Graham Parker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Graham Parker
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Graham Thomas Parker |
| Born | 18 November 1950 Hackney, London, England |
| Genres | Rock, new wave, pub rock, soul, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician, writer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Labels | 100% Records, Arista, Big Stir, Bloodshot, Buy or Die, Capitol, Dakota Arts, Demon, Elektra, Hannibal, Hip-O, Mercury, Razor & Tie, RCA, Rebound, Rock the House Entertainment Group, UpYours, Vertigo Canada & UK, Windsong UK |
| Associated acts | The Rumour, The Figgs |
Graham Thomas Parker (born November 18, 1950) is an English singer and songwriter. He is most famous as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.
Graham Parker's Musical Journey
Early Days and First Bands (1960s–1976)
Graham Parker was born in Hackney, East London, in 1950. When he was 12 or 13, after the Beatles became popular, he and his friends formed a band called the Deepcut Three. They later changed their name to the Black Rockers. At first, they mostly just dressed up like musicians.
By age 15, Parker loved soul music, especially Otis Redding. He would go to dance clubs in towns like Woking and Camberley to enjoy soul, Motown, and ska music.
After leaving school at 16, Parker worked at an Animal Virus Research Institute. At 18, he moved to Guernsey in the Channel Islands and took on many different jobs. Later, he traveled through France, Spain, and Morocco, eventually settling in Gibraltar. During this time, he kept working on his guitar playing and songwriting. He even performed his own songs on Gibraltar television.
In late 1972, Parker returned to England. He was determined to become a musician. In 1974, he placed an ad in Melody Maker magazine looking for other musicians. He met Noel Brown, a guitarist, who introduced him to Paul "Bassman" Riley. Riley thought Parker should meet Dave Robinson, a music manager.
Robinson began recording Parker's songs in a small studio. One of these demo songs, "Between You and Me," even made it onto Parker's first album. Another demo, "Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart," was played on the radio. This led to a record deal with Phonogram Records. Robinson then helped Parker find the musicians who would become his famous backing band, The Rumour.
In the summer of 1975, Graham Parker formed Graham Parker and the Rumour. The band included Parker (vocals, guitar), Brinsley Schwarz (lead guitar), Bob Andrews (keyboards), Martin Belmont (rhythm guitar), Andrew Bodnar (bass), and Steve Goulding (drums). They started playing in the British pub rock scene. Sometimes, they were joined by a four-man horn section called The Rumour Horns.
Their first album, Howlin' Wind, came out in April 1976. It was quickly followed by Heat Treatment. These albums mixed rock, ballads, and reggae-influenced songs. They featured popular songs like "Black Honey," "Soul Shoes," and "Don't Ask Me Questions," which became a top 40 hit in the UK. Graham Parker and the Rumour became well-known around the same time as other new wave artists like Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson.
New Sounds and Success (1977–1979)
In 1977, Graham Parker and the Rumour appeared on the TV show Top of the Pops. They performed their song "Hold Back the Night," which was a top 30 hit in the UK. Parker started changing his songwriting style, hoping to become more popular in America. His album Stick To Me (1977) reached the top 20 in the UK Albums Chart.
The band gained many fans in Australia thanks to radio stations and the TV show Countdown. They toured Australia in 1978 and 1979.
In 1978, Parker released a live album called The Parkerilla. After this, he signed with a new record label, Arista. Parker had been unhappy with his previous label, Mercury Records, and even released a song called "Mercury Poisoning" that criticized them.
With his new label, Parker created Squeezing Out Sparks (1979). Many people consider this his best album. For this album, The Rumour's brass section was not used. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Squeezing Out Sparks as one of the greatest albums of all time. It includes famous songs like "Passion Is No Ordinary Word" and "You Can't Be Too Strong".
Changes and Solo Career (1980–2000s)
In 1980, Bob Andrews left The Rumour. The album The Up Escalator (1980) was Parker's highest-charting album in the UK. It featured guest vocals from Bruce Springsteen on the song "Endless Night". This was Parker's last album with The Rumour for many years. However, Rumour guitarist Brinsley Schwarz continued to play with Parker on most of his albums throughout the 1980s. Other Rumour members also joined him later.
The 1980s were Parker's most successful years. His 1982 album, Another Grey Area, had the UK top 50 single "Temporary Beauty". In 1985, his album Steady Nerves (with his new band, The Shot) included his only US top 40 hit, "Wake Up (Next to You)". Parker began living mostly in the United States during this time.
