Dean Parks

Weldon Dean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas, United States.

Dean Parks
Birth nameWeldon Dean Parks
Born (1946-12-06) December 6, 1946
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
GenresPop, rock, jazz
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsGuitar, pedal steel
Years active1970–present
Websitewww.deanparks.com

Albums

Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. In 1980, Parks was a founding member of the Jazz Fusion band Koinonia. Parks is best known for his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan and Michael Jackson. Notably, he played guitar on the Royal Scam track "Haitian Divorce", which features a Talkbox. He has performed with Joan Baez, Gordon Lightfoot, Alexander O'Neal, Crosby and Nash, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Roberto Carlos, Elton John, Celine Dion, the Monkees, Madeleine Peyroux, America, Diana Ross, George Benson, Rod Stewart, Randy Travis, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Michael Bublé, Barry Manilow, David Lee Roth, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton, Amanda Lear, Kenny Loggins, Tom Scott, B.B. King, Dusty Springfield, Randy Edelman, Leon Gieco, Koinonia, Johnny Rivers, Johnny Hallyday, Randy Newman, Joe Cocker, David Baerwald, the Gypsy Queens[1] and Bread. Parks is also a long time collaborator on David Foster albums; such as "Shadows" by Gordon Lightfoot.[2]

Parks features on Cat Beach's albums Letting Go and Love Me Out Loud. In 2008, Parks participated in the production of the album Psalngs,[3] the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre.

Dean Parks is very prominently featured on Viktor Krauss' album II (2007), where he plays a plethora of other stringed instruments in addition to electric and acoustic guitars.

Tours

During the late 1970s, Parks teamed up with Bread for their "Lost Without Your Love" reunion tour, taking on the responsibilities of lead guitarist. Following the departure of founding member Jimmy Griffin, Parks then became the 'unofficial' fourth member for the duration of the 1977/78 tours, including the visit to England to record a BBC TV special. He also continued the role when Bread's co-founder, David Gates, put together his own solo touring band shortly afterwards. In the spring of 2005 he joined David Crosby and Graham Nash on their European tour, as well as their U.S. tours in fall 2007, fall 2008, and spring 2011. In April 2017 Parks joined James Taylor's band while Taylor recovered from a broken finger.

Movies

Parks has played guitar for film scores such as Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (with Carol Parks), Bowfinger, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Big Bounce, Days of Thunder, Dying Young, August Rush, Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story and Rosewood (with Tommy Morgan and John Williams).

Personal life

He was married to fellow musician Carol Parks.

Discography

With America

With Bobby Bland

  • 1969 Spotlighting the Man
  • 1973 His California Album
  • 1974 Dreamer

With Cher/Sonny & Cher

With Chris Botti

With Michael Bublé

With T Bone Burnett

With Joe Cocker

With Andraé Crouch

With Rita Coolidge

With the Crusaders

  • 1976 Free as the Wind
  • 1978 Images
  • 1980 Rhapsody and Blues
  • 1980 Standing Tall
  • 1984 Ghetto Blaster
  • 1986 The Good and the Bad Times
  • 2003 Rural Renewal

With Julia Fordham

With Kenny Loggins

With Lyle Lovett

With the Manhattan Transfer

With Aaron Neville

  • 1991 Warm Your Heart
  • 1993 The Grand Tour
  • 1993 Aaron Neville's Soulfoul Christmas
  • 1995 The Tattooed Heart
  • 1997 ...To Make Me Who I Am
  • 2000 Devotion
  • 2003 Believe
  • 2005 Gospel Roots

With Madeleine Peyroux

With Rebecca Pidgeon

With Joe Sample

  • 1978 Rainbow Seeker
  • 1979 Carmel
  • 1980 Voices in the Rain
  • 1982 The Hunter
  • 1983 Roles
  • 1985 Oasis
  • 1995 Old Places Old Faces
  • 1997 Sample This
  • 2002 The Pecan Tree

With Steely Dan

With others

gollark: At the lowish end you can get much more performance for more money. At the high end it's hundreds of $ for a few % more.
gollark: There are significant diminishing returns.
gollark: Most people have what's called a "budget".
gollark: That's a tiny bit of the market.
gollark: What practically matters though is perf/$.

See also

References
  1. "Ventura Highway - The Gypsy Queens". Dr.dk. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  2. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dean-parks-mn0000227159/credits
  3. "Press for Psalngs.com". Press.Psalngs.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
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