Jeff Hart Palmer was born and raised in the Athens area, and ever since a young age he has had a profound love for music — especially Rock ‘n Roll music.

“My first concert ever was when I was 14 in Huntsville,” Palmer said. “It was Jim Dandy and Black Oak Arkansas. I didn’t know at the time that I would one day end up playing with Jim.”

From playing air-guitar to the cattle on his family farm, to rocking out to the music at the old bowling alley where the flea market is now — Palmer always found ways to express himself through music growing up.

However, Palmer knew that to fulfill his childhood dream he would have to leave his small hometown in the late 1970s and head north to Nashville, Tennessee, aptly known as Music City.

“I’m in a cover band up there, and one day we get asked if we want to open up for Black Oak Arkansas in Jackson, Tennessee,” Palmer said. “We jumped at the chance and did it. Next thing I know, two days later, their manager calls me about a gig working with Jim Dandy on his tour.”

Even though he had never been on an airplane at the time, let alone a tour bus, Palmer was willing to do whatever he had to to achieve his lifelong dream.

“I knew that this was my ticket to the circus for a guy from Alabama, so I wasn’t going to let it go,” Palmer said. “The first tour was opening up 11 shows in Canada for hundreds of thousands of people, and here I am having never played in front of more than a hundred people.”

Palmer worked as a bass player and backup vocalist with Jim Dandy for the next four years, explaining how he would go on to work with the likes of Aerosmith and Ted Nugent before moving to ‘ California.

It was in Los Angeles that Palmer would befriend members of the Motley Crue and Bon Jovi, leading him to realize he wanted to move up in his own career.

“I felt bad for Jim then, but I knew our time was ending,” Palmer said. “I got lucky and I got the great opportunity to go to Hollywood and work with great artists Bob James, Pete Comita and Randy Castillo.”

The four men came together to work with each other under Capital Records for the next few years. Palmer explained that he enjoyed his time with the group, but when their record label deal fell through his luck continued on.

Palmer found himself fortunate to join the band Heaven and Earth, under Crystal Records, where he discovered his most success. He was joined in the band by Kelly Hanson, who would go on to stardom with the band Foreigner.

“Everyone who has made it to that level will tell you that being in the right place at the right time is what matters the most,” Palmer said. “My secret was being able to sing harmony, but most guys that I have ever talked to will tell you timing is key.”

After he laid claim to a once impossible dream for a kid from Athens, Palmer returned home to get his associate’s degree from Calhoun Community College in 2011. Even though he dropped out of high school to pursue his music career, Palmer still managed to get his bachelor’s degree from Athens State.

Palmer then went to the University of West Alabama to get his master’s degree, and he is currently working on his doctoral degree.

“I’ll be 65 on my next birthday, so I figure God has left me here for a reason,” Palmer said. “I might as well use what time I have left to keep on doing as much as I can.”

Recently, Palmer was nominated to possibly be inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, which would add another achievement to that life of “doing as much” as he can.