Triston Palmer
aka Triston or Tristan Palma
(born 1962, Waltham Park, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer/deejay active since the mid-1970s.
|
TRISTON PALMA TICKETS
|
Biography
Palmer 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.
[1] [2] 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 Palmer 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.
[5] 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, Palmer had nine songs in Jamaica's Top 40.
In the mid-1980s, Palmer 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.
Palmer has worked as a producer himself, working with artists such as
Phillip Frazer,
Josie Wales, and
Robert Ffrench, and has provided backing vocals for singers such as Sugar Minott,
Tony Tuff, and Freddie McGregor.
[6] He also built his own
Star Creation
studio.
Discography
Albums
- Presenting Triston Palma
(1981) Black Roots
- Fancyness
(1982) Gorgon
- Joker Lover
(1982) Jah Guidance
- Showcase In A Roots Radics Drum & Bass
(1982) Midnight Rock/Vista Sounds/Gorgon
- Joker Smoker
(1982) Greensleeves/Clocktower
- Touch Me, Take Me
(1982) Midnight Rock/Vista Sounds
- Nice Time
(1982) Jam Rock (with Toyan)
- Entertainment
(1982) Midnight Rock
- Settle Down Girl
(1983) Trojan
- The Big Showdown
(1984) Black Solidarity (Trison Palma and Phillip Frazer)
- Triston Palma Meets Early B The Doctor
(198?) Fantastique (Triston Palma and Early B)
- I and I and Inity
(198?) Drum & Bass (with Philip Frazer)
- Wounded
(1989) Bungem
- The Best of
(198?) Rohit
- Three Against War
(1995) VP (with Dennis Brown and Beenie Man)
- Triston Palmer Meets Jah Thomas Inna Disco Style
(1996) Munich/Majestic
- Born Naked
(1997) I&I Foundation
- On The Attack
Blue Mountain
- Wounded
Bungem
- Spliff Tail
Black Solidarity
- Triston Palma Meets Michael Palmer
Midnight Rock (with Michael Palmer)
- Two Roads
(2000) Easy Star
Singles
- "Melissa" (1982) JR 7"
- "My Father Love" Vasco 7"
- "Spliff Tail" Black Solidarity 7"
- "Another Girl" with Phillip Frazier Solidarity International 7"
- "Ghetto Vibes" I&I Foundation 7"
- "The Struggle" with Norris Man I&I Foundation 7"
- "Can't Let Them Do That" (1997) Artistic 7"
- "Jah Is In Charge" (1997) Ruff Stock 7"
- "Cuss Cuss" (1997) Massive B 7"
- "Original Fussing & Fighting" (1998) Ranking Joe 7"
- "Sweet Reggae Music" Corner Stone 12"
References
- Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9
- van Pelt, Carter (1998) "Interview by Carter Van Pelt", February 3 1998
- Rebel Base interview
- Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-329-4
- "Triston Palmer Biography", Big Up Radio
- Triston Palmer at Roots Archives