Ray Parker, Jr.

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Ray Parker, Jr.
Birth name Raymond Erskine Parker, Jr.
Also known as Ray Parker Jr.
Born May 1, 1954 (1954-05-01) (age 54)
Genre(s) R&B
Occupation(s) Guitarist, songwriter, record producer, Composer
Years active 1973–present
Label(s) Arista, Geffen, MCA, Indie
Associated acts Raydio, Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio, Ray Parker Jr.
Notable instrument(s)
Guitar, Piano

Ray Parker, Jr. is an American a guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known primarily for performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters.

Born Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. to Venolia and Ray Parker Sr. on May 1, 1954 Ray is a Detroit native and 1972 graduate of Northwestern High School. He has two younger siblings: a brother and a sister.

Contents

[edit] Early work

Parker gained his reputation during the late '60s as a member of the house band at the 20 Grand Club. This Detroit nightspot often featured Tamla/Motown acts, one of which the (Detroit) Spinners, was so impressed with the young guitarist's skills that they added him to their touring group. Parker was also employed as a teenaged studio musician for the emergent Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus/Hot Wax stable and his choppy style was particularly prevalent on 'Want Ads', a number one single for Honey Cone.

In the mid-1970s he was a sideman in Barry White's "Love Unlimited Orchestra", before creating Raydio, an R&B group, in 1977, with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. Parker appeared briefly in the 1974 film "Uptown Saturday Night" as a guitar player. Parker also wrote songs and did session work for The Carpenters, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder (an association which prompted a permanent move to Los Angeles), Deniece Williams, Jean-Luc Ponty, Leon Haywood, Temptations, The Spinners, Boz Scaggs, Rhythm Heritage, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Honey Cone, Herbie Hancock and Diana Ross.

[edit] Raydio

The group scored their first big hit, with Arista Records, "Jack and Jill" from their self-titled album in 1978. The song was # 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, earning a Gold record in the process.

Their successful follow-up hit, "You Can't Change That" was released in 1979, from the Rock On album. The song was a Top 10 hit, making it up to # 9 on the Billboard charts during the same year it was released.

In 1980, the group became known as Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio, and the group released two more albums: Two Places at the Same Time in 1980 and A Woman Needs Love in 1981.

During the eighties Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio had two Top 40 hits ("Two Places at the Same Time" - # 30 in 1980 and "That Old Song" - # 21 in 1981) and their last and biggest hit "A Woman Needs Love," released in 1981, went to # 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, and # 1 on the R&B Charts for two weeks in 1981.

[edit] Solo years and "Ghostbusters"

Raydio broke up in 1981, while Parker continued with his solo career, scoring six Top 40 hits, including the hit single "The Other Woman" (Pop # 4) in 1982 and "Ghostbusters" in 1984. Other hits from this period included "I Still Can't Get Over Loving You" (Pop # 12) and "Jamie" (Pop # 14).

Parker was one of the first black artists to venture into the then-fledgling world of music videos. In 1978 Hollywood producer, Thom Eubank produced several music videos of songs from his first album entitled, Raydio on Arista Records. The hit single, "Jack & Jill" was the first released to air on Wolfman Jack's Saturday night television show, The Midnight Special. The music videos were also transferred to film and projected in movie theaters all over Europe. He also made two different videos for his hit "The Other Woman". The first was Halloween-themed and centered around a haunted castle with dancing corpses and vampires. The second was more performance-oriented, with Parker performing the song against an outer space background with backup singers. Parker made the performance-oriented video because MTV refused to play his Halloween-themed video due to its depiction of an interracial relationship.

"Ghostbusters" was a title track of the Gold-selling soundtrack of the hit movie Ghostbusters (but the song has now sold upwards of 28 million units internationally according to Parker in 2007)[citation needed], starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. The single was at #1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and at #1 for two weeks on its Black Singles chart. The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1984 but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red.

