Dennis F. Parker (July 29, 1945 – October 6, 2016) was an American musician and

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

. During six decades in the music industry, Parker earned seven

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations, two Grammys, five Latin Grammy Award nominations, and three Latin Grammys as a performer or recording engineer. He had claim to 18 gold or platinum discs.

Early life

Parker was born in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

, the second son of Jane Sharp Fraizer and Paul Oliver Parker. Both his parents were schoolteachers with master's degrees from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. He began piano lessons when he was eight years old. When he was 10, his family moved to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. He started playing

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

when he was 12. His idols were

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and Duane Eddy. He started playing

Sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was designed to be easier to play than ...

at age 15 at Tucson High School, because band director Bucky Steele told him that he had to be in the marching band in order to be in the school jazz band. At 15, he became a professional musician and joined the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, ...

, AFL-CIO. At 16, he started playing string bass. From 1961 through 1967, he played

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

and string bass with

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

groups in Tucson. From 1964 through 1967, he played tuba in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and the Tucson Pops Orchestra. Dennis F

In 1967, Parker received a Bachelor of Music in Composition and a Bachelor of Music Education from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

San Francisco

In 1967, Parker moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and was part of the Haight-Ashbury music scene. He played electric bass in the rock group, Allmen Joy. The group shared the bill at the Fillmore Auditorium, Avalon Ballroom, and Straight Theater with

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

, Steve Miller,

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

, and many other groups from 1967 to 1969. They played two dates at Chet Helms' Denver Dog with

the Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

and Canned Heat in Denver in 1967. The band also appeared at the Aquarian Family Festival in San Jose, California in May 1969. The group also played at the Sky River Rock Festival and Lighter Than Air Fair near Sultan, Washington.Skyriverlives.com
The First Sky River Festival
/ref>Skyriverlives.com
Sky River II poster
/ref> The festival took place from August 30, 1968 through September 2. 1968. In 1969 and 1970, Parker played sitar and electric bass in the musical "Hair" in San Francisco,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Los Angeles

Musician

In 1970, Parker moved to Los Angeles and played electric bass in the

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his lif ...

Orchestra in the Don Ellis at Fillmore and Tears of Joy double albums and the

French Connection The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Indochina through Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada, sometimes through Cuba. The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and ...

soundtrack.Allmusic.com
Don Ellis at Fillmore, credits
/ref>Allmusic.com
Don Ellis, Tears of Joy, credits
/ref> In the 1970–1980 time period, he also played electric bass with groups led by

Willie Bobo William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo,

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

''AllMusic'' was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of ...

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note album '' Components'', is one of his best-known compositions.Huey, Steve. "Components – Bob ...

, John Klemmer,

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the white bluesmen who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal f ...

Mike Nock Michael Anthony Nock (born 27 September 1940) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, currently based in Australia. Biography He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Nock began studying piano at 11. He attended Nelson College for one term in 1955.' ...

, and Gábor Szabó. From 1972 through 1980, he was a studio musician in Los Angeles. His work with arranger and band leader

H. B. Barnum Hidle Brown Barnum (born July 15, 1936) is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, songwriter, and former child actor. Biography After winning a nationwide talent contest at the age of four and starring in the film ''Valley of the Su ...

resulted in his electric bass line propelling

Al Wilson Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and ...

Show and Tell Show and tell (sometimes called show and share or sharing time) is the practice of showing something to an audience and describing it to them, usually a toy or other children's-oriented item. In the United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand and ...

to Number 1 on the Billboard charts and a R.I.A.A. Gold record.Billboard
Hot 110, Week of January 19, 1974
/ref>Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 339. Parker worked with Barnum from 1973 to 1977. Barnum was also the arranger and band leader for the Osmonds. Parker toured with the Osmonds and was in the band for the Donny & Marie Show on ABC-TV during its first 1976–1977 season. As a studio musician, he played bass on albums by Roy Buchanan,Loading Zone, credits on back of album sleeve
/ref>Allmusic.com
Roy Buchanan, Guitar on Fire, credits
/ref> David Cassidy, Jackie DeShannon,Allmusic.com
Jackie DeShannon, You're the Only Dancer/Quick Touches, credits
/ref> Ned Doheny,Allmusic.com
Ned Doheny, Hard Candy, credits
/ref> Albert Hammond,

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

, Essra Mohawk,Allmusic.com
Essra Mohawk, Essra Mohawk, credits
/ref> Oliver.Allmusic.com
Oliver, Prism, credits
/ref> Parker also played in world tours backing David Cassidy, Tom Jones, and Johnny Mathis.

