Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer was born in Batley, Yorkshire in 1949 but spent his childhood on a Navy base in Malta, where he listened to the records requested by American servicemen on Forces Radio. After such early exposure to Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole, when the family returned to England in the late 50s, Cliff and The Shadows held no attraction. But the arrival of Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and Wilson Pickett in the 60s revived his musical interest. Palmer joined The Alan Brown Set at the age of 19, moving on to Dada and Vinegar Joe (with Elkie Brooks).

He signed to Island in 1974, commencing a series of solo albums which fused R&B with blue-eyed soul. Success was a long time coming, but in 1979 he finally cracked it with Bad Case Of Loving You. Then came the 80s - a decade that unnerved palmer as it did so many of his vintage. To his irritation, Palmer became as famous for his suits and matinee idol image as his music.

But his sense of style could not disguise the fact that he possessed one of the finest soul voices, deployed to brilliant effect early in his solo career when, backed by members of The Meters and Little Feat, he recorded some of the most joyously rhythmic white funk any British artists ever produced. Given his disastrous diversions into croonerdom, world music and Power Station, the world needs reminding that Palmer had a terrific white soul voice and made some splendid singles.

His ultimate demise (he suffered a heart attack in Paris on September 26, 2003) robbed the world of a golden-voiced, workshy fop.