[edit] Controversy surrounding Ghostbusters

Parker was accused of plagiarizing the melody from Huey Lewis and the News song "I Want a New Drug" for his 1984 #1 hit theme to Ghostbusters, released only six months after Lewis' hit reached #6 in the Billboard Hot 100. This ended with Lewis suing Parker, and the pair settled out of court in 1985. Nonetheless, Parker's success continued as the song secured him a 1984 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

They returned to court once again in 2001, as Parker sued Lewis for breaching a confidentiality agreement forming part of their original out of court settlement which prohibited either side from speaking about it publicly. Lewis had revealed in a VH1 Behind The Music special that Parker had paid a financial settlement as part of the original agreement.

[edit] Acting

He also made acting appearances on the 1980s sitcom Gimme a Break starring Nell Carter, "Disorderlies" (1987), Enemy Territory (1987), Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment (1986) (V) aka Terms of Enrollment (USA: short title). "Berrenger's" (2 episodes, 1985): Power Play (1985) TV episode and the Seduction (1985) TV episode and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He was also a production assistant for the film "Fly by Night" (1993). He made a guest appearance on "21 Jump Street".

[edit] Continued songwriting

Parker also wrote and produced hits for New Edition ("Mr. Telephone Man"), Randy Hall, Cheryl Lynn ("Shake It Up Tonight"), Deniece Williams ("I Found Love") and Diana Ross. He also performed guitar on several songs on La Toya Jackson's 1980 debut album. In 1989, he also wrote "Ghostbusters", a rap performed by Run-D.M.C., for the movie Ghostbusters 2.

[edit] Family

He took time out of the spotlight in the '90s to care for his ailing parents, get married and to raise his four children (sons) and now performs about 75 times a year. It turned out to be a 15-year hiatus between his last album in 1991 to this one in 2006.

[edit] Comeback

In 2006, Parker returned and released a new CD titled: I'm Free. Of his first single called Mismaloya Beach: "I think it was the longest running instrumental on Smooth Jazz radio"[citation needed], says Parker. I'm Free showcases a new found beginning for Parker and embraces a variety of musical styles including Urban, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues, and Reggae.

[edit] Trivia

 Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2008)
  • In 1972, Stevie Wonder called Parker to ask him to play behind him on a tour that he was doing with the Rolling Stones. Parker thought it was a prank call and hung up the phone. Wonder called back and convinced Parker that he was the real deal by singing "Superstition" to him.
  • Ray Parker, Jr. began taking clarinet and saxophone lessons as a young child, and by age 11 was considered one of Detroit's brightest child prodigies.
  • Ray Parker Sr., who worked at a Ford steel mill for 47 years, recognized his son's potential and allowed him to play guitar with the likes of Marvin Gaye and the Temptations in city nightclubs. Dad went to every show to keep an eye on things.
  • Parker mentions in a 2006 interview, that his name appears on all of the musical works the then singer- turned-actor Bill Cosby produced in his early recording days on the music scene.
  • Parker worked on Stevie Wonder's Talking Book and Innervisions. He was also making demos of his own songs, which Wonder encouraged.
  • Parker co-wrote "You Got the Love," the 1974 hit for Rufus and Chaka Khan. Freda Payne's "Band of Gold"? Parker on guitar. "Want Ads" by the Honeycones? Parker again.
  • Parker met his mentor, Barry White, who saw the young songwriter's potential. White and Parker co-wrote several hits, including the No. 1 "You See the Trouble With Me," and that's Parker's wah-wah on "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," "Love's Theme" and several other Love Unlimited Orchestra classics.
  • Barry White's kindness toward Ray Parker, Jr. was so strong that he was kind enough to record one of Parker's songs, 'Always Thinking Of You' on Barry's White Gold Orchestra LP. Then, even after Parker wrecked his car, he recorded and co-wrote 'You See The Trouble With Me' with Parker, to which Parker is eternally grateful.
  • Parker missed the opportunity of having his portrait sketched by the late, great Miles Davis, who loved to draw. He informed Parker that he wanted to draw him, sent him out on an errand to which Parker got distracted, "I think I was chasing some girl at the time." says Parker and he never got around to posing for Miles. Not long after, the jazz legend was deceased.
  • Parker's first negative experience in the music business: "...I had another huge hit on Leo Sayer that my name didn't get put on, called "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin'" I had put that whole song together and wrote it at home. That was my first real depressed moment in the music business because my song won a Grammy and my name's on it nowhere."
  • Parker, on his singing ability: "I couldn't sing." "In the early days, I couldn't even hold a pitch. The problem with being a good musician is you know what pitch is. I know what out of tune is. I don't need anybody to tell me ’ I was just bad and out of tune."
  • Arnell Carmichael shared the lead with Parker on 1979's "You Can't Change That," but by "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" two years later, Parker was handling all the vocals. "I wasn't so sure about that," he said, "but all my friends said 'It sounds all right now, you're not an idiot no more. You might be able to pull this one off.'"
  • Parker returned to Detroit in the '90s to start caring for his ailing parents, who, sadly, died within the year of one another in 1994.
  • Parker has no regrets about bowing out for a while. "I had an unbelievably lucrative career, I made entirely too much money, I was never going to live long enough to spend it anyway," he said. "And I didn't want to be one of these guys trying to figure out how am I gonna get my parents back."

