Died On This Date (September 26, 2003) Robert Palmer
themusicsover Robert Palmer
January 19, 1949 – September 26, 2003
Robert Palmer was a popular English rock and blue-eyed-soul singer who had a much longer and fruitful career than many realize. He was just 15 when, in 1969, Palmer cut his first records as the lead singer of The Alen Bown Set. That following year, he formed his own band, Vinegar Joe, with whom he sang and played rhythm guitar. The group soon signed with Island Records and released three critically acclaimed yet commercially ignored albums before the label signed Palmer to a solo deal. He began releasing a string of moderately successful albums that featured such radio-friendly tracks as “Some Guys Have All the Luck,” “Bad Case of Loving You,” and “Clues.” The mid ’80s were particularly kind to Palmer. He first hooked up with members of Duran Duran to form Power Station who scored two huge hits with “Some Like It Hot” and “Get It On (Bang a Gong),” with Palmer on lead vocals. He soon followed that with a handful of his own hits, which included “Simply Irresistable,” “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On,” and “Addicted To Love.” His catchy dance-rock songs and titillating videos were a perfect match for MTV during its most popular and trend-setting era. Suddenly, Palmer found himself part of an internationally revered club of superstar pop singers that included the likes of Tina Turner, David Bowie and Rod Stewart. By design, Palmer’s output during the ’90s was much more eclectic, making it critically lauded, but never matching his commercial success of the ’80s. Palmer’s final album, 2003’s blues set, Drive, was praised by critics as his most sincere, if not best album he ever released. Robert Palmer suffered a fatal heart attack on September 26, 2003. He was 54 years old.
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Bessie Smith was an influential blues and jazz singer who made an indelible mark on popular music during the ’30s and ’40s. Raised in poverty, Smith and her brother took to the streets of Chattanooga to sing for any change they could get for the family. Her break into show business came in 1912 when she successfully auditioned for a traveling vaudeville group. She settled for being a dancer however, since the group already had a female lead in 
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