Michael Palmer (musician)

Last updated

Michael Palmer
Born1960 (age 6364)
Maxfield Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Genres Reggae, dancehall
Occupation(s)Singer, record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years activeLate 1970s–present
Labels Greensleeves
Power House
Midnight Rock
Vista Sounds
Negus Roots

Michael Palmer (born 1960), also known as Palma Dog, is a Jamaican reggae musician who released several albums in the 1980s.

Contents

Biography

Born in the Maxfield Park area of Kingston in 1960, [1] Palmer began his career performing with sound systems such as Stereophonic Sound with General Echo in the late 1970s, taking inspiration from the success of his neighbour Leroy Smart. [2] The shooting death of Echo and Stereophonic's owner Big John in 1980 was a blow to Palmer's career. [3] His debut single, "Mr Landlord" (1975), recorded for producer Oswald Thomas was not successful, and it was not until a couple of years later when he found success with "Smoke the Weed", recorded at Channel One, and with producer Jah Thomas on tracks such as "Ghetto Dance" and "Different Love". [2] He went on to work with a variety of producers including George Phang, Sugar Minott, Prince Jammy, and Joseph Hoo Kim, and enjoyed a number one single in Jamaica in 1984 with the Phang-produced "Lick Shot". [2] [3] He also performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival that year. [4] His recordings led to a series of mid-1980s albums, including split albums with Frankie Jones, Frankie Paul, Johnny Osbourne, and Kelly Ranks.

Palmer moved into production, achieving success with Neville Brown's "Haul and Pull Up", and returned to recording himself in the early 1990s, with singles such as "Juggling" and "Everyone Makes Love". [2] After being advised to give up singing due to vocal problems, Palmer moved to the United States and was out of the music industry for almost 20 years. [5]

Palmer returned to music in the 21st century, performing in the US, and released new music in 2017. [5] Michael Palmer has teamed up with his new manager Barrington Gray, Cedar Valley Records (Sweden) and producer/engineer Andre "Tripple T" Daley (Jamaica) the magician behind some of the Exterminator Label most memorable mixes, a number of new tracks will be released in 2018 by this team.

Discography

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bounty Killer</span> Jamaican musician (born 1972)

Rodney Basil Price, known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk". He is considered one of the best dancehall lyricists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar Minott</span> Jamaican reggae singer (1956–2010)

Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer, producer and sound-system operator.

Hopeton Overton Brown is a recording engineer and producer who rose to fame in the 1980s mixing dub music as "Scientist". A protégé of King Tubby, Scientist's contemporaries include several figures who, working at King Tubby's studio, had helped pioneer the genre in the 1970s: Ruddock, Bunny Lee, Philip Smart, Pat Kelly and Prince Jammy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Isaacs</span> Jamaican reggae musician (1951–2010)

Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in The New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocoa Tea</span> Jamaican musician (born 1959)

Colvin George Scott, better known as Cocoa Tea, is a Jamaican singer-songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Brown</span> Jamaican reggae singer (1957–1999)

Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a subgenre of reggae. Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, dubbing him "The Crown Prince of Reggae", and Brown would prove influential on future generations of reggae singers.

Glen Augustus Holness, otherwise known by his stage name Nitty Gritty, was a popular reggae singer. Born in the August Town section of Kingston, Jamaica, he was the second of eleven children born to religious parents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Jammy</span> Musical artist

Lloyd Woodrowe James, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub master at King Tubby's recording studio. His dubs are known for their clear sound and use of effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garnett Silk</span> Musical artist

Garnet Silk was a Jamaican reggae musician and Rastafarian, known for his diverse, emotive, powerful and smooth voice. During the early 1990s he was hailed as a rising talent, however his career was ended by his early death in 1994, while attempting to save his mother from her burning house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Half Pint</span> Musical artist

Half Pint, and sometimes credited Lindon Andrew Roberts, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wailing Souls</span>

The Wailing Souls are a Jamaican reggae vocal group whose origins date back to the 1960s. The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years with Winston "Pipe" Matthews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald the only constant members. They have been nominated for Grammy Awards three times.

Paul Blake, better known as Frankie Paul, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Born blind, he has been dubbed by some 'The Jamaican Stevie Wonder'.

Roy Anthony Johnson, better known simply as Anthony Johnson, is a Jamaican reggae musician who was a member of the group Mystic I and is known for the 1980s hit song "Gunshot".

Alphonso "Al" Campbell is a Jamaican reggae singer active since the late 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jah Thomas</span> Musical artist

Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Prophet</span> Musical artist

Michael George Haynes, known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s most popular roots reggae singers and had several prominent hits during his 40-year career, after his passing his family together with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency released the highly rated live album "live at plein les watts"

Toyan aka Ranking Toyan was a Jamaican reggae deejay active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings.

Triston Palma is a Jamaican reggae singer/deejay. He has been active since the mid-1970s.

John McMorris, better known as Little John, is a Jamaican dancehall musician best known for his 1980s recordings.

Frankie Jones, also known as Jah Frankie Jones, is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for his recordings of the late 1970s and 1980s.

References

  1. Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn., Rough Guides, ISBN   1-84353-329-4, p. 274
  2. 1 2 3 4 Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN   0-7535-0242-9, p. 215
  3. 1 2 Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN   0-313-33158-8, p. 229
  4. Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN   0-87930-655-6, p. 229
  5. 1 2 Jackson, Kevin (2017) "Michael Palmer Makes Comeback", Jamaica Observer , 27 August 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017