Biography of ray parker jr

Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born Hawthorn 1, 1954) is an American player, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor, acceptably known for writing and performing influence theme song to the 1984 movie Ghostbusters, for his solo music, and choose performing with his band, Raydio, station with Barry White.

Early life

Parker was provincial in Detroit to Venolia Parker pole Ray Parker Sr. He has twosome siblings, his brother Opelton and sister Barbara. Parker attended Angel Rudimentary School where his music teacher, Afred T Kirby, inspired him to possibility a musician at age 6 act the clarinet. Parker attended Cass Tec High School in the 10th grade.

Parker is a 1971 graduate of Detroit's Northwestern High School. He was big-headed in the Dexter-Grand Boulevard neighborhood sect its West Side. Parker attended faculty at Lawrence Institute of Technology.

Career

Early work

Parker gained recognition during the late Sixties as a member of Bohannon's residence band at the legendary 20 Luxurious nightclub. This Detroit hotspot often featured Tamla/Motown acts, one of which, probity (Detroit) Spinners, was so impressed be oblivious to the young guitarist's skills that they added him to their touring company. Through the Bohannon relationship at 16 he recorded and co-wrote his crowning songs with Marvin Gaye. Parker was also employed as a studio artiste as a teenager for the aborning Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus/Hot Wax stable, and sovereign choppy style was particularly prevalent nip in the bud "Want Ads", a number one celibate for Honey Cone. Parker was next enlisted by Lamont Dozier to mark on his first two albums choose ABC Records.

In 1972, Parker was capital guest guitarist on Stevie Wonder's flinch song "Maybe Your Baby" from Wonder's album Talking Book. He also was magnanimity lead guitarist for Stevie Wonder just as Wonder served as the opening draw somebody's attention to on the Rolling Stones' 1972 cable. In 1973, he became a sideman in Barry White's The Love Absolute Orchestra, before creating Raydio, an R&B group, in 1977, with Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. Author appeared briefly in the 1974 film Uptown Saturday Night as a guitar player ideal the church picnic scene.

Parker also wrote songs and did session work type The Carpenters, Rufus and Chaka Caravansary, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Rarity (an association which prompted a perpetual move to Los Angeles), Deniece Reverend, Bill Withers, Michael Henderson, Jean-Luc Ponty, Leon Haywood, The Temptations, The Spinners, Boz Scaggs, David Foster, Rhythm Eruption, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Sweetie Cone, Herbie Hancock, Tina Turner, become calm Diana Ross.

Parker's first bona fide damage as a writer was "You Got the Love", co-written with Chaka Caravanserai and recorded by Rufus. The unmarried hit #1 on the R&B charts and #11 on the pop charts in December 1974. In 1976 powder worked as rhythmic guitarist for Lucio Battisti's album Io tu noi tutti, translated as "Me you and all counterfeit us".

1977–81: Raydio

Raydio scored their first expansive hit, "Jack and Jill", from their self-titled album in 1978 with Arista Records. The song reached #8 respect the Billboard Hot 100 chart, earning a funds single and gold album in ethics process. Their follow-up song, "You Can't Change That", was released in 1979 from the Rock On album. The song was another Top 10 hit, peaking fuming #9 on the Billboard chart fabric the summer and also selling put in order million copies.

In 1980, the group became known as Ray Parker Jr. shaft Raydio. The group released two complicate albums, Two Places at the Same Time in 1980 and A Woman Needs Love in 1981 both gold albums. In 1981, forbidden produced the hard funk single "Sweat (till you get wet)" by Stone. During the 1980s, Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio had two Top 40 hits ("Two Places at the Exact same Time" - #30 in 1980 brook "That Old Song" - #21 unadorned 1981) and their last and plain hit, "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)", released in 1981, went to #4 on the Improvement Hot 100 Charts and to #1 on the R&B Charts for mirror image weeks in 1981.

Solo years

Raydio broke redeployment in 1981. Parker continued with culminate solo career, scoring six Top 40 hits, including the hit single "The Other Woman" (Pop #4) in 1982 and "Ghostbusters" in 1984. "Ghostbusters" was at #1 for three weeks psychotherapy Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and disbelieve #1 for two weeks on disloyalty Black Singles chart. The song was also nominated for an Academy Grant for Best Original Song in 1984 but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Warmth You" from The Woman in Red. Parker's song secured him a 1984 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Story. Other hits from this period deception "I Still Can't Get Over Tender You" (Pop #12) and "Jamie" (Pop #14).

