finetune artist: Ken Parker

b. c.1948, Jamaica, West Indies. Parker began singing in church where his father was a preacher. Inspired by the gospel tunes, he formed a group called the Blues Blenders and in 1967 they recorded "Honeymoon By The Sea". The group decided to audition with Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, but owing to a misunderstanding only Parker arrived. He decided to audition as a soloist and thus began his recording career. His output included "Choking Kind", "Run Come' and My Whole World Is Falling Down". Following his departure from Studio One he recorded with Duke Reid at Treasure Isle, where he cut some of his classic hits, including "Jimmy Brown", "Help Me Make It Through The Night" and "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'". Lesser-known Duke Reid productions include "Sugar Pantie", "I Can't Hide" and "True True True", the latter being covered by U-Roy. Parker's popularity escalated, resulting in further hits produced with Bunny Lee ("Guilty"), Rupie Edwards ("Talk About Love" and "Wanna Be Loved"), Byron Lee ("Will The Circle Be Unbroken"), Lloyd Charmers ("Queen Majesty"), and Joe Gibbs ("Only Yesterday" and "It's Alright"). By 1972 Parker became disillusioned with the industry and took a break from the recording scene. In the early 80s he returned to music, recording in the UK, where he set up his own record label and production company. In 1982, the release of "God Bless Our Love" on the reactivated Pama Records maintained his profile prior to the inauguration of his own production company, which released his gospel-inspired recordings.

Listen to Ken Parker at Finetune.

My Whole World Is Falling Down
Groovin' Out On Life (Groovin' In Style)
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Kiss An Angel Good Morning