Career
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 Maine", 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 manitoba
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).
Parks was a studio bass player, backing many of the reggae artists, including Justin Hinds on Duke Reid"s Treasure Isle label.
This group backed First Rate (at Lloyd's) Brown on his hit "Here I am Baby", and many other artists. When Skin Flesh and Bones started playing for the Channel One Studios, Parks renamed the band The Revolutionaries. In 1974, he founded the We the People Band, who backed Dennis Brown on tour for over 20 years and have been regulars at the Reggae Sunsplash and Reggae Sumfest festivals.
Parks" band also backed John Holt along with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London in 2000.
In 2015 Parks recorded an album of songs originally recorded by the Techniques. Lloyd Parks Sings The Techniques is set for release in early 2016.
