Johnny Parker (pianist)

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John Robert "Johnny" Parker (born November 6, 1929 in Beckenham (Kent) , † June 11, 2010 ) was a British jazz pianist .

Parker began playing in jazz bands in the 1940s after listening to boogie woogie pianists on the US military network AFN. Until 1948 he was the resident pianist at the Catford Rhythm Club . During this time, he served in the Royal Ordnance Corps from 1948 to 1950, testing ammunition, but played alongside jazz musicians such as Beryl Bryden and Mike Daniels . In 1950/51 he studied at Regent Street Polytechnic and played in Mick Mulligan's band . From 1951 to 1957 he played with Humphrey Lyttelton , with whom he accompanied Louis Armstrong , Sidney Bechet and Eddie Condon , among others . He then played with his own band and with Graham Stewart for a year and then took a job in an aircraft factory as a component inspector. In 1961/62 he played with Monty Sunshine and 1962/63 for Blues Incorporated by Alexis Korner .

He led his own bands every now and then, played with Diz Disley , Cyril Davies and Long John Baldry and occasionally worked in a factory again and from the late 1960s to 1978 often with Kenny Ball and performed regularly at the Cork Festival. In the 1970s and 1980s he kept having his own bands and played as a soloist in London, Switzerland and Germany. He accompanied traveling jazz musicians such as Wild Bill Davison , Doc Cheatham and Eddie Miller . 1979/80 he was in Hefty Jazz of Keith Smith and he played with Sammy Rimington in the 1970s and 1980s and the Summer All Stars by Pat Halcox . In the 1980s he was with the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band in Germany and Denmark. In the 1990s, his performances decreased for health reasons, but he continued to play solo and in his own trio. He played in the London area and toured the Middle East . In 2005 he withdrew completely from the music scene.

He was married twice with two children each from his first and second marriage (to the South African singer Peggy Phango (died 1998), a cousin of Miriam Makeba ).

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personal data
SURNAME Parker, Johnny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Parker, John Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz pianist
DATE OF BIRTH November 6, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Beckenham, Kent
DATE OF DEATH June 11, 2010