Ray Parker, Jr.

Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the movie Ghostbusters, for his solo music, and for performing with his band, Raydio, and with Barry White.

Early life

Parker was born in Detroit to Venolia and Ray Parker, Sr. He has two siblings, his brother Opelton and his sister Barbara.

Parker attended Angel Elementary School where music teacher, Afred T Kirby inspired him to be a musician at age 6 playing the clarinet. Parker attended Cass Tech High School in the 10th grade. Parker is a 1971 graduate of Detroit's Northwestern High School. He was raised in the Dexter-Grand Boulevard neighborhood on its West Side. Parker attended college at Lawrence Institute of Technology.

Career

Early work

Parker gained recognition during the late 1960s as a member of Bohannon's house band at the legendary 20 Grand nightclub. This Detroit hotspot often featured Tamla/Motown acts, one of which, the (Detroit) Spinners, was so impressed with the young guitarist's skills that they added him to their touring group. Through the Bohannon relationship at 16 he recorded and cowrote his first songs with Marvin Gaye. Parker was also employed as a studio musician as a teenager for the emergent Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus/Hot Wax stable, and his choppy style was particularly prevalent on "Want Ads", a number one single for Honey Cone. Parker was later enlisted by Lamont Dozier to appear on his first two albums for ABC Records.

Raymond Parker

Raymond Parker or Ray Parker may refer to:

Parker

Parker may refer:

Persons

Places

Place names in the United States

Elsewhere

Companies

You Can

"You Can" is a 1981 single by Madleen Kane and produced by Giorgio Moroder. The song was written by Yolanda Yvette Adams, Donald Ray Atkins and Marcus Ecby. Along with the track, "Fire in My Heart", "You Can" was Kane's most successful single on the dance charts, spending three weeks at number one. The single was her only Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at #77.

Charts

Weekly charts

References

A Woman Needs

A Woman Needs is the major label debut album of country singer Jessica Harp, which was released on March 16, 2010 via Warner Bros. Nashville. It was released to digital retailers following a March 2, 2010 announcement that Harp would retire as a recording artist to focus on becoming a full-time songwriter. Prior to the announcement, the album was slated for a physical release as well in June 2010; instead, the physical copy is only available if ordered through Amazon.com. "Boy Like Me" and the title track were released as the album's first and second singles, respectively; both charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with the former a Top 30 hit.

Reception

Blake Boldt of The 9513 gave A Woman Needs 3 and 1/2 stars, describing her favorably as a "notch above Nashville’s clutch of pretty blondes" with a "spicy southern twang." He also spoke positively of the production and the guest appearances of Vince Gill's harmony vocals (on "Homemade Love") and Keith Urban's guitar playing (on "Boy Like Me").