Herman "Junior" Parker (March 27, 1932November 18, 1971) Little Junior Parker, ''Mississippi Blues Trail''
Retrieved October 14, 2016 was an American blues singer and musician. He is best remembered for his voice which has been described as "honeyed" and "velvet-smooth". One music journalist noted, "For years, Junior Parker deserted down home harmonica blues for uptown blues-soul music". In 2001, he was inducted into the

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum located at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the ...

. Parker is also inducted into the

Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame The Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, headquartered in Clinton, Mississippi, honors Mississippi's famous musicians. It is a "Who's Who" of the blues, rock and roll, and jazz from their beginnings to present day. The organization's museum is loc ...

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 Bobo is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. Bobo is located on U.S. routes 61 and 278, southwest of Clarksdale. It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 Census which listed a pop ...

. He moved with his mother to

West Memphis, Arkansas West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 26,245 at the 2010 census, ranking it as the state's 18th largest city, behind Bella Vista. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, and is ...

, during the 1940s. Other birth dates in 1927 or 1932 have been suggested, and some research suggests that his name at birth was registered as Herbert Parker. 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 Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

in 1949. Around 1950, he began performing with a coalition of performers in Memphis known

the Beale Streeters The Beale Streeters were a Memphis-based R&B coalition of musicians, which at times included John Alexander, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, B.B. King, Earl Forest, Willie Nix, and Rosco Gordon. Initially, they were not a formal band, but they playe ...

, which included

Bobby "Blue" Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

and

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

. In 1951, Parker formed his own band, the Blue Flames, with guitarist

Pat Hare Auburn "Pat" Hare was a Memphis electric blues guitarist and singer. His heavily distorted, power chord–driven electric guitar performances in the early 1950s is considered an important precursor of heavy metal music. Palmer, Robert (1992). "C ...

. In 1952, Parker was discovered by talent scout

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

for Modern Records. Turner recorded his first release, "You're My Angel"/"Bad Women, Bad Whiskey," with Turner playing piano and

Matt "Guitar" Murphy Matthew Tyler Murphy (December 29, 1929 – June 15, 2018), known as Matt "Guitar" Murphy, was an American blues guitarist. He was associated with Memphis Slim, The Blues Brothers and Howlin' Wolf. Early life Murphy was born in Sunflower, Mississ ...

on guitar. This record brought him to the attention of

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, C ...

, and he and his band signed with Sun Records in 1953. There they produced three successful songs: "Feelin' Good" (which reached number 5 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' R&B

chart 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 tabu ...

), "Love My Baby," and "

Mystery Train "Mystery Train" is a song written and recorded by American blues musician Junior Parker in 1953. Originally performed in the style of a Memphis blues or rhythm and blues tune, it was inspired by earlier songs and later became a popular rockabil ...

", a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of which was recorded by Elvis Presley. For Presley's version of "Mystery Train",

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic D ...

borrowed the guitar riff from Parker's "Love My Baby", played by Pat Hare. "Love My Baby" and "Mystery Train" became rockabilly standards. Bland was drafted into the US Army in 1952 and was discharged in 1955. Later in 1955, Parker toured with Bobby Bland and

Johnny Ace John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted gunsh ...

, and also joined

Duke Records Duke Records was an American record label, started in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1952 by David James Mattis (WDIA program director and DJ) and Bill Fitzgerald, owners of Tri-State Recording Company. Their first release was Roscoe Gordon singing "He ...

. Parker and Bland headed the highly successful Blues Consolidated Revue, which regularly performed on the southern blues circuit. He continued to have a string of hits on the R&B chart, including the smooth "

Next Time You See Me "Next Time You See Me" is a blues song written by Earl Forest and Bill Harvey, originally recorded in 1956 by Junior Parker (as "Little Junior Parker" as he was then known). The song was Parker's first record chart appearance after joining Duke ...

" (1957); remakes of

Roosevelt Sykes Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper". Career Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The ...

's song " Driving Wheel" (1961), "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" (1962), Robert Johnson's "

Sweet Home Chicago "Sweet Home Chicago" is a blues standard first recorded by Robert Johnson in 1936. Although he is often credited as the songwriter, several songs have been identified as precedents. The song has become a popular anthem for the city of Chicago de ...

Guitar Slim Eddie Jones (December 10, 1926 – February 7, 1959), better known as Guitar Slim, was an American guitarist in the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song "The Things That I Used to Do", for Specialty Records. It is listed in th ...