[edit] Raydio discography

  • Raydio (1978) #27 US
  • Rock On (1979) #45 US
  • Two Places at the Same Time (1980) #33 US
  • A Woman Needs Love (1981) #13 US
  • Greatest Hits (1982)

[edit] Ray Parker, Jr. discography

  • The Other Woman (1982) #11 US
  • Woman Out of Control (1983) #45 US
  • Ghostbusters (Soundtrack) (1984) #6 US
  • Chartbusters (1984) #60 US
  • Sex and The Single Man (1985) #65 US
  • After Dark (1987) #86 US, #40 UK
  • I Love You Like You Are (1991)
  • I'm Free (2006)

[edit] Singles

Year Title U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B U.S. AC UK Singles Chart Album
1978 "Jack And Jill" (credited to Raydio) 8 5 - 11 Raydio
1978 "Is This A Love Thing" (credited to Raydio) - 20 - 27 Raydio
1979 "You Can't Change That" 9 3 25 - Rock On
1979 "More Than One Way To Love A Woman" - 25 - - Rock On
1980 "Two Places At The Same Time" 30 6 34 - Two Places At The Same Time
1980 "For Those Who Like To Groove" - 14 - - Two Places At The Same Time
1981 "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" 4 1 11 - A Woman Needs Love
1981 "That Old Song" 21 26 7 - A Woman Needs Love
1981 "It's Your Night" - 73 - - A Woman Needs Love
1982 "The Other Woman" 4 2 33 - The Other Woman
1982 "Let Me Go" 38 3 - - The Other Woman
1982 "It's Our Own Affair" - 44 - - The Other Woman
1983 "Bad Boy" 35 6 - - Greatest Hits
1983 "The People Next Door" - 60 - - Greatest Hits
1983 "I Still Can't Get Over Loving You" 12 12 10 - Woman Out Of Control
1984 "Woman Out Of Control" - 71 - - Woman Out Of Control
1984 "Ghostbusters" 1 1 9 2 Ghostbusters soundtrack/Chartbusters
1984 "Jamie" 14 12 6 - Chartbusters
1985 "Girls Are More Fun" 34 21 - 46 Sex And The Single Man
1986 "One Sunny Day/Dueling Bikes From Quicksilver" 96 - - - Quicksilver soundtrack
1987 "I Don't Think That Man Should Sleep Alone" 68 5 42 13 After Dark
1988 "Over You" (with Natalie Cole) - - 38 65 After Dark
1989 "Than It" (With Natalie Cole) - - - - After Dark"
1990 "The Past" (With Natalie Cole) - - - - After Dark
1990 "All I'm Missing Is You" (Glenn Medeiros feat. Ray Parker Jr.) - - - - Glenn Mederios

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Jr., Ray Parker
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Detroit native and 1972 graduate of Northwestern High School; Parker gained international fame as a guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Parker,_Jr."
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