Douglas John Parkinson (30 October 1946 – 15 March 2021) was an Australian pop and rock singer. He led the bands Strings and Things/A Sound (1965), the Questions (1966–1968), Doug Parkinson in Focus (1968–1970, 1971),

Fanny Adams Fanny Adams (30 April 1859 – 24 August 1867) was an eight-year-old English girl who was murdered by solicitor's clerk, Frederick Baker, in Alton, Hampshire, on 24 August 1867. The murder itself was extraordinarily brutal and caused a na ...

(1970–1971), the Life Organisation (1973), Southern Star Band (1978–1980) and Doug Parkinson Band (1981–1983). Doug Parkinson in Focus's cover version of the Beatles' track "

Dear Prudence "Dear Prudence" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Written in R ...

" (May 1969) peaked at No. 5 on the ''

Go-Set ''Go-Set'' was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble. NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. Widely described as ...

'' National Top 40. The follow up single, "Without You" / "

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

" (October), also reached No. 5. Parkinson released solo material and performed in musical theatre productions. Two studio albums associated with Parkinson: ''I'll Be Around'' (March 1979) by Southern Star Band and ''Heartbeat to Heartbeat'' (March 1983) by Doug Parkinson Band, reached the National Top 60. Australian musicologist

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

wrote that Parkinson, "conveyed considerable charisma with his imposing presence, 'Lucifer' beard and gruff, raspy voice. He also surrounded himself with mature, seasoned musicians who added to his appeal."

Life and career

1946–1964: Early life

Douglas John Parkinson was born in

Waratah, New South Wales Waratah is a north-western residential suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, from Newcastle's central business district and bounded to the north by the Main North railway line. Waratah station was opened in 1858 and is served by N ...

, a suburb of Newcastle. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:' His German-descended father was a commercial artist in print advertising, while his mother was of Welsh-Irish heritage. The family relocated to

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the entra ...

suburb of Sydney. His parents loved musical theatre and bought him a guitar when he was 12. He recalled how "my father one day made the huge mistake of buying a two-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. I have no idea why he bought it but it was there, and one night I snuck out and turned it on and sang into it. And I thought 'Who is that person coming back on that tape?'. It intrigued me. Then I asked for a guitar for Christmas and that was the end of me." Parkinson attended Narrabeen Boys' High School, showing aptitude in literature, and was selected as a prefect, matriculating in 1963. He sang a surf rock song, for his first performance, at a school dance. As a sporting teen he played district cricket and was a keen footballer. Parkinson also took up surfing but was hit by a surfboard, knocked unconscious and almost drowned. He was dragged from the water, resuscitated by fellow surfers, and then taken to

Mona Vale Hospital Mona Vale Hospital is located in the suburb of Mona Vale, on the Northern Beaches of metropolitan Sydney, Australia. It is a public hospital managed by New South Wales Health, and part of the Northern Sydney Local Health District. The hospit ...

. After being bed-ridden for six months he recovered from his injuries. He worked briefly as a labourer before starting a journalism cadetship with Sydney morning newspaper, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', in 1964. In that year he interviewed George Harrison, during the Beatles tour of Australia, for his first front-page story.

1965–1967: Early groups

In 1965 Parkinson, on lead vocals, formed Strings and Things, * 1st Edition (online): * 2nd Edition: with Helen Barnes on bass guitar, her brother Sid Barnes junior on drums and David Lee on guitar – and changed their name to the 'A' Sound – as a folk music group. The Barnes siblings were children of Australian test cricketer,

Sid Barnes Sidney George Barnes (5 June 1916 – 16 December 1973) was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test cricket, Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to Batting order (cricket)#Opening batsmen, open the innings or Ba ...

senior. The 'A' Sound released "Talk About That" (1966) via Festival Records, which Australian musicologist,

, described as a "pleasant folk single (in the Seekers vein)." Parkinson quit his cadetship in that year as "I was impatient, I was earning more with the band two nights a week than I was at the paper, but I was always having to swap shifts with other cadets and then I finally bit the bullet and left." The 'A' Sound broke up at the end of that year. In early 1967 Parkinson joined the Questions, alongside Bill Flemming on drums (ex- Midnighters, Roland Storm and the Statesmen,

Max Merritt and the Meteors Maxwell James Merritt (30 April 1941 – 24 September 2020) was a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who was renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B. As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors, his best known hits are " Slipp ...

