Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Parks’ interest in music was fuelled by his uncle Dourie Bryan, who played in a calypso band, and Parks became the band’s singer. In the late 1960s, he performed with the Invincibles band (whose members also included Ansell Collins, Sly Dunbar and Ranchie McLean) before teaming up with Wentworth Vernal in The Termites. In 1967, they recorded their first single, “Have Mercy Mr. Percy”, and then an album Do the Rocksteady for Coxsone Dodd‘s Studio One label. After recording “Rub Up Push Up” for the Dampa label, Parks and Vernal split up. Parks then briefly joined The Techniques as a replacement for Pat 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, he recorded a number of songs for Prince Tony Robinson, including “Trenchtown Girl” and “You Don’t Care”. Some of his best-known solo hits include “Officially”, “Mafia” (both 1974), “Girl in the Morning” and “Baby Hang Up The Phone” (both 1975).
