Herman Parker (1930 - 1971)

Born 27 Mar 1930 in Bobo, Quitman County, Mississippi, United States

Died 18 Nov 1971 at age 41 in Blue Island, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Herman Parker is Notable.

Herman 'Junior' Parker was born in Bobo, Mississippi 27th of March 1932 he was an American Blues singer and musician best remembered for having a 'velvet smooth' voice and was noted as having deserted harmonica blues for uptown blues soul music.

Herman died at Blue Island in Illinois 18 November 1971

Instruments Vocals and Harmonica

Genre Blues, Rock and Roll, Gospel, Rockabilly and Memphis Blues

• Career there is a dispute of his birth but the considered date is March 1932 at the Eastover Plantation near Bobo in Mississippi.

He left there with his mother and went to West Memphis, Arkansas in the 1940's.

He started of singing in gospel groups and moving onto blues circuits he was influenced by the harmonica playing Sonny Boy Williamson whom he worked with before moving on Howlin Wolf in 1949 the next year he worked with various performers in Memphis known as the Beale Streeters who included Bobby Bland and B.B.King.

In 1951 he started his own band called the Blue Flames and talent scout Ike Turner soon discovered him and Turner recorded his first record You're My Angel/Bad Women,Bad Whiskey with Ike Turner playing piano and Matt Murphy on guitar. Sam Phillips of Sun Records signed him up in 1953 and produced 3 successful songs Feelin' Good which reached number 5 on US Billboard charts Love my Baby and Mystery Train which was recorded by Elvis Presley and Scotty Moore used the guitar riff from Love my Baby played by Pat Hare these became rockabilly legends.

In 1953 Parker went on tour with Bobby Bland and Johnny Ace and headed the successful Blues Consolidated Revue which was a regular on the southern blues circuit. He had a string of hits including the smooth Next Time You See Me in 1957 and a remake of the Roosvelt Syke's song Driving Wheel and Annie Get Your Yo Yo in 1962 and Sweet Home Chicago The Things That I Used to Do and Mother-in-Law Blues all covers and his own Stand by Me in 1961. After leaving Duke records in 1961 his success lessened but he recorded for Mercury, Blue Rock, Minit and Capitol with one last hit recording Drowning on Dry Landwhich reached no 48 on Billboard.

• Death

He died on 18 November 1971 at the age of 39 in Blue Island, Illinois during surgery for a brain tumor the next year United Artists Records released an album called I Tell Stories Sad and True, I Sing the Blues and Play Harmonica Too, It is Very Funky

• Legacy

Parker was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Hall of Fame and in 2011 he was honoured with a maker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Bobo

On 25th of June 2019 The New York Times Magazine listed Junior Parker among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

• Discography

Singles 1.' You're My Angel'/'Bad Women, Bad Whiskey'-1952 -Modern 864

2. 'Feellin Good'/Fussin' and Fightin' Blues',-1953-Sun 187

3. 'Love My Baby'/'Mystery Train'-1953-Sun 192

4. 'Dirty Friend Blues'/'Cant' Understand'-1954-Duke 120

5. 'Please Baby Blues' / 'Sittin' ,Drinkin' and Thinkin-1954-Duke 127

6. 'Backtracking' / 'I Wnna Ramble'-1955-Duke 137

7. Driving Me Mad' / 'There Better Not Be No Feet'-1955-Duke 147

8. 'Mother-in-Law Blues'/'That's My Baby-1956-Duke 157

9. 'Next Time You See Me' / 'My Dolly Bee'-1957-Duke 164

10. 'That's All Right' / 'Pretty Baby-1957-Duke 168

11. 'Peaches' / 'Pretty Little Doll'-1957-Duke 184

12. 'Barefoot Rock' / 'What Did I Do' 1958-Duke 193

13. 'Sweet Home Chicago/ 'Sometimes' - 1958-Duke 301

14. 'I'm Holding On' / 'Five Long Years-1959-Duke 306

15. 'Stranded' / 'Blue Letter'-1959- Duke 309

16. 'Dangerous Woman' / 'Belinda Marie'- 1959-Duke 315

17. 'You're on My Mind' / 'The Next Time'- 1960-Duke 317

18. 'That's Just Alright' / 'I'll Learn to Love Again'-1960-Duke 326

19. 'Stand by Me' / 'I'll Forget About You' - 1960=Duke 330

20. 'Driving Wheel' 'Seven Days'- 1961-Duke- 335

21. 'In the Dark'/ 'How Long Can This Go On'-1961-Duke 341

22. 'Annie Get Your Yo-Yo' / 'Mary Jo' - 1961-Duke 345

23. 'I Feel Alright Again'/ 'Sweeter as the Days Go By'-1961-Duke- 351

24. 'Someone Somewhere; / 'Foxy Devil'- 1962- Duke-357

25. 'It's a Pity' / 'Last Night'-1963-Duke-362

26. 'If You Don't Love Me' / 'I can't Forget About You'- 1963- Duke 364

27. 'Yonders Wall' / 'The Tables Have Turned'-1963-Duke 367

28. 'Strange Things Happening' / 'I'm Gonna Stop'-1964-Duke 371

• References

1. Eagle, Bob; Le Blanc -Blues A Regional Experience

2. Little Junior Parker, Mississippi Blues Trail

3. The Blues Road Trip, Memphis and St Louis

4. Russell, Tony The Blues From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray

5. Inductees Rhythm and Blues Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame

6. Robert Palmer 1981 Deep Blues

7. Matt 'Guitar' Murphy Blues Foundation#

8. Farley ,Charles 2011 Soul of the Man

• Albums

1. Driving 1961

2. Blues Man 1969

3. The Outside Man 1970

He passed away in 1971.

Sources

1. Junion Parker Wikipedia page

2. www.discogs.com>artist>368541

3. www.allmusic.com>artist>biography