Jorge Manuel d’Abreu Palma, known as Jorge Palma (born on June 4, 1950 in Lisbon, Portugal), is a Portuguese singer and songwriter.
Jorge Palma’s solo career started with the release of the single The Nine Billion Names of God with lyrics in English language. After that he spent some time improving his writing skills in Portuguese language with the famous poet José Carlos Ary dos Santos. His first LP, named Com Uma Viagem na Palma da Mão was released in 1975.
Early life and career:
Palma learned to play piano at the same time he learned to read, with only six. With only eight years he performed his first piano audition in the Portuguese National Conservatory.
In 1963, aging 13, Palma finished second in a musical contest in Majorca, Spain. At the same time he continued his studies, first in the Camões highschool and next in a school in Abrantes. The next year, 1964, marked a turning point in Palma’s musical style, after leaving his classical influences he started to play rock’n’roll and taught himself to play guitar.
In 1969 he joined the hard rock band Sindikato while he continued his studies in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. The presence in the band gave him the opportunity to play in the very 1st edition of the Vilar de Mouros Festival, in 1971. In that same year, aided by some friends, like Rão Kyao, João Maló, Rui Cardoso and Vítor Mamede he started to write lyrics and composing songs, in the end he recorded, with Sindikato, an album with a single and album of covers.
The solo Career
First albums
Jorge Palma’s solo career started with the release of the single The Nine Billion Names of God with lyrics in English language. After that he spent some time improving his writing skills in Portuguese language with the famous poet José Carlos Ary dos Santos. His first LP, named Com Uma Viagem na Palma da Mão was released in 1975.
In 1977 he released his second album, Té Já, album that made him play abroad, in Spain and Brazil. Palma spent the following years, 1978 and 1979, in France, mainly in Paris, where he performed in several bars, playing songs of some major names of the musical panorama, such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash and others. After returning to Portugal, in 1979, Palma recorded and released his 3rd album, named Qualquer Coisa Pá Música, followed by live concerts alone or with the group O Bando.
In the early 1980s, he travelled to Paris, only returning in 1982 in order to finish the record of his 4th album, Acto Contínuo, album that was first meant to be a live album, but due to some difficulties, was recorded in studio. In 1983, when Palma was about to restart his musical studies, which he would finish in 1986, his first son, Vicente Palma, was born. In the next year, Palma recorded his 5th album, Asas e Penas, where he included a song dedicated to Vicente, named Castor (Beaver). In that same year he performed in Portugal, France and Italy, sometimes playing in the streets.
In 1985, Palma released one of the most acclaimed albums of his career, named O Lado Errado da Noite, the album included the single Deixa-me Rir, which became a huge success. The album received several musical awards and many music critics called it “the right side of Jorge Palma” (the album name is translated from Portuguese as “the wrong side of the night”). After releasing the album, Palma made a major tourneé around the country, including the islands of Azores and Madeira. In 1986 Palma finished his piano course and recorded the seventh album, Quarto Minguante, which was marked by the recording company’s will of changing Palma’s musical style, a thing he refused.
Recent years
After releasing his eighth album, Bairro do Amor, in 1989, Palma started a long period without releasing an album of originals, but continued his piano studies, finishing the Superior Course of Piano in the Portuguese National Conservatory in the next year. This last album was considered by many critics and newspapers among the best Portuguese albums of the century. The album was recorded by Polygram, unlike the previous, as Palma had finished his contract with EMI after the refusal of the last in releasing the album. In 1991 was released a compilation titled Só, which revisited old songs with only vocals and piano. After the release of this album, Palma formed the Palma’s Gang, with members of the bands Xutos & Pontapés and Rádio Macau, which released a live album in 1993, titled Palma’s Gang - Ao Vivo no Johnny Guitar. In that same year, Palma participated in an album of the punk band Censurados. The next two years, Palma performed in several stages from north to south Portugal, alone or with Palma’s Gang, some of them broadcast by the RTP. Meanwhile, his second son, Francisco Palma, was born.
In 1996, Palma accepted an invitation to join a new project, named Rio Grande, a band that included other famous Portuguese musicians, Tim (Xutos & Pontapés), João Gil (Ala dos Namorados), Rui Veloso and Vitorino. The first album of the band was inspired in the Portuguese traditional music and became a major success in that year. In 1997, along with several concerts, Palma participated in several musical projects, such as Todo Este Céu with Né Ladeiras or Voz e guitarras, an acoustic album with several other artists. Also in 1997, the Rio Grande released their second album, a live album recorded in a major concert in Lisbon. In this album was present an un released song by Palma, Quem És Tu De Novo
In 1998, Palma played several major concerts, for university students in Lisbon and Oporto, and also in the World’s Fair Expo ‘98 in Lisbon.
Discography
Originals
1975 - Com Uma Viagem Na Palma da Mão 1977 - ‘Té Já 1979 - Qualquer Coisa Pá Música 1982 - Acto Contínuo 1984 - Asas e Penas 1985 - Lado Errado da Noite 1986 - Quarto Minguante 1989 - Bairro do Amor 2001 - Jorge Palma 2004 - Norte
Compilations
1991 - Só 1993 - Palma’s Gang - Ao Vivo no Johnny Guitar 1996 - Deixa-me Rir 1998 - Jorge Palma: O Melhor dos Melhores 2000 - Dá-me Lume: O Melhor de Jorge Palma 2000 - Clássicos da Renascença: Jorge Palma 2002 - No Tempo dos Assassinos 2004 - Estrela do Mar 2004 - A Arte e a Música de Jorge Palma
Singles
1971 - The Nine Billion Names Of God 1973 - A Última Canção 1975 - Pecado Capital 1976 - Viagem
Albums with other artists
- 2001 - O Melhor de dois: Sérgio Godinho + Jorge Palma (with Sérgio Godinho)
