I find the utterly resistible Robert Palmer a real mystery. In the 80s I just assumed that he was the former lead singer of some massively popular 70s band, which explained why the music industry and record-buying public gave him the time of day, out of curiosity, familiarity, or pity.

He must, I thought, be like Bryan Ferry, Peter Gabriel, or even Rod Stewart, riding on the coattails of some legendary rock group of the previous decade. But this turned out not to be the case.

I guess Robert Plant maybe sowed the seeds of that confusion.

Robert Palmer: why? Discuss.