Full Bio

Grammy winning music artist Ray Parker Jr was born in 1954 and raised in Detroit during Motown’sheyday. Inspired by the opportunity Motown represented, he immersed himself in the clarinet and saxophone at age six. While still a junior high school student, Parker started playing guitar professionally with the popular Motown act The Spinners. At just 15 years old, he met Marvin Gaye and went on to record and co-write his first songs with the music legend.

In 1972 when Parker was only 18 years old, Stevie Wonder invited him to join his band, and Parker stepped up as the rhythm guitarist for Wonder on tour with the Rolling Stones. That same year, Parker was a guest guitarist on the song “Maybe Your Baby” on Wonder’s album The Talking Book. Afterimpressing Barry White with his musical prowess, Parker became a sideman in White’s The Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1973. White went on to record Parker’s hit song “Always Thinking of You.”

Parker’s first #1 hit on the R&B charts was “You Got the Love” which became a sensation in 1974 showcasing the vocal talents of Chaka Khan. A prolific songwriter and multi-talented artist, Parker wrote songs and worked as a session musician for an array of music icons, including Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Carpenters, Boz Scaggs, Herbie Hancock and David Foster.

In 1977 music mogul Clive Davis signed Parker to his label, Arista Records, as a member of the R&B group Raydio. The group’s first self-titled album went gold in 1978, featuring the smash hit single “Jack and Jill.” With their star on the rise, Raydio released their 1979 album Rock On which sold a million copies and featured the Top 10 Billboard hit “You Can’t Change That.” In 1980, Davis, who had always believed in Parker’s solo star power, shined the spotlight on him and the group was renamed Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio. They released two more gold albums: Two Places at the Same Time in 1980 and in A Woman Needs Love in 1981, which skyrocketed to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts and #1 on the R&B Charts. Parker went on to have a successful solo career, scoring six Top 40 hits, including the single “The Other Woman” which charted at #4 in 1982.

1984 would become the biggest year yet in Parker’s career when he achieved global fame with “Ghosbusters,” the song that went on to cement his place in pop culture history. "Ghostbusters" led the nation at #1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100. In addition to winning a BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Song, Parker also won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. The iconic song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, though Stevie Wonder took home the Oscar that year for “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” With the emerging music video market poised for explosive growth, the timing was perfect for Parker's "Ghostbusters" video, helmed by the film's director, Ivan Reitman, to break through as one of the first movie-themed videos to achievesuccess on MTV. In 1989, Parker wrote a rap version of "Ghostbusters" performed by the seminal hip hop group Run-DMC in the movie Ghostbusters II.

In 2006, Parker released the album I'm Free featuring a roster of his original songs. In 2006, Parker released his sixth studio album I'm Free featuring a roster of his original songs. This album is a representation of expression with no restrictions on creativity allowing him to create a variety of songs that are deeply personal to him. This album was dedicated to his first music teacher, Alfred T Kirby from Angell Elementary School in Detroit Michigan.

In 2016, Parker performed on the ABC network television show Greatest Hits featuring the hits of the 80’s brought to life by the original artists along with special guest performers, including John Legend, Celine Dion, Little Big Town and Aloe Blacc. Most recently, he has been a contestant on FOX’s The Masked Singer and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where he performed “Ghostbusters” with classroom instruments alongside Jimmy Fallon, Bill Murray, Earnie Hudson and The Roots.

In the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, Parker was recognized for his entertainment legacy by receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014. At the ceremony, he electrified the audience by performing an acoustic medley of his greatest hits.

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