Anthony Palmer: Music Emissary Extraordinaire

In the celebrity driven nature of American entertainment, the norm is to focus on the song, music composition, performer, songwriter, producer, or record label. There are, however, other players in the field, unsung music disciples who have unique historical knowledge, perspective, and understanding of where music has been, a pulse on where it is going, a talent for consolidating music in an exceptional way, and a need to recreate, preserve, and present the very best.

Anthony Palmer (AKA Pandy P) is that rare talent who is able to detect subtle changes in music sound or trends, who can tease out when and where a music style or category began, who specializes in the lost art of music selection and placement in a thematic storytelling way that also enhances feelings, listening interest, and enjoyment. His compilations are not just run of the mill favorite song lists. Palmer is an unassuming, behind the scene player who also enjoys being around talent, but only to give selflessly and contribute in subtle ways thru word or deed: by offering professional advice or feedback, insights and encouragement, or assisting with the marketing aspects of entertainment.

Part of his mission is to tell his story and Palmer’s story is one of enthusiasm and passion, darkness and derailment, resurgence, persistence, selfless sharing, driven hope and optimism, loyalty, vision, and destiny. These elements led to mentoring and collaboration with master DJ pioneers (David Todd, Larry Patterson, DJ QJ), mingling with renown celebrities (Vickie Sue Robinson, Bootsy Collins, Rob Gossett), and working relationships and friendships with world class music legends such as Victor Jones, Red Parlor Records Steven Goff, and rising star singer/songwriter Dana Edelman. These are but a few of many luminary figures that have crossed Anthony’s path in his journey and vision to impact the world of music. It all started with Anthony meeting Detor of My Situation.

Pandy P’s ever evolving eclectic appreciation of music began with early exposure to classical jazz, which his mother tuned into while doing house chores, as well as, with his father’s overt enthusiasm for the gospel sound, and his sister’s R&B music collection, which he tapped into. Palmer was later befriended by Steve Mathews, who introduced him to the rock scene while attending shows his friend was employed as an usher. As a young man, he spent countless hours each day listening to music and radio legendary personalities (Roscoe & Frankie Crocker), developing critical listening skills, knowledge base, perspectives and philosophy, while diversifying into other music genres.

Tragedy, however, befell Anthony in 1979, when a fire consumed his music collection of over 50 thousand tracks and this led to a bleak period of uncertainty, aimlessness, and lack of purpose during the 1980’s. Palmer lost his way and had succumbed to drug scene enterprises that further stunted his dreams and aspirations, led to errors in judgment and to justice system confinement. Seclusion offered Palmer time to reflect, regroup and redirect his unyielding devotion to music which steadily resurfaced as his true calling in the 1990’s. Anthony was back on his tracks!

Palmer began an online radio show called Pandy P’s Perspective on HouseOfHawk.com where years of music compilations and the passionate need to share them with the world finally came to pass. While Anthony selflessly gave out hundreds of his compilations over the years to family, friends, co-workers, clients, and people he met in the streets, his vision is to recreate, revive, and reintroduce obscure or forgotten sounds and eras to masses of listeners and the dream became a reality with this online radio show.

Palmer compilations bring back the crème de la crème, best of the best of the forgotten or overlooked. While the unabashed market driven, over commercialized, self serving music industry pushes the same old thing, Palmer used his DJ days skills and hundreds of hours listening to all the tracks on an album or CD, critically honing in, analyzing, pulling out superior sounding quality selections into dozens of well thought out compilations that reflect moods, feelings, memories, stories or themes in a unique synergistic way where the totality of music compositions and lyrics interact and complement one another. These are unparalleled timeless treasures that optimize the listening experience and which Palmer wants to save for posterity because of their history, contribution, and greatness.

Louis R Caraballo
New York City
LRCaraballo@msn.com