Biography
Born on 26 May 1948 in Walton Gardens, Jamaica, the accomplished vocalist and bassist completed formal music training before embarking on north-coast engagements alongside his uncle. During the latter half of the 1960s he performed with the Invincibles, a unit that also featured organist Ansell Collins, drummer Sly Dunbar and guitarist Bertram ‘Ranchie’ Mclean. He subsequently formed the vocal duo the Termites with Wentworth Vernon; the pair cut an album for Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One imprint and scored several Dodd-produced successes, among them ‘Do It Right Now’, ‘Have Mercy Mr Percy’, ‘My Last Love’ and the enduring ‘Rub Up Push Up’. Three years later the partnership dissolved, whereupon Parks replaced Pat Kelly in the Techniques alongside Dave Barker under producer Winston Riley. Although his tenure proved brief, he is credited with vocals on the classic ‘You Don’t Care’, a track he later revisited in a solo medley of his own hits. His individual release ‘Stars’ achieved modest sales, yet international recognition arrived with his rendition of ‘Slaving’, subsequently adapted by I. Roy for ‘Black Man Time’ and by Big Youth for ‘Honesty’. In 1969 he recorded ‘Say You Love Me’ for Riley and supplied bass on Dave And Ansell Collins’ global successes ‘Double Barrel’ and ‘Monkey Spanner’, both issued in 1970. That same year he also cut sides for Sonia Pottinger (‘We Will Make Love’) and Harry J. (‘A Little Better’).
Beyond his singing, Parks ranks among Jamaica’s premier bassists; his contributions to Skin Flesh And Bones—alongside Sly Dunbar, Errol Nelson and Bertram ‘Ranchie’ Mclean—remain widely celebrated, and the ensemble’s reggae-chart rendering of Neil Diamond’s ‘Solitary Man’ became a notable success. He further served in the Thoroughbreds house band at Kingston’s Tit-for-Tat club. Additional recordings appeared for Glen Brown (‘Slaving’) and Prince Tony Robinson; in 1973 Parks inaugurated his own label, initially distributed through Robinson’s premises. Domestic chart-toppers followed, including the major successes ‘Officially’ and ‘Mafia’ (both 1974) plus ‘Girl In The Morning’ and ‘Baby Hang Up The Phone’ (1975). Session duties with Skin Flesh And Bones continued, and by 1976 he was anchoring both the Revolutionaries and Professionals. When Skin Flesh And Bones evolved into Joe Gibbs’ Professionals, the unit backed Culture, Dennis Brown, Prince Far I and Trinity, as well as supplying the UK number-one ‘Up Town Top Ranking’ for Althea And Donna; those dates also yielded a sequence of still-popular dub albums. In 1978 Parks assembled We The People Band, concentrating on recordings and tours primarily with Dennis Brown. He maintained this dual path of session work and road work with the same outfit into the early 1990s, additionally touring with Studio One alumni Freddie McGregor and Marcia Griffiths. On 25 October 1999 he received the Order Of Distinction (Office Class) in recognition of his services to Jamaican music.
Beyond his singing, Parks ranks among Jamaica’s premier bassists; his contributions to Skin Flesh And Bones—alongside Sly Dunbar, Errol Nelson and Bertram ‘Ranchie’ Mclean—remain widely celebrated, and the ensemble’s reggae-chart rendering of Neil Diamond’s ‘Solitary Man’ became a notable success. He further served in the Thoroughbreds house band at Kingston’s Tit-for-Tat club. Additional recordings appeared for Glen Brown (‘Slaving’) and Prince Tony Robinson; in 1973 Parks inaugurated his own label, initially distributed through Robinson’s premises. Domestic chart-toppers followed, including the major successes ‘Officially’ and ‘Mafia’ (both 1974) plus ‘Girl In The Morning’ and ‘Baby Hang Up The Phone’ (1975). Session duties with Skin Flesh And Bones continued, and by 1976 he was anchoring both the Revolutionaries and Professionals. When Skin Flesh And Bones evolved into Joe Gibbs’ Professionals, the unit backed Culture, Dennis Brown, Prince Far I and Trinity, as well as supplying the UK number-one ‘Up Town Top Ranking’ for Althea And Donna; those dates also yielded a sequence of still-popular dub albums. In 1978 Parks assembled We The People Band, concentrating on recordings and tours primarily with Dennis Brown. He maintained this dual path of session work and road work with the same outfit into the early 1990s, additionally touring with Studio One alumni Freddie McGregor and Marcia Griffiths. On 25 October 1999 he received the Order Of Distinction (Office Class) in recognition of his services to Jamaican music.
Albums
Singles
