Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On

I will agree. There is no way a man would write this song! A man wouldn’t be so intrigued that a woman he didn’t want, wanted to have sex with him, that he would sit down and pen lyrics and tune! He’d be too busy changing his mind!

I once went to a Halloween party as “Robert Palmer”, and I got four women to dress up as the “band”, it was awesome.

That is so cool!!! Bet you had fun.

I think I didn’t watch videos those years because I don’t remember it. They didn’t have MTV in Europe where I was, but they did show videos like at night on some channels... don’t remember.

I met Robert in 1980, he was a sweetheart of a guy with awesome talent.

When I left the Navy in 1978, I formed a trio with two other former US Navy Steelband members. We called the group US Steel and spent our days as street musicians in New Orleans' Jackson Square in front of The Cabildo & St. Louis Cathedral for coins in a hat (well, a steel drum that we primed with bills that tourists were more than willing to match - especially durring Mardis Gras). At night, we played private parties in the Garden District, the Pontchartrain lake front or UNO frat parties and as a last resort we did the "Gong Show" circuit in Metairie's Fat City night clubs. That's where we met most of New Orleans' music community including the Neville Brothers.

One afternoon while performing in the square we saw Art Neville in our crowd. We took a break and he came over and introduced us to the well dressed Robert Palmer. They were rehearsing at The Saenger Theatre which had recently been refurbished and reopened. Robert invited us to the rehearsals and asked us to play the show with him. His first hit in the U.S. was "Everyday People" and his steel drummer, Dave Samuels was on the road with Spyro Gyra - so he asked us to play the gig. As a trap drummer, I figured I'd be cut out of the concert (especially when I saw who his drummer was), but he let me play double drums along side Ziggy Modeliste. Other members of his band that night included Art, Michael & Randy Brecker as well as Branford & Ellis Marsalis.

"Everyday People" was his encore and he brought out my guys on steel drums along with AAron and Cyril Neville, Dr. John (Mac Rebennack), Harry Connick Jr., Ronnie Barron, Bill Payne, Erma Thomas and Allen Toussaint. We must'a vamped on that song for 20 minutes as the Big Easy's best came onstage.

Although prior to that day I had only heard Robert Palmer's covers of "Sailing Shoes" and "Sneakin' Sally through the Alley", the way he worked the crowd I realized I was in the pressence of greatness. The list New Orleans luminaries who showed up at the after party was jaw dropping. RIP Mr. Palmer.