David Palmer is an American vocalist, songwriter, and photographer, best known as a former member of Steely Dan and as the lyricist of the

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

number two hit, "

Jazzman "Jazzman" is a 1974 song performed by Carole King, from her album ''Wrap Around Joy''. King composed the music for the song, while David Palmer (formerly of Steely Dan) wrote the lyrics. The song is best known for its lengthy saxophone solos, ...

Musical career

Palmer grew up in the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

communities of Warren Township and Watchung and attended

Watchung Hills Regional High School Watchung Hills Regional High School is a regional comprehensive public high school and school district serving students in portions of Somerset and Morris Counties in New Jersey, United States. Students from Warren Township and from the neig ...

. His first band was

the Myddle Class The Myddle Class was an American garage rock band from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, which was active in the 1960s. Signed to Tomorrow Records which was owned by the songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King, they were one of the most popular live ...

, formed in 1964 under the initial name The King Bees while members were still in high school. As the Myddle Class, the band performed at such clubs as the Night Owl in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

, and released several 45s on the Tomorrow record label before disbanding in 1969. Palmer next formed the Quinaimes Band with several Myddle Class members, which recorded an album for Elektra Records before disbanding shortly thereafter. At the insistence of ABC Records executives, Palmer joined Steely Dan in an early incarnation in 1972. He sang lead on two tracks on their debut album, ''

Can't Buy A Thrill ''Can't Buy a Thrill'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released in November 1972 by ABC Records. The album was written by band members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, recorded in August 1972 at the Village Recorder ...

'' – " Dirty Work" and "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" – as well as doubling parts of Donald Fagen's vocals on "

Reelin' in the Years "Reelin' In the Years" (sometimes entitled "Reeling In the Years") is a song by American rock band Steely Dan, released as the second single from their 1972 debut album, ''Can't Buy a Thrill''. It peaked at #11 on the US '' Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

", "Only a Fool Would Say That", and "Change of the Guard" to reach the high notes. He also sang lead on most of Steely Dan's songs when performed live in their early concerts as a result of Fagen's early career stage fright in front of audiences.. Fagen eventually took over as lead vocalist and Palmer left the band, although he did contribute backing vocals on the band's subsequent release, ''

Countdown to Ecstasy ''Countdown to Ecstasy'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released in July 1973 by ABC Records. It was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado, and at The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, Californi ...

''. In 2014, Palmer sued Steely Dan for unpaid digital royalties, and received a settlement. Palmer has said in interviews he was not being paid his royalties properly for streaming audio online. After Steely Dan, Palmer worked with a number of songwriters, including Carole King in the composition of "Jazzman". He later formed the band

Wha-Koo Wha-Koo (originally called The Big Wha-Koo) was an American rock band best known for their 1978 single, "(You're Such a) Fabulous Dancer", which peaked at #101 on the ''Billboard'' and #10 on the Australian charts. History The Big Wha-Koo were ...

with Danny Douma. Wha-Koo released three albums, ''The Big Wha-Koo'' in 1977, ''Berkshire'' in 1978 and ''Fragile Line'' in 1979. He also contributed the song "Silhouette" to the 1985 film ''

Teen Wolf ''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is chang ...

''.

Digital photography career

Since 2002, Palmer has been a digital photographer specializing in landscapes and fine art images. He presently lives in Charlotte, NC.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, David Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male singer-songwriters American singer-songwriters People from Warren Township, New Jersey People from Watchung, New Jersey Watchung Hills Regional High School alumni