Robert Franklin Palmer Jr. (June 19, 1945 – November 20, 1997) was an American writer, musicologist, clarinetist, saxophonist, and blues producer. He is best known for his non-fictional writing on the field of music; his work as a music journalist for The New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine; his production work for blues recordings (including the soundtrack for the film Deep Blues); and his clarinet playing as a member of the 1960s jazz-based rock band the Insect Trust.
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Early life and education
Palmer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 19, 1945, the son of a musician and school teacher, Robert Palmer Sr.
A civil rights and peace activist with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, Palmer Jr. graduated from Little Rock University, which was renamed the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1964.
Career
After graduating from college, he and fellow musicians Nancy Jeffries, Bill Barth, and Luke Faustn formed a psychedelic music group, the Insect Trust, blending jazz, folk, and blues with rock and roll. The band recorded its first, self-titled album on Capitol Records in 1968. Palmer continued to play clarinet and saxophone from time to time in local bands throughout the rest of his life.