Music
Wally Palmar
born 1953 · singer, guitarist, songwriter
Hamtramck-born son of Ukrainian immigrants who founded and fronts the Romantics, the Detroit band behind “What I Like About You” and “Talking in Your Sleep.”
- Born
Hamtramck, Michigan
age 73- Birth name
- Volodymyr Palamarchuk
- Detroit years
- 1953–present
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Volodymyr Palamarchuk grew up in Hamtramck, the enclave city inside Detroit, in a Ukrainian immigrant family. Raised on Motown, the British Invasion, the MC5 and early Bob Seger, he formed the Romantics in 1977 with fellow Detroit musicians; the band's first gig was on Valentine's Day that year at the My Fair Lady club in Detroit, opening for the New MC5. With matching red leather suits and a power-pop sound, they broke through with “What I Like About You” (1979), a song that became a fixture of sports arenas and commercials, and reached the U.S. top 5 with “Talking in Your Sleep” in 1983. Palmar has led the band ever since through lineup changes and a long legal fight with former managers, released the 1993 EP Made in Detroit, and toured with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. The Romantics entered the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2011.
Highlights
- Co-wrote “What I Like About You” (1979)
- “Talking in Your Sleep” reached No. 3 in the U.S. (1983)
- The Romantics' first show: Valentine's Day 1977 in Detroit
- Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame with the Romantics (2011)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Performed here · 1977
My Fair Lady club
Status being checked
Detroit club where the Romantics played their first show on February 14, 1977, opening for the New MC5.
Performed here · 1978–1980
Bookie's Club 870
Demolished · 1978–1982
Detroit's first punk and new wave club; the Romantics were among its home bands. The building burned in 1988.