Robert Palmer

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.

In the early 1970s, Palmer became a contributing editor of Rolling Stone, and worked as a journalist for film magazines. He became the first full-time rock writer for The New York Times, serving as chief pop music critic at the newspaper from 1976 to 1988. According to National Public Radio, Palmer was the New York Times's "first full-time rock writer".

In 1985, he was recruited by friends Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood to play clarinet on the song "Silver and Gold" by U2's Bono for the Artists United Against Apartheid album Sun City.