Dean Parks

Dean Parks
Parks in 2008
Parks in 2008
Background information
Birth nameWeldon Dean Parks
Born (1946-12-06) December 6, 1946 (age 77)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
GenresPop, rock, jazz
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Guitar, pedal steel
Years active1970–present
Websitewww.deanparks.com

Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination. [1][2]

Albums

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Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. In 1980, he was a founding member of the Christian Jazz Fusion band Koinonia. Parks is best known for his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, and Bread. Notably, he played guitar on Steely Dan's Royal Scam track "Haitian Divorce".[3] Parks is also a long-time collaborator on David Foster albums, such as Shadows by Gordon Lightfoot.[4]

Parks features on Cat Beach's albums Letting Go and Love Me Out Loud. In 2008, Parks participated in the production of the album Psalngs,[5] the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre.

Parks is very prominently featured on Viktor Krauss' album II (2007), where he plays a plethora of other stringed instruments in addition to electric and acoustic guitars.[4][6] He played on eight Lyle Lovett albums.[7]

Tours

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During the late 1970s, Parks teamed up with Bread for their "Lost Without Your Love" reunion tour, taking on the responsibilities of lead guitarist.[8] Following the departure of founding member Jimmy Griffin, Parks then became the 'unofficial' fourth member for the duration of the 1977/78 tours, including the visit to England to record a BBC TV special.

He continued the role when Bread's co-founder, David Gates, put together his own solo touring band shortly afterwards. In the spring of 2005 he joined David Crosby and Graham Nash on their European tour, as well as their U.S. tours in fall 2007, fall 2008, and spring 2011. In April 2017 Parks joined James Taylor's band while Taylor recovered from a broken finger.

Movies

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Parks has played guitar for film scores such as Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (with Carol Parks), Bowfinger, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Big Bounce, Days of Thunder, Dying Young, August Rush, Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story and Rosewood (with Tommy Morgan and John Williams).

Personal life

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He was married to fellow musician Carol Parks.

Discography

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With America

With Bobby Bland

  • 1969 Spotlighting the Man
  • 1973 His California Album
  • 1974 Dreamer

With Cher/Sonny & Cher

With Chris Botti

With Michael Bublé

With T Bone Burnett

With Joe Cocker

With Andraé Crouch

With Rita Coolidge

With The Crusaders

  • 1976 Free as the Wind
  • 1978 Images
  • 1980 Rhapsody and Blues
  • 1980 Standing Tall
  • 1984 Ghetto Blaster
  • 1986 The Good and the Bad Times
  • 2003 Rural Renewal

With Julia Fordham

With Kenny Loggins

With Lyle Lovett

With The Manhattan Transfer

With Aaron Neville

  • 1991 Warm Your Heart
  • 1993 The Grand Tour
  • 1993 Aaron Neville's Soulfoul Christmas
  • 1995 The Tattooed Heart
  • 1997 ...To Make Me Who I Am
  • 2000 Devotion
  • 2003 Believe
  • 2005 Gospel Roots

With Madeleine Peyroux

With Rebecca Pidgeon

With Joe Sample

  • 1978 Rainbow Seeker
  • 1979 Carmel
  • 1980 Voices in the Rain
  • 1982 The Hunter
  • 1983 Roles
  • 1985 Oasis
  • 1995 Old Places Old Faces
  • 1997 Sample This
  • 2002 The Pecan Tree

With Steely Dan

With others

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Dean Parks | Artist | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  2. ^ "Dean Parks Break Down His Iconic Steely Dan Guitar Licks: Watch". Stereogum. 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  3. ^ "Ventura Highway - The Gypsy Queens". Dr.dk. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Dean Parks | Credits". AllMusic.
  5. ^ "Press for Psalngs.com". Press.Psalngs.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  6. ^ Jazz, All About (2007-04-13). "Viktor Krauss: II album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  7. ^ Perusse, Bernard (28 Feb 2012). "A parting gift from Lyle Lovett". The Gazette. pp. C.2. Retrieved 24 Nov 2023.
  8. ^ Grein, Paul (1978-03-25). Griffin Out; Now It's Gates & Bread. Billboard, Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
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