Forgotten folk - Robert Palmer

For many, Robert Palmer may not be forgotten, but a lot of kids from this generation have never heard of him.  For masses of music lovers such as myself in the 80's and 90's, Robert Palmer was the epitome of class and coolness.   As fashion in the 80's went crazy with color and mismatched pairings of garments, Robert Palmer made it cool to again to wear suits and look sharp.  In fact..  Rolling Stone magazine voted him the best dressed rock star of 1990.

Robert Palmer had a long and successful career spanning from the 1960's to 1995.  One of my favorite projects he took on however, was the formation of his group 'The Power Station'.  The band consisted of Robert Palmer, brothers Andy and John Taylor from Duran Duran, and drummer Tony Thompson from the band Chic.  I actually wore out two cassettes and one CD of their first album which was also named "The Power Station".   The album featured the two smash hits 'Some like it hot' and 'Bang a Gong', but every other song on the album was excellent as well.  "The Power Station" was one of those albums that you could let play from start to finish and never get tired of.

Robert Palmer may be best known for his music video "Addicted to Love".   The video featured beautiful women identically dressed in tight dresses, with white painted faces and bright red lipstick, making them resemble women in the art of Patrick Nigel paintings which were so popular in the 80's.

Robert Palmer passed away from a heart attack in September 2003, two months prior to Power Station band mate Tony Thompson, who died of liver disease in November.  He was an immensely talented artist whose style, talent, and soulful voice will continue to impress and influence music lovers for years to come.