Recording engineer

Parker got his first lessons to become a recording engineer from David Baskind at B & B Sound on Melrose, near Fairfax, in Los Angeles. He continued experimenting and learning in a home studio. In 1979, he started working for Mike Hightower and Wayne Henderson at Wide Track Studios in

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, t ...

. He was recording engineer for albums by Wayne Henderson,Allmusic.com
Wayne Henderson, Back to the Groove, credits
/ref>

Miki Howard Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard (born September 30, 1960) is an American singer and actress who had a string of top 10 hit songs in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, including " Baby, Be Mine" (1987), " Come Share My Love" (1986) and "Love Under Ne ...

,Allmusic.com
Miki Howard, Miki Howard, credits
/ref> Ronnie Laws,Allmusic.com
Ronnie Laws, True Spirit, credits
/ref> Alphonse Mouzon,Allmusic.com
Alphonse Mouzon, The Sky is the Limit, credits
/ref> Keith Washington, Allmusic.com
Keith Washington, Make Time for Love, credits
/ref> Dwight Sills. The Miki Howard album peaked at number 4 week of March 24, 1990 on the Billboard R&B albums chart.Billboard
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Week of March 24 1990
/ref> In addition, he was the recording engineer for four Ice-T albums: Rhyme Pays, Power, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say, and O.G. Original Gangster.Allmusic.com
Ice-T, O.G. Original Gangster, credits
/ref> The O.G. album peaked at number 9 week of July 13, 1991 on the Billboard R&B albums chart.Billboard
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Week of July 13, 1991
/ref>

Mexico

Recording engineer

Parker moved with his wife and three sons to Mexico City in November 1990. He was the recording engineer at Estudio Kay-nah in Mexico City owned by Pedro Plascencia and his mother, Carmen Salinas. In December, he was the recording engineer at Estudio Kay-nah and recording Cutberto Perez and his Marachi 2000.

Musician

Parker played 20 years the electric bass with the Mexican rock group El Haragán y Compañía.

Partial discography

Musician

Don Ellis Orchestra – Don Ellis at Fillmore (Columbia, 1970) Recorded "Live" at The Fillmore West; San Francisco, CA Don Ellis Orchestra – Tears of Joy (Columbia, 1971) Recorded "Live" at Basin Street West; San Francisco, CA Essra Mohawk – Essra Mohawk (Elektra/Asylum, 1974) Al Wilson – Show and Tell (Bell/Rocky Road, 1973) Billboard No. 1, Week of January 19, 1974. R.I.A.A. Gold Johnny Mathis – The Heart of a Woman (Columbia, 1974) The Osmonds – Love Me For a Reason (MGM, 1974) The Osmonds – Around the World: Live in Concert (MGM, 1975) Ned Doheny – Hard Candy (Sony, 1976) Tom Jones – Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow (Epic, 1977) Roy Buchanan – Loading Zone (Polydor, 1977) Jackie DeShannon – You're the Only Dancer (1977) Oliver – Prism (United Artists) Ned Doheny – Prone (Sony, 1979) Albert Hammond – Your World and My World (Sony, 1980) Roy Buchanan – Guitar on Fire (Rhino, 1993)

El Haragán y Compañía

Recording engineer

Alphonse Mouzon – The Sky is the Limit (Tenacious, 1985) Miki Howard – Miki Howard (Atlantic, 1989) Peaked at number 4 week of March 24, 1990 on the Billboard R&B albums chart. Ronnie Laws – True Spirit (Paramount, 1989) The Five Heartbeats – The Five Heartbeats (Capitol, 1991) Keith Washington – Make Time for Love (Qwest, 1991) Wayne Henderson – Back to the Groove (Paramount, 1992) Dwight Sills – Second Wind (Columbia, 1992) Ronnie Laws – Deep Soul (Paramount, 1992)

Ice-T

Rhyme Pays (Sire, 1987) Power (Sire, 1988) The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say (Sire, 1989) O.G. Original Gangster (Sire, 1991) Peaked at number 9 week of July 13, 1991 on the Billboard R&B albums chart.

Joan Sebastian

* ''Más Allá Del Sol'' Best Banda Album – 2006 Grammy Awards * ''No Es De Madera'' Best Banda Album – 2008 Grammy Awards

Television and film

* '' The French Connection'' – Don Ellis Orchestra – electric bass, 1972 Grammy Awards, Best Instrumental Arrangement * The Affair – 1973 – playing electric bass in the recording studio scene with Natalie Wood * Donny & Marie Show (ABC, 1976-1977) * The Five Heartbeats – 1991 – engineer for soundtrack recording * Haragan y Cia - Acustico (En Vivo)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Dennis F. 1945 births 2016 deaths Tucson High School alumni