's "

The Things That I Used to Do "The Things That I Used to Do" is a blues standard written by Guitar Slim. He recorded it in New Orleans, where the young Ray Charles arranged and produced the session. Specialty Records released the song as a single in 1953 and it became a best ...

" (1963), and

Don Robey Don Deadric Robey (November 1, 1903 – June 16, 1975) was an American record label executive, songwriter, and record producer. As the founder of Peacock Records and the eventual owner of Duke Records, he was responsible for developing the care ...

's "Mother-in-Law Blues" (1956), plus his own "Stand by Me" (1961). His success was limited after he left Duke in 1966. He recorded for various labels, including Mercury, Blue Rock, Minit, and

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerou ...

. 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.

Death

Parker died on November 18, 1971, at age 39, in

Blue Island, Illinois Blue Island is a city in Cook County, Illinois, located approximately south of Chicago's Loop. Blue Island is adjacent to the city of Chicago and shares its northern boundary with that city's Morgan Park neighborhood. The population was 22,558 ...

, during surgery for a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

. 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 Street Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, the ...

er 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.'"

Legacy

On the 1974 album '' ...Explores Your Mind'',

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

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." Parker's "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" was later sampled by the Wiseguys for their 1999 hit "

Start the Commotion "Start the Commotion" is a song by British electronic music duo The Wiseguys, from their second album ''The Antidote''. It was released as a single in the UK in 1998, and peaked at #66 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-release the following year gave ...

". Parker's version of " Tomorrow Never Knows" is regularly used as an intro to the live shows by The Chemical Brothers. In 2001, Parker was inducted into the

. He is also inducted into the

. In 2011, Parker was honored with a marker on the

Mississippi Blues Trail The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...

in Bobo.

Discography

Albums

* ''Blues Consolidated'', 1958 (Duke DLP-72) * ''Driving Wheel'', 1962 (Duke DLP-76) * ''The Best of Junior Parker'', 1967 (Duke DLP-83) * ''Like It Is'', 1967 (Mercury SR 61101); also issued as ''Baby Please'', 1967 (Wing SRW-16401) * ''Honey-Drippin' Blues'', 1969 (Blue Rock SRB-64004) * ''Little Jr. Parker: Blues Man'', 1969 (Minit 24024) * ''Jimmy McGriff/Junior Parker'' KA ''Chicken Fried Soul'' 1971 (United Artists UAS-5597); also issued as ''Jimmy McGriff with Junior Parker'', 1972 (United Artists UAS-6814); live recording * ''You Don't Have to Be Black to Love the Blues'', 1971 (Groove Merchant GM-502) * ''Love Ain't Nothin' but a Business Goin' On'', 1971 (Groove Merchant GM-513); reissue of ''The Outside Man'', 1970 (Capitol ST-564) *'' The Dudes Doin' Business'', 1970 (Capitol ST-569) also issued as ''Good Things Don't Happen Every Day'' (with Jimmy McGriff), 1972 (Groove Merchant GM-2205) * ''I Tell Stories Sad and True, I Sing the Blues and Play Harmonica Too, It Is Very Funky'', 1972 (United Artists UAS-6823) * ''Sometimes Tomorrow My Broken Heart Will Die'', 1973 (ABC-Bluesway BLS-6066) * ''The ABC Collection'', 1976 (ABC Records AC-30010); compilation of Duke singles * ''Blue Shadows Falling'', Groove Merchant GM 502, 1973

Compilations

* ''Junior's Blues: The Duke Recordings, Vol. 1'', 1992 (MCA 10669), recorded 1951–1964 * ''Backtracking: The Duke Recordings, Vol. 2'', 1998 (MCA 11786), recorded 1953–1966 * ''I'm So Satisfied: The Complete Mercury & Blue Rock Recordings'', 1998 (Mercury 558549), recorded 1966–1969 * ''The Chronological Little Junior Parker 1952–1955'', 2006 (Classics 'Blues & Rhythm Series' 5167) * ''Ride With Me, Baby: The Singles 1952–1961'', 2012 (Fantastic Voyage FVDD-138), 2-CD set

