Parks, Dean (6th December 1946-Present)

He is a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter born Weldon Dean Parks in Fort Worth, Texas, who was a member of the North Texas State One O’clock Band before moving to Los Angeles, California in 1970 to be a musician for Sonny & Cher. Since then he has been active in the music industry as a much sought after session musician.

He has appeared with many acclaimed artists by some of the top acts in the business and is remembered for his performance on the guitar and talkbox on the Steely Dan hit “Haitian Divorce”.

He married the singer and composer Carol Parks in 1975 and together they wrote the music and songs that appeared in the movie The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation. They have since divorced, but have two daughters who both appeared on the Care Bears Movie soundtrack that they composed for.

He has since performed on/written music for other movies and television shows which include The Big Bounce, Bowfinger, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, For Your Consideration, Foul Play, Four Brothers, In an Instant, The Jungle Book, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Notebook, September Dawn, The Spitfire Grill, Starsky & Hutch, That Thing You Do and Wyatt Earp.

Throughout the last four decades in the business he has worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of groups, composers, musicians and singers and just a very few of them include The Association, Chet Atkins, Hoyt Axton, Burt Bacharach, Joan Baez, Big Mountain, Stephen Bishop, Michael Bolton, Debby Boone, Jackson Browne, Solomon Burke, Jim Capaldi, Kim Carnes, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Keith Carradine, Felix Cavaliere, Joe Cocker, Leonard Cohen, Ray Conniff, Michael Crawford, Billy Ray Cyrus, Destiny’s Child, Dion, Celine Dion, Placido Domingo, Randy Edelman, Yvonne Elliman, En Vogue, Betty Everett, Phil Everly, Donald Fagen, Wilton Felder, David Foster, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Crystal Gayle, Lowell George, Arlo Guthrie, Don Henley, Stix Hooper, James Horner, Thelma Houston, James Newton Howard, Julio Iglesias, Sammy Johns, Leo Kottke, Abraham Laboriel, Greg Lake, Gordon Lightfoot, Kenny Loggins, Lyle Lovett, Lulu, Melissa Manchester, The Manhattan Transfer, Teena Marie, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Barry McGuire, Bette Midler, Stephanie Mills, Ronnie Milsap, The Monkees, Ennio Morricone, Maria Muldaur, Anne Murray, Aaron Neville, David Newman, Randy Newman, Stevie Nicks, Claus Ogerman, Michael Omartian, Alexander ONeal, Roy Orbison, Tony Orlando, Dolly Parton, Helen Reddy, Martha Reeves, Rhythm Heritage, The Righteous Brothers, LeAnn Rimes, Minnie Riperton, Kenny Rogers, David Lee Roth, Demis Roussos, Brenda Russell, Neil Sedaka, Carly Simon, George Strait, Tavares, The Temptations, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Stanley Turrentine, Midge Ure, Luther Vandross, Barry de Vorzon, Jody Watley, The Whispers, John Williams, Brian Wilson and The Winans.

His album output is astronomical and impossible to list in any kind of entirety, but a select few include Vanishing Race by Air Supply, View from the Ground by America, Rock Swings by Paul Anka, Rapture by Anita Baker, Still Waters by Bee Gees, Twice the Love by George Benson, Spend My Time by Clint Black, Amore by Andrea Bocelli, Thousand Kisses Deep by Chris Botti, Full Circle by Boyz II Men, Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton, Lost Without Your Love by Bread, Bloodline by Glen Campbell, Rainbow by Mariah Carey, Rock Me Baby by David Cassidy, Friendship by Ray Charles, Bittersweet White Light by Cher, Dangerous by Natalie Cole, Hard Times for Lovers by Judy Collins, Satisfied by Rita Coolidge, Talk on Corners by The Corrs, Painted from Memory by Elvis Costello, Everything Must Change by Randy Crawford, That’s Me in the Bar by A.J. Croce, Crosby Stills & Nash (box) by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Golden Years by The Crusaders, One World by John Denver, Heartlight by Neil Diamond, Feels Like Home by Sara Evans, Breathless by Kenny G, Angel Clare by Art Garfunkel, Goodbye Girl by David Gates, Lets Get It On by Marvin Gaye, Straight Ahead by Amy Grant, Play Date by Euge Groove, Cure by Dave Grusin, River: The Joni Letters by Herbie Hancock, One Wish: The Holiday Album by Whitney Houston, Thriller by Michael Jackson, This Time by Al Jarreau, Piano Man by Billy Joel, Duets by Elton John, Tender Loving Care by Tom Jones, Deuces Wild by B.B. King, Wrap Around Joy by Carol King, Miss Gladys Knight by Gladys Knight, Gift of Love by Sissel Kyrkjebo, Well Kept Secret by James Last, Something to Remember by Madonna, Phantom Bluesby Taj Mahal, If I Should Love Again by Barry Manilow, All About Love by Johnny Mathis, If Thats What It Takes by Michael McDonald, Photograph by Melanie, Back to Basics by Olivia Newton John, Home Be Fernando Ortega, Eddi Reader by Eddi Reader, Time by Lionel Richie, We Ran by Linda Ronstadt, I Love You by Diana Ross, Estate of Mind by Evie Sands, Affirmationby Savage Garden, Endless Flight by Leo Sayer, Fade Into Light by Boz Scaggs, Sudan Village by Seals & Crofts, Fire Inside by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Hearts and Bones by Paul Simon, Home by Simply Red, Royal Scam by Steely Dan, As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook by Rod Stewart, Time Was by Curtis Stigers, Back to Broadway by Barbra Streisand, Songs of the Beatles by Sarah Vaughan, Friends Can Be Lovers by Dionne Warwick, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder and Crossing by Paul Young.

Glen Campbell Recordings
Hollywood Smiles (Larry Weiss)
Capitol Records 1A 006 86273
Honestly Loved (Leo Graham/Glen Castleberry)
Capitol Records 3808 (US 45)
Houston (I’m Comin’ To See You) (David Paich)
Capitol 3808 (US 45)

Sources:

Parks, Dean (6th December 1946-Present)

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