Dean Parks
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Parks in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Weldon Dean Parks |
| Born | (1946-12-06) December 6, 1946 (age 77) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, rock, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, pedal steel |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Website | www |
Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination. [1]
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, he was a founding member of the Christian Jazz Fusion band Koinonia. Parks is best known for his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, and Bread. Notably, he played guitar on Steely Dan's Royal Scam track "Haitian Divorce".[2] Parks is also a long-time collaborator on David Foster albums, such as Shadows by Gordon Lightfoot.[3]
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,[4] the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre.
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.[3][5] He played on eight Lyle Lovett albums.[6]
During the late 1970s, Parks teamed up with Bread for their "Lost Without Your Love" reunion tour, taking on the responsibilities of lead guitarist.[7] 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 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.
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).
He was married to fellow musician Carol Parks.
With America
With Bobby Bland
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
With Julia Fordham
With Kenny Loggins
With Lyle Lovett
With Aaron Neville
With Madeleine Peyroux
With Rebecca Pidgeon
With Joe Sample
With Steely Dan
With others
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