), Billy Green on guitar,

Duncan McGuire Duncan Hazlett McGuire (ca. 194310 July 1989), was an Australian musician, songwriter, recording engineer and producer. McGuire was a founding member of the jazz fusion band, Ayers Rock from 1973 until he left in 1976. As a bass guitarist he ...

on bass guitar (ex-the Phantoms, Roland Storm and the Statesmen) and Rory Thomas on piano, organ, woodwind and brass. The group had previously released an album, ''What Is a Question?'' (November 1966), providing "sub-Herb Alpert pastiches." The group held a residency at the Manly Pacific Hotel, in the Sydney suburb. Parkinson provided his "facility for soul and blues" for the line-up, which "lifted

he group He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

into the premier league of Australian mid-1960s pop." The Questions competed in the

Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds was an annual national rock/pop band competition held in Australia from 1966 to 1972. The winners of the national finals were the Twilights (1966), the Groop (1967), the Groove (1968), Doug Parkinson in Focus (mai ...

in July 1967 and finished second behind

the Groop The Groop were an Australian folk, R&B and rock band formed in 1964 in Melbourne, Victoria and had their greatest chart success with their second line-up of Max Ross on bass, Richard Wright on drums and vocals, Don Mudie on lead guitar, Brian ...

. With Parkinson the band issued three "minor psychedelic pop classic" singles, "

Sally Go Round the Roses Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

" (cover version, July 1967), "And Things Unsaid" (October) and "Something Wonderful" (February 1968). They also released two extended plays, ''Sally Go Round the Roses'' and ''Something Wonderful''. In January 1968 Ray Burton on guitar (ex-Delltones) and Les Young on bass guitar (ex-Chessmen) replaced Green and McGuire respectively. The new line-up supported international visitors, the Who, Small Faces and Paul Jones, on their Australian Big Show Tour. A month later the group broke up.

1968–1971: Doug Parkinson in Focus and Fanny Adams

In March 1968 Doug Parkinson in Focus were formed by Parkinson, Green, McGuire and Thomas together with Doug Lavery on drums (ex-Andy James Asylum, Running Jumping Standing Still). They released a single, "I Had a Dream", in May and finished third in that year's Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds behind the Groove and then

the Masters Apprentices The Masters Apprentices (or The Masters to fans) were an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals, which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria in February 1967 a ...

. The first version of Doug Parkinson in Focus disbanded in August. In the following month a new line-up with Parkinson, Green and McGuire joined by Johnny Dick on drums (ex-Max Merritt and the Meteors,

Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney, New South Wales. The group enjoyed success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early 1970s to become one of the most popular Australian hard-roc ...

) formed in Melbourne. They "became one of the most popular outfits on the Melbourne suburban dance/inner-city discotheque circuit" as they were "perfectly in sync with the tempo of the times." The group signed with EMI/Columbia and issued a cover version of the Beatles' track, "

", in May 1969, which peaked at No. 5 on the ''

'' National Top 40. Also in that year the group won the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds national final. The band's follow up single, "Without You" / "

" (October), also reached No. 5. In November Green and McGuire left to join Rush while Parkinson and Dick recruited Mick Rogers (ex-

Procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

) and Les Stacpool (ex-Chessmen,

Merv Benton Merv Benton (born Mervyn Bonson, 12 August 1942) was an Australian pop singer from the mid-1960s. His most popular singles were "Baby Let's Play House" (1964), "I Got Burned", "Yield Not to Temptation", "Don't Destroy Me" (all in 1965) and "Y ...

and the Tamlas) each alternating on bass and lead guitars. By February 1970 Green and McGuire had returned and Rogers and Stacpool had left. The group issued another single, "Baby Blue Eyes" (May), which reached No. 36. The group disbanded when Parkinson and Dick relocated to the United Kingdom in June 1970. Parkinson and Dick had been invited to join

by founder

Vince Melouney Vincent Melouney (Maloney) (born 18 August 1945) is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter best known as an official member of The Bee Gees from 1967 to 1969 during the group’s initial period of worldwide success. Prior to joining Be ...

