at US number nine. Palmer performed live with the band only once that year, onSaturday Night Live. The band toured and playedLive Aid, with singerMichael Des Barres after Palmer bowed out at the last moment to go back into the recording studio and further his solo career.
Some critics described Palmer's abandonment of the tour as being unprofessional. InNumber One magazine, he countered the claims that he joined the band for money: "Firstly, I didn't need the money and, secondly the cash was a long time coming. It wasn't exactly an experience that set me up for retirement."[16] He also was accused of ripping off the Power Station sound for his own records. He responded, "Listen, I gave the Power Station that sound. They took it from me, not the other way around."[16]
Palmer recorded the albumRiptide at Compass Point Studios in 1985, recruiting Thompson and Andy Taylor to play on some tracks plus Power Station record producerBernard Edwards, who worked with Thompson in Chic, to helm the production.Riptide featured the single "Addicted to Love", which reached number 1 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom.[17][18][19] The single was accompanied by a memorable and much-imitated music video, directed byTerence Donovan, in which Palmer is surrounded by a bevy of near-identically clad, heavily made-up female models simulating musicians.[12] Donovan also directed videos for thehits "Simply Irresistible" and "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On". All three videos contain similar elements, with women in heavy makeup and with near identical clothes and appearances.[2] In September 1986, Palmer performed "Addicted to Love" at the1986 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.[20] In 1987, he won theGrammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Addicted to Love". At the 1987Brit Awards, Palmer received his first nomination for Best British Male.[5]
Another single fromRiptide, his cover ofCherrelle's "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", also performed well (US number two, UK number nine).[12] Another song, "Trick Bag", was written by one of his major influences, New Orleans R&B artistEarl King.
Concerned about the rising crime rate in Nassau and having landed a deal withEMI, Palmer moved toLugano, Switzerland in 1987 and set up his own recording studio.[3] ProducingHeavy Nova in 1988, Palmer returned to experimenting this time withbossa nova rhythms, heavy rock and white-soul balladeering. He repeated his previous success of "Addicted to Love" with the video of "Simply Irresistible", again with a troupe of female dancers in heavy makeup. The song reached number two in the US and was Palmer's final top ten hit there. Theballad "She Makes My Day" also proved to be a hit in the UK, peaking at number 6.[12] In 1989, he won a secondGrammy for "Simply Irresistible",[21] which would later be featured in theTony Award-winning musicalContact. At the 1989Brit Awards, Palmer received his second nomination for Best British Male, and "Simply Irresistible" was nominated for Best British Single.[5]Rolling Stone magazine voted Palmer the best-dressed rock star for 1990.[citation needed]
Palmer expanded his range further for his next album,Don't Explain (1990). It featured two UK top 10 hits with covers ofBob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (a collaboration withUB40) andMarvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me". Throughout the 1990s, Palmer ventured further into diverse material. The 1992 albumRidin' High was a tribute to theTin Pan Alley era.[3][12]
In 1994, Palmer releasedHoney to mixed reviews. While the album failed to produce any hit singles in the US, the album had three modest hit singles in the UK, "Girl U Want", "Know by Now", and "You Blow Me Away".[12] In 1995 he released a greatest hits album, which reached number 4 in the UK.[10] Also in 1995 he reunited with other members of the Power Station to record a second album. Bassist John Taylor eventually backed out of the project, to be replaced byBernard Edwards. Palmer and the rest of the band completed the albumLiving in Fear (1996), and had just begun touring when Edwards died frompneumonia.
In 1997, Palmer performed withRod Stewart atWembley.[22]
Palmer met Susan 'Sue' Eileen Thatcher, his future wife, atSlough railway station, in 1969, attracted by her style (silver-coloured boots and matching mini-dress) and by thescience-fiction book she was reading.[8] They married on his 21st birthday. They had two children.[23] The family moved to New York City in the mid-1970s and then to theBahamas a few years later. In 1987, Palmer and his family moved toLugano, Switzerland. The couple divorced in 1993.[1]
While he had not lived inYorkshire for several decades, in the last interview he gave on 24 September 2003, Palmer said that the region, and his father, had given him "a healthy work ethic, and a straight-forwardness".[24]
A heavy smoker, Palmer died from a heart attack in a Paris hotel room on 26 September 2003 at age 54. Palmer was in Paris after having recorded a television appearance in London forMy Kinda People, a Yorkshire TV retrospective. His long-term partner and musical colleague, Mary Ambrose, had joined him in Paris for a planned two-day break from the television studio.[10][25][26]
Among those who paid tribute wereDuran Duran, saying, "He was a very dear friend and a great artist. This is a tragic loss to the British music industry."[10] A memorial service was held in Lugano.[27]
| Award | Year | Nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | 1986 | "Addicted to Love" | Most Performed Songs | Won | [28] |
| 1990 | "Simply Irresistible" | Won | [29] | ||
| Grammy Awards | 1980 | "Bad Case of Loving You" | Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male | Nominated | [30] |
| 1987 | "Addicted to Love" | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Record of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male | Won | ||||
| 1989 | "Simply Irresistible" | Won | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 1986 | "Addicted to Love" | Video of the Year | Nominated | [31] |
| Best Male Video | Won | ||||
| Best Stage Performance in a Video | Nominated | ||||
| Best Overall Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Viewer's Choice | Nominated | ||||
| 1987 | "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" | Best Male Video | Nominated | ||
| Pollstar Concert Industry Awards | 1987 | Tour | Small Hall Tour of the Year | Won | [32] |
Studio albums
