Chris Parker (musician)


Chris Parker is an American jazz drummer.

Biography

During his childhood Parker's father, artist Robert Andrew Parker, attached wooden blocks to the hi-hat and bass drum pedals, so that Parker's feet could reach the pedals to play the drums along with records. His father, who was also a jazz drummer, introduced young Parker to the music of Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Leadbelly, Ray Charles, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. When he became a teenager he began practicing with friends and finding out the nostalgia of rock and roll by listening to such jazz drummers as Roger Hawkins, D. J. Fontana, and New Orleans icons such as Earl Palmer, Smokey Johnson and James Black. His enthusiasm grew as he went to New York City's School of Visual Arts to study painting, where he saw an ad for a drummer. He became a member of a band called Holy Moses when he moved to Woodstock, New York. That band was short lived during which Parker recorded one album, but decided to stay in Woodstock where he also worked in the local scene with music icons such as Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Bonnie Raitt, Tim Hardin, Rick Danko, Mike Bloomfield and Merl Saunders.
Four years later he played in a band called Encyclopedia of Soul which later on became known as Stuff which was made out of bassist Gordon Edwards, two guitarists named Cornell Dupree and Eric Gale and keyboardist Richard Tee. Later on, in the same band he shared his drum with another rising star, Steve Gadd. In the same time, he cofounded Brecker Brothers, a band which was made out of Michael and Randy Brecker, Buzzy Feiten, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Steve Khan, and Will Lee. Throughout three decades, he recorded three albums and still performs to this day with such stars and music groups as James Brown, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Ashford & Simpson, Patti Austin, Cher, Michael Bolton, Quincy Jones, Freddie Hubbard and Salt n' Pepa.
In 1986, Parker was invited to be a part of Saturday Night Live and served there six years. In 1988, he became a member of Bob Dylan's touring band, which included G.E. Smith, later SNL's music director. Parker played on Donald Fagen's Kamakiriad album, which was nominated for the 1993 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. His song "On the Dunes" became a part of Steely Dan collection.

Discography

With Joe Beck