John Palumbo

Songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist John Palumbo has led progressive rock band Crack the Sky for over 50 years. The band’s self-titled first album was declared 1975’s debut album of the year by Rolling Stone and ranked as one of Rolling Stone‘s 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums in 2015. Major success was predicted for Crack the Sky. But due to persistent record label issues, the band never achieved a national breakthrough. Yet their popularity exploded in Baltimore, where Crack the Sky is acclaimed as The Beatles of Baltimore. Throughout Crack the Sky’s existence, John Palumbo’s quirky, edgy, smart songwriting proved constant as the band explored a diverse variety of sounds and styles.

Palumbo launched a parallel solo career in 1978 and nearly scored a hit with 1985’s “Blowing Up Detroit” (later covered by Charlie Sexton). He simultaneously began a songwriting partnership with Donnie Purnell of glam metal band Kix, co-writing the band’s top 10 power ballad, “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” In the ’90s he produced chart topping dance remixes for Yoko Ono and embarked on a wide variety of side projects including Cruel Shoes, Dogboy, Feed da Cat, and the Precious Brothers, while regularly recording and performing with Crack the Sky.