Other Appearances

*1966: '' Freedom Together!'' with Jaki Byard (Prestige) *1976: ''Sun - The Roots Of Rock, Volume 1: Catalyst'' (Charly) *1984: ''Sun's Greatest Hits'' ( Rhino) *1991: ''The Ultimate Sun Blues Collection'' (Disky) *1992: ''The Best Of The Blues Singers Vol. III'' (LRC Records) *2006: ''Children Of Men Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (Hip-O Records)

Singles

* "You're My Angel" / "Bad Women, Bad Whiskey", Little Junior Parker & His Blue Flames, with Ike Turner, 1952 (Modern 864) * "Feelin' Good" / "Fussin' and Fightin' Blues", Little Junior's Blue Flames, 1953 (Sun 187), R&B #5 * "Love My Baby" / "

", Little Junior's Blue Flames, 1953 (Sun 192) * "Dirty Friend Blues" / "Can't Understand", Little Junior Parker with Bill Johnson's Blue Flames, 1954 (Duke 120) * "Please Baby Blues" / "Sittin', Drinkin' and Thinkin'", Little Junior Parker with Bill Johnson's Blue Flames, 1954 (Duke 127) * "Backtracking" / "I Wanna Ramble", Little Junior Parker & the Blue Flames Orchestra, 1955 (Duke 137) * "Driving Me Mad" / "There Better Not Be No Feet (in Them Shoes)", Little Junior Parker & His Orchestra, 1955 (Duke 147) * "Mother-in-Law Blues" / "That's My Baby", Little Junior Parker with Bill Harvey's Band, 1956 (Duke 157) * "

" / "My Dolly Bee", Little Junior Parker with Bill Harvey's Band, 1957 (Duke 164), Pop #74, R&B #7 * " That's Alright" / "Pretty Baby", Little Junior Parker and His Combo, 1957 (Duke 168) * "Peaches" / "Pretty Little Doll", Little Junior Parker with Al Smith's Orchestra, 1957 (Duke 177) * "Wondering" / "Sitting and Thinking", Little Junior Parker & His Band, 1958 (Duke 184) * "Barefoot Rock" / "What Did I Do", Little Junior Parker & His Band, 1958 (Duke 193) * "

" / "Sometimes", Little Junior Parker & His Band, 1958 (Duke 301), R&B #13 * "I'm Holding On" / "

Five Long Years "Five Long Years" is a song written and recorded by blues vocalist and pianist Eddie Boyd in 1952. Called one of the "few postwar blues standards hat hasretained universal appeal", Boyd's "Five Long Years" reached number one on the ''Billboard ...

", Little Junior Parker & His Band, 1959 (Duke 306), R&B #13 * "Stranded" / "Blue Letter", Little Junior Parker & His Band, 1959 (Duke 309) * "Dangerous Woman" / "Belinda Marie", Little Junior Parker, 1959 (Duke 315) * "You're on My Mind" / "The Next Time", Little Junior Parker & His Band, 1960 (Duke 317) * "That's Just Alright" / "I'll Learn to Love Again", Little Junior Parker, 1960 (Duke 326) * "Stand by Me" / "I'll Forget About You", Little Junior Parker, 1960 (Duke 330), R&B #11 * " Driving Wheel" / "Seven Days", Junior Parker, 1961 (Duke 335), Pop #85, R&B #5 * "In the Dark", R&B #7 / "How Long Can This Go On", R&B #28, Little Junior Parker, 1961 (Duke 341) * "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" / "Mary Jo", Little Junior Parker, 1961 (Duke 345), Pop #51, R&B #6 * "I Feel Alright Again" / "Sweeter as the Days Go By", Little Junior Parker, 1961 (Duke 351) * "Someone Somewhere" / "Foxy Devil", Little Junior Parker, 1962 (Duke 357) * "It's a Pity" / "Last Night", Little Junior Parker, 1963 (Duke 362) * "If You Don't Love Me" / "I Can't Forget About You", Junior Parker, 1963 (Duke 364) * " Yonders Wall" / "The Tables Have Turned", Junior Parker, 1963 (Duke 367) * "Strange Things Happening" / "I'm Gonna Stop", Little Jr. Parker, 1964 (Duke 371), Pop #99, R&B #26 * " The Things I Used to Do" / "That's Why I'm Always Crying", Junior Parker, 1964 (Duke 376) * "Jivin' Woman" / "I'm in Love", Junior Parker, 1964 (Duke 384) * "Crying for My Baby" / "Guess You Don't Know (The Golden Rule)", Junior Parker, 1965 (Duke 389), R&B #36 * "These Kind of Blues, Part 1" / "These Kind of Blues, Part 2", Junior Parker, 1965 (Duke 394) * "Goodbye Little Girl" / "Walking the Floor Over You", Junior Parker, 1966 (Duke 398) * "Get Away Blues" / "Why Do You Make Me Cry", Junior Parker, 1966 (Duke 406) * "Man or Mouse" / "Wait for Another Day", Junior Parker, 1966 (Duke 413), R&B #27 * "Just Like a Fish" / "Baby, Please", Junior Parker, 1967 (Mercury 72620) * " You Can Make It if You Try" / "(Ooh Wee Baby) That's the Way You Make Me Feel", Junior Parker, 1967 (Mercury 72651) * "Country Girl" / "Sometimes I Wonder", Junior Parker, 1967 (Mercury 72672) * "I Can't Put My Finger on It" / "If I Had Your Love", Junior Parker, 1967 (Mercury 72699), R&B #48 * "Hurtin' Inside" / "What a Fool I Was", Junior Parker, 1967 (Mercury 72733) * "It Must Be Love" / "Your Love's All over Me", Junior Parker, 1968 (Mercury 72793) * "Lover to Friend" / "I Got Money", Junior Parker, 1968 (Blue Rock/Mercury 4064) * "Lovin' Man on Your Hands" / "

