Junior Parker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Junior Parker
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Herman Parker, Jr. |
| Also known as | Little Junior Parker |
| Born | March 27, 1932 Near Bobo, Coahoma County, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | November 18, 1971 (aged 39) Blue Island, Illinois |
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| Years active | 1951–1971 |
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Herman "Junior" Parker (born March 27, 1932 – died November 18, 1971) was an American blues singer and musician. He was known for his amazing voice, which people described as "honeyed" and "velvet-smooth." One music writer said that Junior Parker moved from playing harmonica blues to singing smooth blues-soul music.
In 2001, he was honored by being added to the Blues Hall of Fame. He is also in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.
Life and Music Career
Junior Parker was born in March 1932, on a farm called Eastover Plantation in Mississippi. Later, in the 1940s, he moved with his mom to West Memphis, Arkansas. Some people thought he was born in a different year or had a slightly different birth name, but most records show his birth in 1932 as Herman Parker, Jr.
When he was a kid, Junior sang in gospel groups. As a teenager, he started playing blues music. He learned a lot about playing the harmonica from a famous musician named Sonny Boy Williamson II. Junior even worked with Sonny Boy Williamson and later with Howlin' Wolf in 1949. Around 1950, he joined a group of musicians in Memphis called the Beale Streeters. This group included other future blues legends like Bobby Bland and B.B. King.
In 1951, Junior Parker started his own band called the Blue Flames. A talented guitarist named Pat Hare was in the band. In 1952, a music talent scout named Ike Turner discovered Junior Parker. Ike Turner helped Junior record his first songs, "You're My Angel" and "Bad Women, Bad Whiskey." Ike Turner played piano on these songs.
This first record caught the attention of Sam Phillips, who owned Sun Records. Junior Parker and his band signed with Sun Records in 1953. They made three popular songs there: "Feelin' Good" (which became a top 5 R&B hit), "Love My Baby," and "Mystery Train." Another famous musician, Elvis Presley, later recorded his own version of "Mystery Train." For Elvis's song, his guitarist, Scotty Moore, used a guitar part from Junior Parker's "Love My Baby." Both "Love My Baby" and "Mystery Train" became classic rockabilly songs.
Later in 1955, Junior Parker went on tour with Bobby Bland and Johnny Ace. He also joined another record company called Duke Records. Junior Parker and Bobby Bland led a very successful show called the Blues Consolidated Revue. They performed regularly across the southern United States. Junior continued to have many hit songs on the R&B charts. These included smooth songs like "Next Time You See Me" (1957). He also recorded new versions of older blues songs like "Driving Wheel" (1961) and "Sweet Home Chicago" (1958). His own song "Stand by Me" (1961) was also a hit.
After he left Duke Records in 1966, his music didn't have as much success. He recorded for different labels like Mercury, Blue Rock, Minit, and Capitol. His last song to make it onto the music charts was "Drowning on Dry Land" in 1971.
His Passing
Junior Parker passed away on November 18, 1971, when he was 39 years old. He died in Illinois during surgery for a brain tumor. An album called I Tell Stories Sad and True, I Sing the Blues and Play Harmonica Too, It Is Very Funky was released after he died.
His Musical Legacy
Junior Parker's music continues to inspire others. In 1974, the singer Al Green dedicated his song "Take Me to the River" to Junior Parker. Al Green said that Junior was his cousin and that he wanted to continue his musical journey in Junior's name.
Junior Parker's song "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" was later used by the music group The Wiseguys in their 1999 hit song "Start the Commotion." His version of "Tomorrow Never Knows" is often played as an introduction to live shows by the band The Chemical Brothers.
As mentioned before, Junior Parker was honored by being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. He is also a member of the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. In 2011, a special marker was placed on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Bobo, Mississippi, to honor him.
Images for kids
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Junior Parker, a blues singer and musician.
