Soon after his birth in Ciudad Real in 1938,[1] where his father was stationed during the Spanish Civil War, his mother returned with him to Pozoblanco where the family lived.

Palomo studied piano and harmony at the Córdoba Conservatory and at the age of twenty he entered the Barcelona Conservatory,[2] where he studied composition with Joaquín Zamacois and piano with Sofía Puche de Mendlewicz.

He studied conducting further with Boris Goldovsky in New York City, with a scholarship from the Fundación Juan March.

[4] His ballet La leyenda del Monte Bangkay was premiered in Manila, Philippines, in 1980.

[2] His compositions are, according to his works list:[5] In 2010 Palomo was knighted into the Order of Isabella the Catholic by King Juan Carlos I of Spain for his work disseminating the culture of Spain worldwide through his music.