Parker continued to release albums through the 1990s, including The Mona Lisa's Sister (1988), which Rolling Stone ranked as one of the top 100 albums of the 1980s. He worked with different record labels and musicians. He also often played live with the band The Figgs.
Recent Work and Reunions (2001–Present)
In 2001, Parker became more active, releasing his album Deepcut to Nowhere. In 2003, he worked with Kate Pierson of the B-52's and Bill Janovitz to record an album of lesser-known songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. He also contributed a solo acoustic version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" to a compilation album.
New solo albums followed, including Your Country (2004) and Songs of No Consequence (2005) with The Figgs. In 2007, he released Don't Tell Columbus.
Besides music, Parker has written books. He published a science fiction story called The Great Trouser Mystery in 1980. In 2000, he released a collection of short stories, Carp Fishing on Valium. His novel The Other Life of Brian came out in 2003.
In 2011, Parker reunited with all five original members of The Rumour. They recorded a new album, Three Chords Good, released in November 2012. They also appeared as themselves in the movie This Is 40. The reunion continued with another album, Mystery Glue, in 2015, followed by a tour.
In 2018, Parker released a new album called Cloud Symbols with his new band, The Goldtops. This album also featured The Rumour Brass, who hadn't played on a Graham Parker album since 1977. In 2019, he released a special acoustic version of Squeezing Out Sparks for its 40th anniversary.
Most recently, in September 2023, Graham Parker & the Goldtops released their new studio album, Last Chance to Learn the Twist.
Graham Parker's Music Albums
| Year | Artist credit | Album title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS |
UK |
CAN |
US |
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| 1976 | Graham Parker & the Rumour | Howlin' Wind | – | – | – | – |
| 1976 | Heat Treatment | – | 52 | – | 169 | |
| 1977 | Stick to Me | 35 | 19 | – | 125 | |
| 1979 | Squeezing Out Sparks | 22 | 18 | 79 | 40 | |
| 1980 | The Up Escalator | 36 | 11 | 27 | 40 | |
| 1982 | Graham Parker | Another Grey Area | 98 | 40 | – | 52 |
| 1983 | The Real Macaw | 57 | – | – | 59 | |
| 1985 | Graham Parker & the Shot | Steady Nerves | – | – | 82 | 57 |
| 1988 | Graham Parker | The Mona Lisa's Sister | 81 | – | 46 | 77 |
| 1989 | Human Soul | – | – | – | 165 | |
| 1991 | Struck by Lightning | – | – | – | 131 | |
| 1992 | Burning Questions | – | – | – | – | |
| 1995 | 12 Haunted Episodes | – | – | – | – | |
| 1996 | Acid Bubblegum | – | – | – | – | |
| 2001 | Deepcut to Nowhere | – | – | – | – | |
| 2004 | Your Country | – | – | – | – | |
| 2005 | Graham Parker & the Figgs | Songs of No Consequence | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | Graham Parker | Don't Tell Columbus | – | – | – | – |
| 2009 | Carp Fishing On Valium | – | – | – | – | |
| 2010 | Imaginary Television | – | – | – | – | |
| 2012 | Graham Parker & the Rumour | Three Chords Good | – | – | – | – |
| 2015 | Mystery Glue | – | – | – | – | |
| 2018 | Graham Parker & the Goldtops | Cloud Symbols | – | – | – | – |
| 2019 | Graham Parker | Squeezing Out Sparks Solo Acoustic 40th Anniversary | – | – | – | – |
| 2023 | Graham Parker & the Goldtops | Last Chance to Learn the Twist | – | – | – | – |
| "–" means the album did not chart or was not released in that country. | ||||||
EPs (Extended Plays)
- Graham Parker & The Rumour
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- The Pink Parker EP (1977) – UK Singles Chart No. 24
- Graham Parker
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- Graham Parker's Christmas Cracker EP, 1994
- Five Loose Screws EP, 2007
Other Recordings
- Loose Monkeys (outtakes), 1999
- That's When You Know (1976 demos + Live at Marble Arch), 2001
- The Official Art Vandelay Tapes (b-sides, rare tracks, outtakes, etc.), 2003
- The Official Art Vandelay Tapes, Vol. 2 (b-sides, rare tracks, outtakes, etc.), 2005
- The Middlesex Demos (1973-75 demos), 2022
Live Albums
- Graham Parker & the Rumour
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- Live at Marble Arch, 1976
- At the Palladium, New York, NY, 1977
