Robert Lee Parker was born in
Lafayette, LA on August 31, 1937. His family moved to Los Angeles
when he was six, where he was exposed to jazz and blues on Central Avenue. In the mid '50s, he won a talent show sponsored by
R&B legend Johnny Otis. This led to his first regular gig, as a
guitar accompanist to Otis Williams and the Charms. He was probably most influenced by his time in Bo Diddley's band, but he also backed up LaVern Baker, Sam Cooke,
Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson, among others.
In 1956, he toured with the Paul
Williams band and made his first record under the name “Bobby
Parks.” He sang the vocals on “Suggie, Duggie, Boogie Baby”
and “Once Upon a Time, Long Ago, Last Night,” two undistinguished
Williams efforts released on the Josie label. But in 1957, he recorded a blues classic, “Blues Get Off My Shoulder,” backed
with “You've Got What It Takes” on Vee Jay. Both songs were
written by Parker.
In 1959, “You've Got What It Takes”
was covered by Marv Johnson for Motown producer Berry Gordy, Jr., and
reached #2 on the R&B charts. In yet another example of Gordy ripping off performers, the label gave songwriting credits
to Gordy, his sister Gwen Fuqua and Roquel Davis. “Berry Gordy just stole it out from under me, just put his name on it," Parker said, "And what could I do? . . . How
was I going to go on and fight Berry Gordy, big as he was, and Motown
Records?”
In 1959, Parker recorded an R&B ballad, “Foolish
Love” (Amanda 1001), backed by an uncredited vocal group. His most
successful recording was “Watch Your Step,” recorded for
Washington, D. C. label V-Tone in 1961. It crossed over to #51 on
the pop music charts. Its distinctive guitar riff was used by the Beatles
on “I Feel Fine” and Led Zeppelin on “Moby Dick.” It has
been covered by artists such as the Spencer Davis Group, Piano Red (as Dr. Feelgood) and Carlos Santana.
Parker released five more singles between 1963 and 1968. He settled in the Washington, D.C.
area and played locally for several decades. In the '90s, he
recorded two excellent CDs on the Black Top label, Bent Out of
Shape (1993) and Shine
Me Up (1995). He has been a
regular performer at blues festivals for the last couple of decades.
He remained active until his death.
I was afraid there might be little to document Parker's career available on the internet, but I was mistaken. This biographical feature dates from 2009.
But here's the real treat: Bobby Parker doing a 71 minute set at the Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival in 2004, with Carlos Santana joining him for the last three songs. The program: "Straight, No Chaser," "Break It Up," "Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home," "Nothing But the Blues," "So Glad I Found You," "I Ain't Superstitious," "It's Unfair," "Drowning on Dry Land," "Chill Out," "Mellow Down Easy," and "Watch Your Step."
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