Doug Parkinson

Douglas John Parkinson (30 October 1946 – 15 March 2021) was an Australian pop and rock singer.

Parkinson provided his "facility for soul and blues" for the line-up, which "lifted [the group] into the premier league of Australian mid-1960s pop."

Parkinson attended Narrabeen Boys' High School, showing aptitude in literature, and was selected as a prefect, matriculating in 1963.

He sang a surf rock song, for his first performance, at a school dance.

As a sporting teen, he played district cricket and was a keen footballer.

Parkinson also took up surfing but was hit by a surfboard, knocked unconscious and almost drowned.

He was dragged from the water, resuscitated by fellow surfers, and then taken to Mona Vale Hospital.

After being bedridden for six months, he recovered from his injuries.

He worked briefly as a labourer before starting a journalism cadetship with Sydney morning newspaper The Daily Telegraph in 1964.

In that year he interviewed George Harrison, during the Beatles tour of Australia, for his first front-page story.

He led the bands Strings and Things/A Sound (1965), the Questions (1966–1968), Doug Parkinson in Focus (1968–1970, 1971), Fanny Adams (1970–1971), the Life Organisation (1973), Southern Star Band (1978–1980) and Doug Parkinson Band (1981–1983).

In 1965, Parkinson, on lead vocals, formed Strings and Things, with Helen Barnes on bass guitar, her brother Sid Barnes junior on drums and David Lee on guitar – and changed their name to the 'A' Sound – as a folk music group.

The Barnes siblings were children of Australian test cricketer Sid Barnes Sr. The 'A' Sound released "Talk About That" (1966) via Festival Records, which Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described as a "pleasant folk single (in the Seekers vein)."

Parkinson quit his cadetship in that year as "I was impatient, I was earning more with the band two nights a week than I was at the paper, but I was always having to swap shifts with other cadets and then I finally bit the bullet and left."

The 'A' Sound broke up at the end of that year.

The group had previously released an album, What Is a Question? (November 1966), providing "sub-Herb Alpert pastiches."

The group held a residency at the Manly Pacific Hotel, in the Sydney suburb.

In early 1967 Parkinson joined the Questions, alongside Bill Flemming on drums (ex- Midnighters, Roland Storm and the Statesmen, Max Merritt and the Meteors), Billy Green on guitar, Duncan McGuire on bass guitar (ex-the Phantoms, Roland Storm and the Statesmen) and Rory Thomas on piano, organ, woodwind and brass.

The Questions competed in the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds in July 1967 and finished second behind the Groop.

With Parkinson the band issued three "minor psychedelic pop classic" singles, "Sally Go Round the Roses" (cover version, July 1967), "And Things Unsaid" (October) and "Something Wonderful" (February 1968).

They also released two extended plays, Sally Go Round the Roses and Something Wonderful.

In January 1968 Ray Burton on guitar (ex-Delltones) and Les Young on bass guitar (ex-Chessmen) replaced Green and McGuire respectively.

The new line-up supported international visitors, the Who, Small Faces and Paul Jones, on their Australian Big Show Tour.

A month later the group broke up.

In March 1968 Doug Parkinson in Focus were formed by Parkinson, Green, McGuire and Thomas together with Doug Lavery on drums (ex-Andy James Asylum, Running Jumping Standing Still).

They released a single, "I Had a Dream", in May and finished third in that year's Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds behind the Groove and then the Masters Apprentices.

The first version of Doug Parkinson in Focus disbanded in August.

In the following month a new line-up with Parkinson, Green and McGuire joined by Johnny Dick on drums (ex-Max Merritt and the Meteors, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs) formed in Melbourne.

They "became one of the most popular outfits on the Melbourne suburban dance/inner-city discotheque circuit" as they were "perfectly in sync with the tempo of the times."

Doug Parkinson in Focus's cover version of the Beatles' track "Dear Prudence" (May 1969) peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set National Top 40.

The follow-up single, "Without You" / "Hair" (October), also reached No. 5. Parkinson released solo material and performed in musical theatre productions.

The group signed with EMI/Columbia and issued a cover version of the Beatles' track, "Dear Prudence", in May 1969, which peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set National Top 40.

Also in that year the group won the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds national final.

Two studio albums associated with Parkinson: I'll Be Around (March 1979) by Southern Star Band and Heartbeat to Heartbeat (March 1983) by Doug Parkinson Band, reached the National Top 60.

Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane wrote that Parkinson, "conveyed considerable charisma with his imposing presence, 'Lucifer' beard and gruff, raspy voice. He also surrounded himself with mature, seasoned musicians who added to his appeal."

Douglas John Parkinson was born in Waratah, New South Wales, a suburb of Newcastle.

His German-descended father was a commercial artist in print advertising, while his mother was of Welsh-Irish heritage.

The family relocated to Northern Beaches suburb of Sydney.

His parents loved musical theatre and bought him a guitar when he was 12.

He recalled how "my father one day made the huge mistake of buying a two-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. I have no idea why he bought it but it was there, and one night I snuck out and turned it on and sang into it. And I thought 'Who is that person coming back on that tape?'. It intrigued me. Then I asked for a guitar for Christmas and that was the end of me."