Junior Parker
Background information
Birth nameHerman Parker Jr.
Also known asLittle Junior Parker
Born(1932-03-27)March 27, 1932
Near Bobo, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedNovember 18, 1971(1971-11-18) (aged 39)
Blue Island, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • harmonica
Years active1951–1971
Labels

Herman "Junior" Parker (March 27, 1932 – November 18, 1971)[1][2] was an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best remembered for his voice which has been described as "honeyed" and "velvet-smooth".[3] One music journalist noted, "For years, Junior Parker deserted down home harmonica blues for uptown blues-soul music".[4] In 2001, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.[2] Parker is also inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.[5]

Life and career

There is some disagreement over the details of Parker's birth, but most reliable sources now indicate that he was born in March, 1932 at Eastover Plantation near Bobo, Coahoma County, Mississippi. He moved with his mother to West Memphis, Arkansas, during the 1940s.[1][2] Other birth dates in 1927 or 1932 have been suggested, and some research suggests that his name at birth was registered as Herbert Parker.[2]

He sang in gospel groups as a child and, beginning in his teenage years, played on various blues circuits. His biggest influence as a harmonica player was Rice Miller a.k.a. Sonny Boy Williamson, with whom he worked before moving on to work for Howlin' Wolf in 1949. Around 1950, he began performing with a coalition of performers in Memphis known as the Beale Streeters, which included Bobby "Blue" Bland and B.B. King.[6]

In 1951, Parker formed his own band, the Blue Flames, with guitarist Pat Hare.[3] In 1952, Parker was discovered by talent scout Ike Turner for Modern Records. Turner recorded his first release, "You're My Angel"/"Bad Women, Bad Whiskey," with Turner playing piano and Matt "Guitar" Murphy on guitar.[7][8] This record brought him to the attention of Sam Phillips, and he and his band signed with Sun Records in 1953. There they produced three successful songs with Matt's brother Floyd on electric guitar: "Feelin' Good" (which reached number 5 on the US Billboard R&B chart), "Love My Baby," and "Mystery Train", a cover version of which was recorded by Elvis Presley.[3] For Presley's version of "Mystery Train", Scotty Moore borrowed the guitar riff from Parker's "Love My Baby", played by Pat Hare.[9] "Love My Baby" and "Mystery Train" became rockabilly standards.[10]

Bland was drafted into the US Army in 1952 and was discharged in 1955.[11]

Later in 1955, Parker toured with Bobby Bland and Johnny Ace, and also joined Duke Records. Parker and Bland headed the highly successful Blues Consolidated Revue, which regularly performed on the southern blues circuit.[12] He continued to have a string of hits on the R&B chart, including the smooth "Next Time You See Me" (1957); remakes of Roosevelt Sykes's song "Driving Wheel" (1961), "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" (1962), Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago", Guitar Slim's "The Things That I Used to Do" (1963), and Don Robey's "Mother-in-Law Blues" (1956), plus his own "Stand by Me" (1961).

Junior Parker performing at the 1970 Ann Arbor Blues Festival. Photo by Jeff Titon.
Junior Parker at the 1970 Ann Arbor Blues Festival.

His success was limited after he left Duke in 1966. He recorded for various labels, including Mercury, Blue Rock, Minit, and Capitol. His final chart hit came in 1971 with "Drowning on Dry Land" on Capitol, which peaked at number 48 on the Billboard R&B chart.[12]

Death

Parker died on November 18, 1971, at age 39, in Blue Island, Illinois,[1] during surgery for a brain tumor. His next album was released by United Artists Records in 1972, titled I Tell Stories Sad and True, I Sing the Blues and Play Harmonica Too, It Is Very Funky. Reviewing it in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said, "Once a big man on the blues circuit, Parker was turning into the forgotten Beale Streeter by the time he died ... and this is a respectful farewell ... Never as penetrating as B.B. or Bobby, Parker smooths his way over the arrangements with the calm of a man who was mellow before the concept existed, at least in its present deracinated form. Highlight: the sad, true story that goes with 'Funny How Time Slips Away.'"[13]

Legacy

On the 1974 album ...Explores Your Mind, Al Green dedicated his song "Take Me to the River" to Parker, whom he described in the song's spoken introduction as "a cousin of mine who's gone on, and we'd kinda like to carry on in his name".[14]

In 2001, Parker was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.[2] He is also inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.[5]

In 2011, Parker was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Bobo.[15][2]

Discography

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Albums

Compilations

Other appearances

Singles

Unissued singles

References

  1. ^ a b c Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 200. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Little Junior Parker, Mississippi Blues Trail. Retrieved October 14, 2016
  3. ^ a b c "The Blues: Blues Road Trip. Memphis and St. Louis". PBS. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  4. ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 202. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  5. ^ a b "Inductees: Rhythm and Blues (R & B)". Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  6. ^ Robert Palmer (1981). Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
  7. ^ "Matt "Guitar" Murphy". Blues Foundation. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  8. ^ Farley, Charles (2011). Soul of the Man: Bobby "Blue" Bland. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1604739190.
  9. ^ Gillett, Charlie (1984). The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll (Rev. ed.). New York City: Pantheon Books. ISBN 0394726383. Retrieved July 6, 2012. 'Love My Baby' in particular featured some blistering guitar playing by Pat Hare, which inspired the rockabilly style discussed elsewhere.
  10. ^ Dahl, Bill. "Junior Parker: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  11. ^ "Bobby Blue Bland". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Robert Palmer (1981). Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: P". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  14. ^ Williams, Paul (February 18, 2009). "Talking Heads' Take Me to the River". Crawdaddy!. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  15. ^ "Blues Trial marker for Little Junior Parker - Picayune Item". Picayune Item. May 11, 2011.
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