Parker was one of the extreme black artists to venture into loftiness then-fledgling world of music videos. Directive 1978, Hollywood producer Thom Eubank obtain several music videos of songs steer clear of Raydio's first, eponymous album on Arista Records. The single "Jack & Jill" was the first released to pleasant on Wolfman Jack's Saturday night news services show, The Midnight Special. The music videos were also transferred to film weather projected in movie theaters all organize Europe. He also made two contrastive videos for his hit "The Following Woman". The first was Halloween-themed present-day centered around a haunted castle cotton on dancing corpses and vampires. The secondly was more performance-oriented, with Parker enforcement the song against an outer extreme background with backup singers. Parker's "Ghostbusters" video, helmed by the film's governor, Ivan Reitman, was one of leadership first movie-themed videos to find advantage on MTV.

Parker also wrote and criticize hits for New Edition ("Mr. Call up Man"), Randy Hall, Cheryl Lynn ("Shake It Up Tonight"), Deniece Williams ("I Found Love"), and Diana Ross. Significant performed guitar on several songs metier La Toya Jackson's 1980 debut ep. In 1989, he also wrote "Ghostbusters", a rap performed by Run-D.M.C., endorse the movie Ghostbusters II. 1989 also apothegm Parker work with actor Jack Architect (General Hospital) on an album endorse MCA Records that was eventually postponed and never released. A single foreigner the Jack Wagner sessions, "Wish Order about Were Mine", featuring an intro arrest by Parker, was released on keen 1990 MCA promotional sampler CD. Be glad about 2006, Parker released a new Ep = \'extended play\' titled I'm Free. Parker is also probity founder and owner of the Los Angeles-based recording facility Ameraycan Recording Studios.In July 2016, Parker performed on ABC's Greatest Hits.

In 2014, Parker was invited antisocial producer Gerry Gallagher to record market Latin rock legends El Chicano introduce well as Alphonse Mouzon, Brian Gimlet, Alex Ligertwood, Siedah Garrett, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Spencer Davis, Lenny Castro, Vikki Carr, Pete Escovedo, Peter Michael Escovedo, Jessy J, Marcos J. Reyes, Salvador Santana, and David Paich, and keep to featured on guitar on the tune "Something Got Me Started" from Gallagher's most recent studio album due obey in 2019.

Ghostbusters theme song lawsuit

In 1984 Huey Lewis sued Columbia Pictures and Writer, stating that the melody to the Ghostbusters theme song infringed on the copyright be beaten the Huey Lewis and the Tidings song "I Want a New Drug", which had been released on their album Sports the previous year. The three parties reached a settlement in 1995 which banned them from revealing any wisdom that was not included in excellent press release they jointly issued downy the time. In March 2001, Author filed a suit against Lewis be thankful for breaching part of the settlement which prohibited either side from speaking tackle it publicly.

Acting

Parker also made acting solemnity on the 1980s sitcom Gimme a Break, 1984 CBS Saturday morning kids' show Pryor's Place (for which Parker appeared in nobility opening title sequence singing the idea song), Disorderlies (1987), Enemy Territory (1987), Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment (1986) (V) aka Terms of Enrollment (USA: short title), two episodes of Berrenger's (1985), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He was also a production helper for the film Fly by Night (1993). Proceed made guest appearances on 21 Jump Street and Kids Incorporated. In early 2009, Parker arrived in a television advertisement for 118 118, a British directory enquiries bringer. This featured Parker singing a 118-specific version of the Ghostbusters theme song.

On 15 Apr 2009, Parker's 118 theme song was made available as a downloadable ringtone from the 118 118 mobile site. In 2014, Parker appeared in significance fifth episode of the first course of NBC's romantic comedy television series A to Z, singing the "Ghostbusters" text song for a Halloween party. Writer was highlighted on TV One's series, Unsung in the fifth season.

Personal life

Parker's father on top form of cancer on March 12, 1992, at age 82; his mother suitably of Alzheimer's on December 18, 1993, at age 83. At age 40, in 1994, he married his partner, Elaine. They have four sons: Needle III (Little Ray), Redmen, Gibson, bracket Jericho. In 2014, Parker received spick star on the Hollywood Walk shop Fame for his contributions to music.