Graham Parker

(c’75-date) Graham Parker (singer / songwriter)

In late ’74 a young man living with his parents in Deepcut, who worked as a petrol pump attendant, placed an ad in Melody Maker seeking like-minded backing musicians. Guitarist Noel Brown answered and in Spring ’75 Parker began driving up to London on a regular basis.

Through Brown, Parker met ex-Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers member Paul “Bassman” Riley and secured a solo gig at Southern Comfort, Finsbury Park. Riley introduced Parker to Dave Robinson, the ex-manager of Brinsley Schwarz who, in a studio above the Hope & Anchor, Islington; began to record Parker.

This wasn’t Parker’s first foray into music. When at Chobham Secondary Modern he’d been in the Deepcut Three and the Black Rockers with some other students. Parker has also mentioned in interviews traveling from home to the Atalanta, Woking and The Gin Mill Club, Godalming to listen to bands. Leaving school at 16, he moved to Guernsey at 18 and bought a guitar, taught himself and began writing songs. After bouncing around a bit, he ended up in Gibraltar and played in a bar or two and appeared on a Gibraltar TV show performing his own songs. He joined Pegasus and went to Tangier, Morocco where they performed in a nightclub. The band morphed into Terry Burbot’s Magic Mud. By ’72 he was back in the UK. At some point Parke had a chance meeting with Jean Marie “JC” Carroll, who’d go on to join The Members, at The Three Mariners, Bagshot; and he and Carroll produced a two-track bedroom demo.

Jumping forward again, two of the demo songs laid down in Robinson’s studio was “Nothin’s Gonna Pull Us Apart” and “Between You and Me”. These were aired on Charlie Gillett’s “Honky Tonk” show on BBC London. Nigel Grainge of Phonogram Records heard them and got in touch. Robinson, now Parker’s manager, struck a deal with Phonogram and recruited the Rumour: Brinsley Schwarz (lead guitar), Bob Andrews (keyboards), Martin Belmont (guitar), Andrew Bodnar (bass), and Steve Goulding (drums). Recording for “Howlin’ Wind” began in the late ’75, and Robinson, who founded Stiff Records, put Parker’s “Back to Schooldays” on the compilation LP: “A Bunch of Stiff Records”.

Graham Parker and the Rumour began working the British pub rock scene and eventually began opening for Ace on tour and supporting Thin Lizzy in March / April that year. This took in Sheffield University on 5 March ’76, the Dance Hall at Essex University, Colchester the next night, Cheltenham’s Town Hall on 11 March; St. George Hall, Bradford on the 17 March followed the City Hall, Newcastle and Free Trade Hall, Manchester on the 18 & 19 March ’76 respectively. On 20 March ’76, Parker opened at the Stadium, Liverpool, doing the same at Brunel University, Uxbridge on 26 March ’76 and at New Victoria Theatre, London on 4 April. “Howlin’ Wind” was released in April ’76 and was followed by LP number 2 “Heat Treatment” and the EP “The Pink Parker” later in ’76. The track “Don’t Ask Me Questions” hit the Top 40 UK Singles Chart. By the end of ’76 Graham Parker and the Rumour were headlining in their own right, progressing to touring the US twice, without the support of Phonogram’s US arm, Mercury.

A third LP – “Stick to Me” – was released in ’77. Parker also appeared, second on the bill for the Saturday, 27 August ’77, at Reading Rock (aka 17th National Jazz Blues and Rock Festival), and at the Rider Open Air Festival, Scheeßel, Germany on the 3 or 4 September ’77, along with two other local talents, namely The Stranglers and Camel. On 15 July ’78, Graham Parker & The Rumour appeared at The Picnic at Blackbushe, with Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading and Lake; when he came on he yelled: “Anyone here from the One Oak?” – With 100,000+ in the audience of course there was. Mercury’s ignorance led Parker to sign with Arista and what followed was “Squeezing Out Sparks” in ’79, which reached No.44 in the US album charts, selling a 1/4 million copies. Parker and the Rumour toured extensively in the year of its release, beginning at Belfast’s Witlow Hall on 2 February and ending at the Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand on the 26 November, with little time off. At some point in the year the demo version of “Between You and Me”, recorded at the Hope & Anchor, in early ’75, was included on ’79’s The Honky Tonk Demos compilation LP.

They then made their last album “The Up Escalator.” Schwarz and Bodnar continued to record and gig with Parker through the ‘80’s and Parker has continued to release albums since, notably “Struck by Lightning” on RCA, “Deepcut to Nowhere” on Razor & Tie, and “Don’t Tell Columbus” released on Bloodshot Records. In May 2011, Parker reached out to the Rumour to work on a new album.

“Three Chords Good,” was recorded in July ’11 and released in October ’12 with tours of the US, UK and Europe. Graham Parker and the Rumour then recorded the “Mystery Glue” LP, releasing it on the Cadet Concept label in May ’15. In 2017 Parker was touring as a duo with Schwarz, and Parker continues to release singles, EP and LPs to this day.

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