on guitar and vocals (ex-Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, the Bee Gees), alongside Teddy Toi on bass guitar (ex-Max Merritt and the Meteors, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs).McFarlane
'Fanny Adams'
entry. Archived fro
the original
on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2016. Parkinson "conveyed considerable charisma with his imposing presence and gruff, raspy voice." The group recorded their self-titled album in London and returned to Australia in December but disbanded a month later. ''Fanny Adams'' appeared posthumously in June 1971 on MCA Records; which McFarlane described as exemplifying "adventurous, heavy, progressive blues-rock." In February 1971 Parkinson formed another line-up of Doug Parkinson in Focus with Green and McGuire joined by Mark Kennedy on drums (ex-

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

, King Harvest). Their new label, Fable Records, had released the single, "Purple Curtains" (1971), which had been recorded by a previous line-up. According to McFarlane after Fanny Adams had disbanded "Such was MCA's dissatisfaction with the split that the label effectively prevented Parkinson from recording for two years." In December 1971 the line-up fractured when Kennedy and McGuire joined their former bandmate,

Leo de Castro Leo de Castro (born Kiwi Leo de Castro Kino; c. 1948 – 3 March 2019) was a New Zealand funk and soul singer-guitarist. From 1969 to 1995 he worked in Australia in a variety of bands before returning to Auckland. He contributed to ''Rocco'' ( ...

, in Friends; while Green joined Gerry and the Joy Band (see The Loved Ones#1968-1986: After disbandment).

1972–1976: Solo career and the Life Organisation

In August 1972 Parkinson launched his solo career and issued the single, "Lonely". In March 1973 he took the role of the Hawker in the Australian musical theatre, orchestral version of the Who's rock opera, ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

''. Fellow Australian artists were

Daryl Braithwaite Daryl Braithwaite (born 11 January 1949) is an Australian singer. He was the lead vocalist of Sherbet (1970–1984 and many subsequent reunions). Braithwaite also has a solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including t ...

(as Tommy),

Bobby Bright Bobby Neal Bright Sr. (born July 21, 1952) is an American former lawyer, farmer, and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative and was previously the three term Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. He served from 2009 to 2011 as the Represe ...

, Linda George,

Colleen Hewett Colleen Hewett (born 16 April 1950) is an Australian singer and actress. Hewett's top 40 singles on the Kent Music Report include " Super Star", " Day by Day" (both 1971), "Carry That Weight" (1972), "Dreaming My Dreams with You" (1980) ...

Jim Keays James Keays (9 September 194613 June 2014) was a Scottish-born Australian musician who fronted the rock band The Masters Apprentices as singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonica-player from 1965 to 1972 and subsequently had a solo career. He ...

Ian Meldrum Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM (born 29 January 1943) is an Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent co-ordinator, on-air interviewer, and music news presenter on the former popular mus ...

(as Uncle Ernie, in Sydney only),

Billy Thorpe William Richard Thorpe AM (29 March 1946 – 28 February 2007) was an English-born Australian singer-songwriter, and record producer. As lead singer of his band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, he had success in the 1960s with "Blue Day", " Poison Iv ...

Wendy Saddington Wendy June Saddington (26 September 194921 June 2013), also known as Gandharvika Dasi, was an Australian blues, soul and jazz singer, and was in the bands Chain, Copperwine and the Wendy Saddington Band. She wrote for teen pop newspaper ''Go ...

Broderick Smith Broderick Smith (born 17 February 1948) is an English-born Australian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and sometime actor. He was a member of 1970s bands Sundown, Carson and the Dingoes, 1980s Broderick Smith's Big Combo and he has rec ...

and Ross Wilson. The Sydney performance was filmed and broadcast on channel 7 in early April. In May 1973 Parkinson released his debut solo album, ''No Regrets'', on Polydor Records. For the sessions he used

John Capek John Joseph Capek is a composer, arranger, keyboardist, producer. Biography John Capek was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). on 27 November 1947. He is the son of Fred Capek, a concert pianist and Mechanical Engineer, and ...

on piano (ex-

Carson Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname *Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States * Carson, California, a city * Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois *Carson, Iowa, a city * ...

); drummers

Russell Dunlop Russell James Dunlop (21 October 194516 May 2009) was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and record producer-engineer. From the late 1970s he collaborated with Bruce Brown in a production company for albums and singles by Australian perfo ...

, Peter Figures and Graham Morgan; Tim Partridge on bass guitar; guitarists Green,

Kevin Borich Kevin Nicholas Borich (born 27 October 1948, Huapai, North Island, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of The La De Das, the leader of Kevin Borich Express, and a founding memb ...