- The Parkerilla (1978) UK No. 14, US No. 149, AUS No. 22
- Live Sparks, 1979
- Live in San Francisco 1979, 2009
- Live Alone at the Freight & Salvage, 2012
- Official Bootleg Box, 2014
- Graham Parker
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- Live! Alone in America, 1989 (Recorded live in Philadelphia, October 1988)
- Live Alone! Discovering Japan, 1993
- Live from New York, 1996
- BBC Live in Concert (compilation 1977–91), 1996
- The Last Rock and Roll Tour, 1997 (with the Figgs)
- Not If It Pleases Me (BBC sessions 1976–77), 1998
- King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Graham Parker (live 1983), 2003
- Live Cuts from Somewhere, 2003 (with the Figgs)
- Blue Highway, 2003 (Recorded live in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois on 4 July 1988)
- !Live Alone: The Bastard of Belgium, 2005
- Yer Cowboy Boot, 2005
- 103 Degrees in June, 2006 (with the Figgs)
- Platinum Bastard, 2007
- Live Alone at the Freight & Salvage, 2011
- Five Old Souls: Live in Southampton, 2021 (with the Gold Tops and the Rumour Brass)
Compilation Albums
- The Best of Graham Parker and the Rumour 1980
- Look Back in Anger: Classic Performances, 1982
- Historia de la musica rock: Graham Parker and the Rumour, 1982
- It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing, 1984
- Pourin' It All Out: The Mercury Years, 1986
- The Best of Graham Parker 1988–1991, 1992
- Passion Is No Ordinary Word: The Graham Parker Anthology 1993
- No Holding Back, 1996
- Vertigo Compilation
- Temporary Beauty, 1997
- Stiffs & Demons
- Master Hits, 1999
- The Ultimate Collection
- You Can't Be Too Strong: An Introduction to Graham Parker and the Rumour, 2001
- Don't Ask Me Questions: The Best of Graham Parker & the Rumour (1976–1979), 2014
Songs on Other Albums
- Beat The Retreat - Songs By Richard Thompson, 1995 (song: "The Madness Of Love")
- A Fair Forgery of Pink Floyd, 2003 (song: Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb")
- Lost Songs Of Lennon & McCartney - From A Window, 2003 (Parker sings lead on five tracks)
- The Beautiful Old, 2013 (song: "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze")
Singles (Popular Songs)
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUS |
CAN |
US |
US Main |
US Mod |
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| 1976 | "Silly Thing" | – | – | – | – | – | – | Howlin' Wind |
| "Soul Shoes" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Hotel Chambermaid" | – | – | – | – | – | – | Heat Treatment | |
| "Heat Treatment" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1977 | "Pourin' It All Out" | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Hold Back the Night" | 24 | – | – | 58 | – | – | The Pink Parker | |
| "(Let Me Get) Sweet on You" | – | – | 107 | – | – | |||
| 1978 | "The New York Shuffle" | – | 49 | – | – | – | – | Stick to Me |
| "The Heat in Harlem"/"Stick to Me" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Hey Lord, Don't Ask Me Questions" | 32 | 24 | – | – | – | – | The Parkerilla | |
| 1979 | "Mercury Poisoning" | – | – | – | – | – | – | Non-album single |
| "Protection" | – | 46 | – | – | – | – | Squeezing Out Sparks | |
| "Discovering Japan" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Local Girls" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "I Want You Back (Alive)" | – | 46 | – | 103 | – | – | Non-album single | |
| 1980 | "Stupefaction" | – | – | – | – | – | – | The Up Escalator |
| "Love Without Greed" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "No Holding Back"/"Endless Night" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1982 | "Temporary Beauty" | 50 | – | – | – | 52 | – | Another Grey Area |
| "You Hit the Spot" | – | – | – | – | 42 | – | ||
| 1983 | "Life Gets Better" | – | 35 | – | 94 | – | – | The Real Macaw |
| 1985 | "Break Them Down" | – | – | – | – | – | – | Steady Nerves |
| "Wake Up (Next to You)" | – | – | 94 | 39 | 19 | – | ||
| 1988 | "Get Started. Start a Fire" | – | – | 85 | – | 23 | – | The Mona Lisa's Sister |
| "Don't Let It Break You Down" | – | – | – | – | – | 27 | ||
| 1989 | "Big Man on Paper" | – | – | – | – | – | 18 | Human Soul |
| "–" means the song did not chart or was not released in that country. | ||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Graham Parker para niños
