Triston Palma

Born in 1962 in Waltham Park, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, Triston Palma entered the recording world through the guidance of DJ and producer Jah Thomas, who helped establish his reputation as a leading exponent of the sing-jay approach that dominated the early 1980s. Before that partnership, the She Get Up And Skank label issued the 1980 single “Bad Boys,” giving his profile an immediate lift. The track “A Class Girl,” released under the Triston And Tony credit, prompted Thomas to begin working with Palma, whose first notable successes, “Entertainment” and “Spliff Tail,” quickly resonated among reggae listeners. He also teamed with Ranking Toyan on “Run Around Woman” and with Badoo on “Yes I’m Ready.” Those early achievements sparked an extensive series of further recordings, among them the Thomas collaborations “Raving” and “Joker Smoker.” In 1982 Palma remained at the top of the reggae charts with “Darling When,” “If You Knew Baby,” and “Rub A Dub Session,” yet by year’s end Thomas shifted his focus to Michael Palmer, believing the creative peak with Palma had passed. The following year brought another run of successes: “Mr False Preacher” alongside Nicker Smart, plus “Settle Down Girl,” “I’m Leaving” with Ranking Joe, “Woman Woman,” “Undying Love,” “Buy Out The Bar,” “No Shot No Fire,” “Folly Ranking,” and “It’s Not What You Say.” In 1985 Palma joined the Music Is Life initiative with Freddie McGregor, Mutabaruka, Gregory Isaacs, Third World, Edi Fitzroy, and Steel Pulse to record the famine-relief single “Land Of Africa.” His run of hits extended through the remainder of the decade, including several tracks with Pants under producer Castro Brown, and into the 1990s, when he appeared with Dennis Brown and Beenie Man on the compilation Three Against War.