Del Palmer

{{Short description|English musician and sound engineer (1952–2024)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Del Palmer

| image = DelPalmer nonfree resize.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Palmer in 1985

| birth_name = Derek Peter Palmer

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1952|11|03|df=y}}

| birth_place = Greenwich, London, England

| origin =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|01|05|1952|11|03|df=y}}

| death_place =

| instrument = {{hlist|Bass guitar|keyboards|percussion}}

| genre = {{hlist|Alternative rock|art rock|R&B|jazz}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Audio engineer|bassist}}

| years_active = 1967–2021

| label = Credible

| past_member_of = {{hlist|Cobwebs and Strange|Tame|KT Bush Band}}

}}

Derek Peter Palmer (3 November 1952 – 5 January 2024) was an English musician and sound engineer, best known for his work with Kate Bush, with whom he also had a long-term personal relationship from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.{{cite web|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article316516.ece|title=The Independent: Kate Bush: The Return of the recluse|website=The Independent|accessdate=21 September 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051013070822/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article316516.ece|archivedate=13 October 2005|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://archive.salon.com/people/bc/2001/03/20/kate_bush/index1.html|title=Salon.com People: Kate Bush|publisher=Archive.salon.com|accessdate=21 September 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050120013944/http://archive.salon.com/people/bc/2001/03/20/kate_bush/index1.html|archivedate=20 January 2005|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/63834/Kate-Bush-Live-at-Hammersmith-Odeon/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614041913/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/63834/Kate-Bush-Live-at-Hammersmith-Odeon/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 June 2008|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|author=Brian J. Dillard|date=2008|title=Kate Bush: Live at Hammersmith Odeon (1979)|accessdate=21 September 2014}} He released his first solo studio album titled Leap of Faith in 2007, followed by Gift in 2010. His third solo album, Point of Safe Return, was released on 6 March 2015.

Early life

Palmer was born in Greenwich, in southeast London, United Kingdom.

Career

In 1967, Palmer began playing bass, and joined friend Brian Bath's band, Cobwebs and Strange. In 1969, Palmer and Bath formed Tame with Victor King on drums. The band lasted until 1970. From 1972, Palmer and Bath were in Company with Barry Sherlock (guitar) and Lionel Azulay (drums). They signed to Cube Records in 1973. When Azulay was injured in a road accident, Charlie Morgan joined on drums in 1974 and the band changed its name to Conkers.

In 1977, the KT Bush Band was formed with Kate Bush, Palmer, Bath, and Vic King, playing the pub circuit. Their live set included material that would later appear on Bush's first album.{{Cite web|url=http://www.delpalmer.com/page3.htm|title=Music & CD|website=Delpalmer.com|accessdate=19 August 2020}} [dead link] Beginning with her second album, 1978 release, Lionheart, Palmer became one of Bush's main studio bassists (along with John Giblin){{cite web|url=http://gaffa.org/reaching/i94_fme.html|title=Del Palmer, Kate Bushs rechte Hand|publisher=Gaffa.org|accessdate=21 September 2014}} and toured with her in 1979.

Palmer was credited as an engineer on Kate Bush's Hounds of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), The Red Shoes (1993){{cite web|url=http://gaffa.org/reaching/i93_fm.html|title=Del Palmer interview|publisher=Gaffa.org|accessdate=21 September 2014}} and Aerial (2005).{{cite web|url=http://www.katebush.com/katebush_html/biography.html|title=Biography|website=katebush.com|access-date=17 September 2007|archive-date=23 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823000435/http://www.katebush.com/katebush_html/biography.html|url-status=dead}} Furthermore, Del Palmer appears in several of Kate Bush's music videos; in 1982, he played the getaway car driver in the video for "There Goes a Tenner", and in 1986, appeared in the critically acclaimed extended "Experiment IV" video,{{Cite web|url=http://gaffa.org/cloud/music/experiment_iv.html|title = Cloudbusting / Music / Experiment Iv}} in which he plays a patient in a secret military base where the 'experiment' of the song's title is performed on him with horrific consequences. The clip, described as a 'film in miniature' also features Hugh Laurie, Peter Vaughan, Dawn French and Paddy Bush; it was banned from broadcast on the BBC programme, Top of the Pops, due to the graphic nature of the video. The music video, directed by Bush herself, went on to be nominated for the Best Concept Music Video at the 1988 Grammy Awards.

