Triston Palmer - Biography

Biography

Palma was born in 1962 and grew up in the Waltham Park area of Kingston, and decided from an early age that he wanted to be a singer. He began by singing to the accompaniment of Soul Syndicate guitarist Tony Chin. His first recording was "Love Is A Message" for producer Bunny Lee when he was eight years old, which was followed by "A-Class Girl" for the Black Solidarity label, which was co-run by Palma and Ossie Thomas. He came to the attention of producer/deejay Jah Thomas, who began a substantial association with Palmer with the track "Entertainment", when Palmer was aged around 14. He made a major breakthrough with his performance in 1979 at the General Penitentiary Memorial Concert for Claudie Massop, which also featured Bob Marley. Palmer became a popular artist in the "singjay" style in the early 1980s. "Entertainment" was a Jamaican hit and he enjoyed further successes with "Water Bubbling", "Spliff Tail", "Raving", and "Run Around Woman". Palmer also worked with Linval Thompson, who produced his Joker Lover and Settle Down Girl albums, and later George Phang, Tony Robinson, Sugar Minott, Bunny Gemini, and Castro Brown. At one point in the early 1980s, Palma had nine songs in Jamaica's Top 40.

In the mid-1980s, Palma became involved in the famine-relief charity project Music is Life, along with Freddie McGregor, Mutabaruka, Gregory Isaacs, Third World, Edi Fitzroy, and Steel Pulse, contributing to the charity single "Land of Africa".

His popularity continued through the 1980s, and in the 1990s he recorded the Three Against War song and album with Dennis Brown and Beenie Man.

Palma has worked as a producer himself, working with artists such as Phillip Frazer, Josey Wales, and Robert Ffrench, and has provided backing vocals for singers such as Sugar Minott, Tony Tuff, and Freddie McGregor. He also built his own Star Creation studio.