Richard Palmer-James, frequently credited simply as Richard Palmer, first gained notice in music by helping launch Supertramp in 1969. During the mid-1970s he also earned distinctive standing within progressive rock circles through his role as the primary lyricist for King Crimson between 1972 and 1974. Born Richard Jeffrey Charles Palmer-James in Bournemouth, Dorset, in 1947, he developed an early interest in music that embraced both the Beatles and American soul and blues. He became an accomplished guitarist who also played the balalaika and formed a lasting friendship with the somewhat younger bassist and singer John Wetton.
Throughout the 1960s the pair performed together in several local ensembles, among them the Corvettes, the Palmer-James Group, and Tetrad, whose repertoire, as Palmer-James recounted in a 2000 conversation with George Khouroshvili, included material by Vanilla Fudge, Traffic, and the Graham Bond Organisation. After Tetrad dissolved, he answered an advertisement in Melody Maker in 1969 and joined Supertramp on guitar. He remained with the group for eighteen months, appearing on its debut album and supplying lyrics because the other members declined to handle words.
Creative disagreements eventually led to his exit, yet the longstanding connection with Wetton soon opened another door. When Robert Fripp selected Wetton as bassist and singer for the 1972 reformation of King Crimson, Wetton recommended Palmer-James for the lyricist position. He wrote the words for the next three studio albums—Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black, and Red—some of which, as he noted to Khouroshvili, originated as sketches for an abandoned solo project. The trio of records received widespread critical acclaim and remain among the more durable artifacts of progressive rock. Throughout this period he maintained no direct contact with the musicians, forwarding his contributions by mail.
Following the 1974 breakup of that lineup, Palmer-James collaborated with Wetton and King Crimson violinist David Cross. He later settled in Germany, where he has resided ever since. In 1978 he recorded the album Jack-Knife with former members of Tetrad and drummer Curt Cress. He and Wetton also issued the 1997 collection Monkey Business under Wetton’s name, which contained several King Crimson-era pieces that the band had never officially recorded.
