Ray Parker Jr.

Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Parker gained recognition during the late 1960s as a member of Bohannon's house band at the 20 Grand nightclub.

This Detroit hotspot often featured Tamla/Motown acts, one of which, the (Detroit) Spinners, was so impressed by the young guitarist's skills that they added him to their touring group.

Through the Bohannon relationship, he recorded and co-wrote his first songs at age 16 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 especially prominent 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.

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.

In 1972, Parker was a guest guitarist on Stevie Wonder's funk song "Maybe Your Baby", from Wonder's album Talking Book, an association which prompted a permanent move to Los Angeles.

He also was the lead guitarist for Wonder when Wonder served as the opening act on the Rolling Stones' 1972 tour.

In 1973, he became a sideman in Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra.

Parker appeared briefly in the 1974 film Uptown Saturday Night as a guitar player in the church picnic scene.

Parker also wrote songs and did session work for the Carpenters, Bill Cosby, Rufus and Chaka Khan, the Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Deniece Williams, Bill Withers, Michael Henderson, Jean-Luc Ponty, Leon Haywood, the Temptations, Boz Scaggs, David Foster, Rhythm Heritage, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Herbie Hancock, Tina Turner, and Diana Ross.

Parker's first bona fide hit as a writer was "You Got the Love", co-written with Chaka Khan and recorded by Rufus.

The single hit No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 11 on the pop charts in December 1974.

In 1976, he featured as rhythm guitarist on Lucio Battisti's album Io tu noi tutti, translated as "Me you and all of us".

Parker has stated that he was the original songwriter of Leo Sayer's 1976 hit "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing", but that when he submitted the tune as a demo, his accreditation as such was missed.

In 1977, Parker created the R&B group Raydio with Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael.

Raydio scored their first big hit with "Jack and Jill", from their 1978 self-titled album with Arista Records.

The song reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, earning a Gold single and Gold album in the process.

Their follow-up hit, "You Can't Change That", was released in 1979 from the Rock On album.

The song was another Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard chart during the summer and selling a million copies.

In 1980, the group became known as Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio.

The group released two more albums: Two Places at the Same Time in 1980 and A Woman Needs Love in 1981, both Gold albums.

During the 1980s, Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio had two Top 40 hits: "Two Places at the Same Time" (No. 30 in 1980) and "That Old Song" (No. 21 in 1981).

In 1981, Parker produced the hard funk single "Sweat (Till You Get Wet)" by Brick.

Their last and biggest hit, "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)", released in 1981, went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to No. 1 on the R&B Chart for two weeks that year.

Raydio broke up in 1981.

Previously, Parker achieved a US top-5 hit in 1982 with "The Other Woman".

He also performed with his band, Raydio, and with Barry White in the Love Unlimited Orchestra.

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

Parker attended Angel Elementary School where his music teacher, Afred T Kirby, inspired him to be a musician at age six playing the clarinet.

Parker continued with his solo career, scoring eight Top 40 hits, including the hit single "The Other Woman" (Pop No. 4) in 1982 and "Ghostbusters" in 1984.

"Ghostbusters" peaked at No. 1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and at No. 1 for two weeks on its Black Singles chart.

As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song for the 1984 film Ghostbusters.

The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1984, but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red.

Parker's song secured him a 1984 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Other hits from this period included "I Still Can't Get Over Loving You" (Pop No. 12) and "Jamie" (Pop No. 14).

Parker attended Cass Technical High School in the 10th grade.