Robert Palmer (American writer) facts for kids

Robert Franklin Palmer Jr. (born June 19, 1945 – died November 20, 1997) was an American writer, musicologist, clarinetist, saxophonist, and blues music producer. He was well-known for his non-fiction books about music. He also worked as a music journalist for The New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine. Robert Palmer produced many blues recordings, including the music for the film Deep Blues. He also played the clarinet in a 1960s jazz band called the Insect Trust.

Early Life and Music Career

Robert Franklin Palmer Jr. was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. His father, Robert Palmer Sr., was a musician and a school teacher.

In the 1960s, Palmer Jr. was involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This group worked for civil rights and peace. He graduated from Little Rock University (now called the University of Arkansas at Little Rock) in 1964. Soon after, he and his friends Nancy Jeffries, Bill Barth, and Luke Faust started a band.

Their band was called the Insect Trust. They played a mix of jazz, folk, blues, and rock and roll. The band released their first album in 1968 on Capitol Records. Throughout his life, Palmer continued to play clarinet and saxophone in local bands.

Later Career and Writings

In the early 1970s, Palmer became an editor for Rolling Stone magazine. He also wrote for film magazines. Later, he became the first full-time rock music writer for The New York Times. He was the main pop music critic for the newspaper from 1976 to 1988.

In 1985, his friends Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood asked him to play clarinet. He played on the song "Silver and Gold" by U2's Bono. This song was for the Sun City album by Artists United Against Apartheid. This group made music to protest against unfair racial laws in South Africa.

Palmer also taught about music at colleges, including the University of Mississippi. He taught courses on ethnomusicology, which is the study of music from different cultures. He also taught about American music. In the early 1990s, he started producing blues albums for artists like R. L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough.

He lived near Memphis from 1988 to 1992. Then he moved to a country home near Little Rock for about six months. In 1993, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he lived until he passed away.

Robert Palmer worked on two documentary films. He was the screenwriter, narrator, and music director for The World According to John Coltrane. He also directed this film with Toby Byron. He worked on Deep Blues, which was based on his book. He was also a big part of the 1995 TV show Rock & Roll. This show was made by WGBH and the BBC and shown on PBS.

Published Works

Robert Palmer wrote several important books about music. Two of his most famous books are Deep Blues (1982) and Rock & Roll: An Unruly History (1995). Rock & Roll: An Unruly History was the book that went along with a ten-part TV series. This series was called Rock & Roll (also known as Dancing in the Street). Palmer was the main expert for this TV show.

He also wrote a book about the musician Jerry Lee Lewis, titled Jerry Lee Lewis Rocks. After he passed away, a collection of his writings was published in 2009. This book was called Blues & Chaos: The Music Writing of Robert Palmer. It was put together by Anthony DeCurtis.

Death and Lasting Impact

Robert Palmer passed away on November 20, 1997. He died from liver disease at the Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, New York.

His daughter, Augusta Palmer, made a documentary film in 2009. It was called The Hand of Fatima. This film was about her father's long connection with the Master Musicians of Jajouka.

Sources

• Dougan, John. [ "Insect Trust biography."]. Allmusic. Accessed December 9, 2004.
• Wertheimer, Linda (November 20, 1997). "All Things Considered: Robert Palmer" (audio). NPR. Accessed December 9, 2004.

• Robert Palmer collection at Tulane University. Includes a collection of digitized photographs.