Ray Parker Jr; more than the hits…

by Walter Price

Lot’s of fresh buzz about Ghostbusters and the man who delighted us all and hit stratospheric highs with his theme song for the original 1984 smash film. The man is Ray Parker Jr. and you know the song “Ghostbusters” and you may even know the controversy that came shortly after the release and his hit songs before mega-fame but what did you really know about Ray Parker Jr.?

As a teenager in 1060’s Detroit the young musician found a way out of the bleek surroundings by mastering the guitar which led to a stint in the house band at the Motown hangout The 20 Grand Club. That introduced Parker Jr. to the biggies of the time and eventually found the musician playing on tracks by Bill Withers, Michael Henderson, Temptations, The Spinners, Boz Scaggs, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Tina Turner,.Not too shabby for a young man with a dream and hunger to move outwards and upwards and subsequently becoming cemented into popular culture!

Here are three tracks featuring the players guitar work in  3 Reasons Why Ray Parker jr.

Stevie Wonder – Maybe Your Baby (1972)

Seals & Croft – Get Closer (1976)

Rob Thomas – The Great Unknown (2015)