| Rissi Palmer | |
|---|---|
Rissi Palmer performs at the Chicago Music Country Festival 2008 at Soldier Field |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | August 19, 1981 [1] |
| Origin | Sewickley, Pennsylvania, US |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | 1720 Entertainment / Universal Music Group |
| Associated acts | Terry Lewis Patsy Cline |
| Website | www.rissipalmer.com |
Rissi Palmer (born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania)[2] is an American country music artist. Palmer debuted in 2007 with the single "Country Girl", which made her the first African-American woman to chart a country song since Dona Mason in 1987.[3] "Country Girl" peaked at #54 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and served as the lead-off single to her self-titled debut album, which also produced the #59 hit "Hold on to Me". Also in 2008, Palmer covered "No Air", an R&B hit originally performed by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.
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Palmer was born in Sewickley, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived there until moving with her family to Eureka, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, at the age of 12.[4] Her parents were natives of Georgia. Palmer has said her mother, who died when Palmer was seven, "was a huge Patsy Cline fan", while her father loved musicians such as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Chaka Khan, and Santana.[5] Palmer said she knew from a young age that she wanted to sing. As a child, she sang on a Mickey Mouse Club-like local television show called Team 11. At age 16, she performed country music at the Arkansas State Fair.[5]
When she was 19, R&B producers James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis offered her a deal on their Flyte Tyme Records. Palmer rejected the deal because she said they wanted to turn her "twangy" country style into a "pop/soul hybrid." As she said, "I love R&B and urban music, but it wasn't what I wanted to do. I knew I wouldn't be happy doing that."[6] After that, Palmer sang jingles for Barbie commercials, performed on the Dance Fever television show, and competed on Star Search,[5] all while trying in vain for seven years to land a Nashville recording contract.
Palmer was at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver on August 26, 2008 and supported Barack Obama.
In 2006, Starbucks Entertainment distributed a four-song EP that put Palmer among the top 5 best-selling country artists on iTunes.[3] Palmer was also featured in a 2005 Country Music Television documentary about African-Americans and country music.[6]
Palmer's debut album, Rissi Palmer, was released on October 23, 2007, by 1720 Entertainment. Palmer co-wrote nine of the 12 tracks.[3] She is also the featured artist on Yahoo! Music's "The New Now," which highlights talented newcomers, from October 17 through November 21, 2007.[7]
In 2008, Palmer released her third single, "No Air", a cover by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. The song debuted at #58 and eventually reached #47, becoming her first Top 50 single on the Hot Country Songs chart. The single planned to be included on a reissue of her debut self-titled album,[8] however, the album was never reissued.
Also after "No Air" fell from the charts, she released a Christmas single, "Grown Up Christmas List", however, the song failed to enter the country charts.
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [9] |
US Heat [10] |
US Indie [11] |
||
| Rissi Palmer |
|
56 | 16 | 41 |
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country[12] | |||
| 2007 | "Country Girl" | 54 | Rissi Palmer |
| 2008 | "Hold On to Me" | 59 | |
| "No Air" | 47 |
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Country Girl" | Kristin Barlowe |
| 2008 | "No Air" |