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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZPARKER, Little Junior(b Herman Parker, 3 March '27, West Memphis AR; d 18 Nov. '71, Blue Island IL) Blues singer, harmonica player. Some sources say he was born in Clarksdale MS. Sang in gospel groups as a child, in the street for tips; worked clubs late '40s--50s throughout the South; with B. B. King's Beale Streeters in Memphis early '50s, formed Little Junior's Blue Flames and made a record for Modern '52 with Ike Turner in the band, who was a talent scout for Modern/RPM. The record was not a hit and Parker recorded for Sun '53 in Memphis, where Turner also hustled; the first Sun record 'Feelin' Good' was a no. 5 R&B hit; he wrote 'Mystery Train', released as a follow-up to the hit on Sun 192, but Sun 209 was Elvis Presley's first record and Sam Phillips suddenly had more on his mind than R&B hits (see Sun Records). Presley's fifth release was a cover of 'Mystery Train', his first no. 1 hit (on the country chart), and Phillips then grabbed a composer credit; he played Parker records to his rockabillies to get them to play guitar like Parker's Floyd Murphy, and for Presley's version of 'Mystery Train', Scotty Moore borrowed the guitar riff from the other side of Parker's 'Mystery Train', 'Love My Baby'. Parker's strong, smooth voice was probably an influence on Presley, and Parker was more influential than his number of hits would indicate, incessantly touring like most of the great R&B performers, e.g. with Bobby 'Blue' Bland in the Johnny Ace Revue '54 (they kept it on the road after Ace's death). He recorded for Duke in Houston; total of 15 R&B hits '57--71 incl. top tens 'Next Time You See Me', 'Driving Wheel', 'In The Dark', 'Annie Get Your Yo-Yo'. From '59 he was billed as Junior Parker. Other lesser hits on Mercury, Blue Rock, Minit, Capitol '67--71; he died during surgery for a brain tumour. CD compilation Junior's Blues '92 on Duke was supposed to be vol. 1 of the Duke recordings. |