Ken Parker (born Kenneth L. Farquharson in Darliston, Westmoreland Parish, on 23 February 1948; died 22 February 2025) was a Jamaican musician who first recorded in the 1960s. Growing up in Savannah-La-Mar in the Westmoreland Parish area of Jamaica, Parker's father was a preacher. Parker was exposed early to the effects of gospel music, and he drew on gospel inflections in his vocals throughout his whole career. His first group was The Blues Benders
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Ken Parker (born Kenneth L. Farquharson in Darliston, Westmoreland Parish, on 23 February 1948; died 22 February 2025) was a Jamaican musician who first recorded in the 1960s. Growing up in Savannah-La-Mar in the Westmoreland Parish area of Jamaica, Parker's father was a preacher. Parker was exposed early to the effects of gospel music, and he drew on gospel inflections in his vocals throughout his whole career. His first group was The Blues Benders, formed in 1965, but by 1967 he was a solo act, recording sides for most of the big Jamaican producers of the day, including Coxsone Dodd ("My Whole World Is Falling Down" was recorded at Studio One and was a huge hit on the island in 1969), Duke Reid ("True, True, True," one of Parker's finest sides, was recorded at Treasure Isle, as was "Jimmy Brown"), Bunny Lee, Rupie Edwards, Byron Lee, Joe Gibbs, and Lloyd Charmers (Parker recorded a fine version of Curtis Mayfield's "Queen Majesty" for Charmers). In time Parker became somewhat disillusioned with the workings of the Jamaican music scene and relocated to the U.K., where since the 1980s he ran his own label and production company. In April 2014, he performed to a sold-out show at the International Ska and Reggae Festival in London.