Jimmy Doyle James Doyle (20 March 1939 – 22 June 2015) was an Irish hurler who played as a right wing-forward for the Tipperary senior team. Born in Thurles, County Tipperary, Doyle first played competitive hurling whilst at school in Thurles CBS. He a ...

and Ross East; Roger Sellers on percussion and drums; Don Reid on flute and saxophone; and Terry Hannagan on guitar and backing vocals. It includes Parkinson's solo version of "And Things Unsaid", which he had written for the Questions, he co-wrote two tracks ("Get What You Can", "Takin' It Easy") with Capek. The singer also co-produced a track with Burton and other tracks with David Fookes. A 19–minute demo tape version of ''No Regrets'' was preserved in the Mike Eves collection. Note: Capek's last name is given as Kapek, Sellers as Sellars. Also in 1973 he formed a big band jazz ensemble, the Life Organisation, with Morgan and Toi joined by Warren Ford on guitar and piano; Peter Martin on guitar (ex- SCRA); and Bill Motzing on trombone and keyboards. The Life Organisation had backed Parkinson on two tracks ("Dear Prudence" and "Love Gun") on his solo album, ''No Regrets''. The group issued six singles during 1973 and 1974; two of them reached the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...

singles chart top 100, " In the Mood (Forties Style)" (June 1973) and "

Beyond the Blue Horizon ''Beyond the Blue Horizon'' is a 1971 studio album by American jazz guitarist George Benson. It was his first album released by CTI Records, CTI and included organist Clarence Palmer, drummer Jack DeJohnette, bassist Ron Carter, and percussionis ...

" (November). In late 1973 he replaced Reg Livermore in the role of Herod in an Australian musical theatre production of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

''. Former band mate Green composed the soundtrack to the

biker film This list is for films where at least one biker appears as a significant plot element. A bike in a film does not qualify for this list. Before 1960 * '' The Uncontrollable Motorcycle'' (1909) * '' Alkali Ike's Motorcycle'' (1912) * '' A Motorcyc ...

, ''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'' (1974), with Parkinson singing on two tracks, "Cosmic Flash" and "Do not Go Gentle". In that year his touring band were Rod Coe on bass guitar,

Bruno Lawrence David Charles Lawrence (12 February 194110 June 1995) known as Bruno Lawrence was an English-born musician and actor, who was active in the industry in New Zealand and Australia. Initially notable as a musician and founder of 1970s ensemble Bl ...

on drums (ex-Max Merritt and the Meteors, BLERTA), Mick Lieber on guitar (ex-Python Lee Jackson) and Ray Vanderby on keyboards. In November he released a cover version of " Everlasting Love", which peaked at No. 22. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) created their own

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabul ...

in mid-1988. He followed with "Love is Like a Cloudy Day" (May 1975) and "Raised on Rock" (September) but they did reach the top 100.

1977–1987: The Southern Star Band and the Doug Parkinson Band

From December 1977 to March 1978 Parkinson returned to musical theatre in the stage show, ''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

'' portraying Kelly Gang member,

Joe Byrne Joseph Byrne (21 November 1856 – 28 June 1880) was an Australian bushranger of Irish descent. A friend of Ned Kelly, he was a member of the "Kelly Gang" who were declared outlaws after the murder of three policemen at Stringybark Creek. De ...

.''Ned Kelly'' at

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

: * Adelaide run, 30 December 1977–28 January 1978: * Sydney run, 4 February 1978–23 March 1978: Its first run was at the Festival Theatre, Adelaide and was followed by a run at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney. '' The Bulletin''s John Hoad praised his "booming voice." His touring band for solo work were Sanctuary, which included ex-

Chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

and ex- Renée Geyer Band members: Mal Logan on keyboards and Barry Sullivan on bass guitar.McFarlane
'Renee Geyer'
entry. Archived fro
the original
on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 24 September 2016. In 1978 Parkinson formed the Southern Star Band, comprising former band mates Kennedy and McGuire and new associates Frank Esler-Smith on keyboards (ex- Marcia Hines Band) and Jim Gannon on guitar (ex-Black Widow, Yellow Dog). Gannon was soon replaced by

Tommy Emmanuel William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, he is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on ...