Also in 1986, he appeared in the video to "The Big Sky" as a guitar-playing army major, which, in 1987, was nominated for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1987/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830021744/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1987/|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 August 2008|title=MTV Video Music Awards 1987|publisher=MTV|accessdate=23 July 2012}} Del Palmer also appeared as Houdini, the man about to be kissed by Bush on the front cover to her 1982 album, The Dreaming.

He's credited with engineering on three further albums involving Bush: Midge Ure's Answers to Nothing (where Palmer engineered her vocal guest recordings),{{cite web|url=http://www.connollyco.com/discography/midge_ure/answers.html|title=Connolly & Company Marketing: Midge Ure – Answers To Nothing|publisher=Connollyco.com|accessdate=21 September 2014}} Roy Harper's Once and Alan Stivell's Again.

He played bass guitar on Lionheart, Never for Ever, The Dreaming, Hounds of Love, The Sensual World and Aerial (on 5 tracks),{{cite web |url=http://www.katebush.com/katebush_html/latestnews.html |title= Kate Bush - Aerial - Latest News|website=www.katebush.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024173657/http://www.katebush.com/katebush_html/latestnews.html |archive-date=24 October 2007}} and on one track on 50 Words for Snow. Palmer played bass on Billy Sherwood's Back Against the Wall{{cite web|url=http://www.seaoftranquility.org/article.php?sid=569|title=Sea of Tranquility website. Interview: Billy Sherwood Breaks Down 'The Wall' and Talks About Yes|publisher=Seaoftranquility.org|accessdate=21 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://relayer35.com/Yescography/BackAgainstTheWall.htm|title=Yes discography|publisher=Relayer35.com|accessdate=21 September 2014}} and Return to the Dark Side of the Moon,{{cite web|url=http://relayer35.com/Yescography/ReturnToTheDarkSideOfTheMoon.htm|title=Return to the Dark Side of the Moon: A Tribute to Pink Floyd|publisher=Relayer35.com|accessdate=21 September 2014}} both Pink Floyd tribute albums.

Palmer released his first solo album titled Leap of Faith in 2007 with a follow-up five-track EP titled Outtees & Alternatives in 2008. He released his second album, Gift, in 2010. His third album, Point of Safe Return, was released in March 2015. In 2018, Palmer played a series of concerts in England and Ireland, with members of Kate Bush tribute band Cloudbusting to celebrate 40 years since the release of her first album.

He appeared in the BBC television documentary Queens of British Pop discussing Kate Bush, and again in the BBC Four documentary The Kate Bush Story – Running Up That Hill.

Death

Palmer died on 5 January 2024, at the age of 71.{{cite news |last1=Sinclair |first1=Paul |title=Del Palmer, Kate Bush's longtime bass player and engineer, has died |url=https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/del-palmer-kate-bushs-longtime-bass-player-and-engineer-has-died/ |access-date=7 January 2024 |publisher=Super Deluxe Edition |date=6 January 2024}}

Kate Bush paid tribute to Palmer, saying: "It’s hard to know what to say… He was a big part of my life and my work for many years. It’s going to take a long time to come to terms with him not being here with us. He was incredibly creative – talented in lots of different ways. He was a brilliant musician, bass player, a great artist – he was always drawing. Once he covered a whole recording consul [sic] in cartoons. It took him days and it looked absolutely stunning. He taught himself to be a recording engineer, engineering several of my albums and later releasing his own...I’m going to miss him terribly."{{cite web|url=https://www.katebush.com/news_article/del/|title=Del|website=Kate Bush|date=10 January 2024|access-date=13 January 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/kate-bush-pens-touching-tribute-late-collaborator-del-palmer-3568756|title=Kate Bush pens tribute to Del Palmer: "I'm going to miss him."|website=NME|last=Ordonez|first=Eli|date=11 January 2024|access-date=13 January 2024}}