BARRY PALMER

Triumvirat's former vocalist on doing The Bump, working with Mike Oldfield and his latest project with Magenta's Robert Reed.

- Chris Wheatley

Singer Barry Palmer's distinctive vocals have graced many a fine prog recording over the years. He began his career with Scarborough-based band Brave New World in the early 1970s before securing a position with the great German group, Triumvirat. In 1974, Palmer sang lead on London group Kenny's international hit, The Bump. He then worked with Satin Whale and Gänsehaut before being headhunted by none other than Mike Oldfield to feature on Oldfield's 1984 album, Discovery. He's also worked as a producer and label owner while enjoying a fine solo career and recording with the likes of Asia's John Payne and composer Robert Reed. He's recently teamed up with Reed on the Fly Away EP, which contains new material as well as a cover of Oldfield's Crime Of Passion.

“I've never stopped singing,” says Palmer, “even when I'm not signed, I'll join a band. Not everything has to be to achieve something, so for me, doing it for fun is entirely valid.”

Brave New World was your first band, but how did it all come about?

I was living in Sleights, a village near Whitby in North Yorkshire, when I saw an ad in the Scarborough Evening News about a band that needed a singer. If you can imagine a cross between Wishbone Ash and Fairport Convention, you'll be in the right zone: twin lead guitars, where one would switch to violin for certain songs, which made them quite special. We became very popular, all across Yorkshire, and, although this sounds hard to believe, when we headlined our gig at Leeds University, our support act was, I kid you not, Supertramp! Go figure, as they say.

How did you come to feature on The Bump?