Search - Junior Parker :: Collection

Junior In Name Only

R. Mix | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 06/11/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Junior Parker was a seminal figure in the development of rhythm and blues. His polished, "uptown" performances created a template for those that followed, most notably Bobby "Blue" Bland.



Whereas most of his early-fifties predecessors emphasized the blues in rhythm and blues, Junior Parker was one of the first to emphasize the rhythm.



In doing so, he gave a giant push to the emerging form known as rock and roll. Many of the tracks here ("Yonder's Wall", "Barefoot Rock" and, of course, "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo") are almost as much early rock 'n roll as they are r&b.



But at heart, he was deeply-rooted in the blues. However urbane his approach, tracks like "Driving Wheel", "Sweet Home Chicago", "Next Time You See Me" and "Strange Things Happening" leave no doubt as to their origin.



Sadly, Junior Parker is little remembered today. And as a result, his catalog exists on the very fringes of the music industry and is in severe disrepair.



While this U.K. collection is a vast improvement over MCA's 'Junior's Blues: The Duke Recordings Volume One' (which is the worst-sounding CD ever released), it still pales in comparison to the remastered recordings of Duke label-mate Bland.



Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future we'll see a Junior Parker collection equal to his impact. But until then, 'The Collection' provides adequate life support, keeping Parker's recorded legacy alive until major surgery can be performed.











"

Sometimes I Wonder

Eclectic Revisited | Arizona | 12/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Why wasn't Junior Parker better known? A song like "Sometimes I Wonder" deserved better play on the radio. It's good to have a clean copy of "Annie, Get Your Yoyo" from 1962 that did receive decent airplay and in recent years was "sampled" by another group whose song was used in an automobile commercial ("Wind it up, Baby.."). There is a bigger collection of Junior's music but you may well be satisfied with this smaller package. It's worth having, believe me."