Born June 19, 1945 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. Died November 20, 1997 in Valhalla, New York, USA.

Well known in the last third of the twentieth century, Palmer was a popular music critic, writer, ethnomusicologist, musician, and producer of blues recordings. He was the author of several books, and wrote for the New York Times and Rolling Stone. He also played clarinet and alto saxophone. He was also known as Bobby Palmer.