Reconsider Baby "Reconsider Baby" is a blues song written and recorded by Lowell Fulson in 1954. Performed in the West Coast blues style, it was Fulson's first record chart hit for Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records. With memorable lyrics and a driv ...

", Jr. Parker, 1968 (Blue Rock/Mercury 4067) * "I'm So Satisfied" / "Ain't Gon' Be No Cutting Aloose", Junior Parker, 1969 (Blue Rock/Mercury 4080), R&B #48 * "You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down" / "Easy Lovin'", Junior Parker, 1969 (Blue Rock/Mercury 4088) * "

Worried Life Blues "Worried Life Blues" is a blues standard and one of the most recorded blues songs of all time. Originally recorded by Big Maceo Merriweather in 1941, "Worried Life Blues" was an early blues hit and Maceo's most recognized song. An earlier song ...

" / " Let the Good Times Roll", Little Jr. Parker, 1969 (Minit 32080), R&B #34 * "The Outside Man" / "Darling Depend on Me", Junior Parker, 1970 (Capitol 2857) * " Lady Madonna" / " Tomorrow Never Knows", Junior Parker, 1970 (Capitol 2951) * "Drowning on Dry Land" / "River's Invitation", Junior Parker, 1971 (Capitol 2997), Pop #114, R&B #48 * "Way Back Home" / "Sweet Home Chicago", Junior Parker, 1971 (Groove Merchant 1002) * "I Like Your Style" / "I Need Love So Bad", Junior Parker, 1971 (Groove Merchant 1004) * "Love Ain't Nothin' but a Business Goin' On" / "A Losing Battle", Junior Parker, 1971 (Groove Merchant 1010) * "I Need Love So Bad" / "Pretty Baby", Jimmy McGriff & Junior Parker, 1971 (United Artist 50826) * "Funny How Time Slips Away" / "No-One Knows (What Goes on When the Door Is Closed)", Junior Parker, 1971 (United Artists 50855) * "Your Love Is All over Me" / "You Better Quit It" (instrumental), Junior Parker, 1974 (Jetstream 818)

Unissued singles

*1953: "Feelin' Bad", Little Junior's Blue Flames (Sun unissued master) * 1954: "Sittin' at the Bar", Little Junior's Blue Flames (Sun unissued master) * 1964: "Sittin' at the Window", Little Junior's Blue Flames (Sun unissued master) * 1954: "Sittin', Drinkin' and Thinkin'", Little Junior's Blue Flames (Sun unissued master) *1955: "Can You Tell Me, Baby", Little Junior Parker & His Orchestra (Duke unissued master) * 1955: "Bachelor's Blues", Little Junior Parker & His Orchestra (Duke unissued master)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Junior 1932 births 1971 deaths Musicians from Clarksdale, Mississippi Memphis blues musicians American blues singers Blues musicians from Mississippi Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Illinois Soul-blues musicians Sun Records artists Duke Records artists Charly Records artists Mercury Records artists Capitol Records artists Minit Records artists Modern Records artists Mississippi Blues Trail 20th-century African-American male singers