Lloyd Parks

This article is about the reggae musician. For the R&B singer, seeLloyd Parks (R&B singer).

Lloyd Parks
Born	(1949-05-26)26 May 1949
Origin	Kingston,Jamaica
Genres	Rocksteady,reggae
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument	Bass guitar
Years active	Mid-1960s–present

Lloyd Parks(born 26 May 1949) is a Jamaicanreggaevocalist andbass playerwho has recorded and performed as a solo artist as well as part of Skin, Flesh & Bones,The Revolutionaries,The Professionals, and We the People Band.

Biography

Born inKingston,Jamaica, Parks' interest in music was fuelled by his uncle Dourie Bryan, who played in acalypsoband, and Parks became the band's singer.In the late 1960s, he performed with the Invincibles band (whose members also includedAnsell Collins,Sly DunbarandRanchie McLean) before teaming up with Wentworth Vernal in The Termites.In 1967, theyrecordedtheir first single, "Have Mercy Mr. Percy", and then an albumDo theRocksteadyforCoxsone Dodd'sStudio Onelabel. After recording "Rub Up Push Up" for the Dampa label, Parks and Vernal split up. Parks then briefly joinedThe Techniquesas a replacement forPat Kelly,recording tracks such as "Say You Love Me", before embarking on a solo career and later starting his own label, Parks. His second single was the classic "Slaving", a moving song about the struggles of a working man. As a solo artist, Parks recorded a number of songs for Prince Tony Robinson, owner ofGroovemasterrecord label, including "Trenchtown Girl" and "You Don't Care". Some of his best-known solohitsinclude "Officially", "Mafia" (both 1974), "Girl in the Morning" and "Baby Hang Up The Phone" (both 1975).

Parks was a studio bass player, backing many reggae artists, includingJustin HindsonDuke Reid's Treasure Isle label. He was a member of Skin, Flesh, and Bones along withAnsell Collinson keyboards, Tarzan on keyboards, andRanchie McLeanon guitar.This group backed Al Brown on his hit "Here I am Baby", and many other artists. When Skin Flesh and Bones started playing forChannel One Studios,Parks renamed the bandThe Revolutionaries.Parks was also a member ofJoe Gibbs'house band,The Professionals, performing hits such asAlthea & Donna's "Up Town Top Ranking", and in the 1970s he backed artists includingDennis Brown,The Abyssinians,The Itals,The Gladiators,Culture,Bim ShermanandPrince Far I.

In 1974, he founded the We the People Band, who backedDennis Brownon tour for over 20 years and have been regulars at theReggae SunsplashandReggae Sumfestfestivals.The band also included singerRuddy Thomasand a horn section of Tony Greene (saxophone), Everol Wray (trumpet), and Everald Gayle (trombone), and with the band continuing for over forty years, the line-up has included Parks' daughter Tamika on keyboards and his son Craig "Leftside" Parks on drums.

Parks' band also backedJohn Holtalong with theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestrain London in 2000.

In 2015 Parks recorded an album of songs originally recorded by the Techniques;Lloyd Parks Sings The Techniquesis set for release in early 2016.

Solo discography

• Officially(1974, Attack)
• Girl in the Morning(1975, Trojan)
• Loving You(1976, Trojan)
• Meet the people(1978, Parks)
• Jeans, Jeans(1985, Tad's)
• What More Can I Do(1983)

Compilations

• Still Officially Yours, The Collection 1970–2004(2005, Parks Records)
• Time A Go Dread(2016,Pressure Sounds)