on guitar (ex-Goldrush, the Emmanuel Brothers Band).McFarlane
'Tommy Emmanuel'
entry. Archived fro
the original
on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 25 September 2016. McFarlane felt the group "played slick, funky jazz over an R&B foundation." They issued four singles with " I'll Be Around" (January 1979) the highest charting, which reached No. 22 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The singer had heard fellow Australian artist, Ross Wilson, perform a cover version of the original, "I'll Be Around", by the Spinners at a Kings Cross nightclub and decided to get his group to record their own rendition. The album of the same name was "a steady seller" and reached the related Top 40 albums chart. Parkinson also sang the opening theme song of the short-lived TV soap opera, ''

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

'' (1980), which was issued as a solo single. Early in 1981 Southern Star Band were renamed as the Doug Parkinson Band with George Limbidis on bass guitar (ex-Highway), Adrian Payne on drums (ex-Pantha, Broderick Smith's Hired Hands), Tim Piper on guitar (ex-Chain, Blackfeather) and Dave Richard on guitar. They issued seven singles from March 1981 to September 1983, including a cover version of "

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single credited to Frankie Valli as a solo artist in 1965 on the Smash label, but was more successful when recorded by the Wa ...

" featuring Broderick Smith on duet vocals in July 1981. Their album, ''Heartbeat to Heartbeat'', appeared in March 1983, which reached the top 60. He appeared in another Australian production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', but this time as Judas, which included a run in Tamworth in May 1984 and then

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

during 1984.''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at AusStage: * 1984: * Perth run, 1984:

1988–2021: Musical theatre and later career

From the late 1980s to the early 2000s Parkinson "concentrated on musical theatre" with roles in Australian stage productions of '' Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (April 1989: Brisbane, May 1989: Melbourne, January 1990: Adelaide), ''

The Hunting of the Snark ''The Hunting of the Snark'', subtitled ''An Agony in 8 Fits'', is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight por ...

'' (October 1990: Sydney), ''

Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story ''Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story'' is a musical in two acts written by Alan Janes, and featuring the music of Buddy Holly. It opened at London's Victoria Palace Theatre on 12 October 1989. An early example of the jukebox musical, ''Buddy'' ran in ...

'' as

the Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include "Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of wh ...

(January: Sydney and September 1991: Melbourne, April: Perth, June: Adelaide, July: Brisbane and August 1992: Sydney), '' Grease'' as Vince Fontaine (1998), ''

Happy Days - The Arena Mega Musical Happy Days - The Arena Mega Musical is an Australian musical that is a spinoff of the USA sitcom Happy Days. Directed by David Gilmore and produced by Paul Dainty it debuted in Sydney in October 1999, subsequently playing in Melbourne, Adelelaide ...

'' as Delvicchio (1999) and '' The Wizard of Oz'' as

Cowardly Lion The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak. Since lions are supposed to be "The Kings of Beasts," the Cowardly ...

(2002). Parkinson continued performing in cabaret and clubs and recording as of 2016. He contributed a version of "Always to the Light" to the tribute album, ''Some Lonesome Picker'' (June 2016). He told Christian Tatman of ''

The Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald Sun ...

'' that "My favourite thing is working with a crowd. It's what I'm going to keep doing. I have no plans for retirement." In early 2017 Parkinson undertook a tour featuring the music of Joe Cocker. Highlights of the shows included Cocker's songs and his own hits as well as songs made famous by others, such as Ray Charles and the Beatles.

Personal life

In 1968, Parkinson married Suzie Clark, who later became his talent manager; the couple had two children. The family were long-term residents of Sydney's

. One of their children, Daniel Parkinson was the bass guitarist for the Hanging Tree, a

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

group from 1992 to 2002. Daniel has also worked as a graphic designer and photographer. The couple also ran their own record label, Roy Boy Records, from 2005, which issued Parkinson's latter day solo material. Parkinson died on 15 March 2021, aged 74, at his Northern Beaches home.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Charity singles

Awards

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Doug Parkinson won four awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 2000 , Doug Parkinson , Classic Rock Performer of the Year , , - , 2001 , Doug Parkinson , Classic Rock Performer of the Year , , - , 2002 , Doug Parkinson , Classic Rock Performer of the Year , , - , 2003 , Doug Parkinson , Contemporary Rock Performer of the Year , , -

References

External links

*
Rock Snaps
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parkinson, Doug 1946 births 2021 deaths Australian pop singers Australian male singers Australian people of German descent Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Welsh descent