Background
Parker was born in Kinston, North Carolina. His father played piano and drums. His mother and father both sang in church.
conductor singer jazz musician
Parker was born in Kinston, North Carolina. His father played piano and drums. His mother and father both sang in church.
Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown"s hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Since the early 1990s, he has toured under his own name. In 1974, Parker returned to James Brown.
He also charted a single "Parrty – Participant I" (#71 popular singles) with Maceo & the Macks that year.
In 1975, Parker and some of Brown"s band members, including Fred Wesley, left to join George Clinton"s band Parliament-Funkadelic. Parker once again re-joined James Brown from 1984 to 1988.
In the 1990s, Parker began a solo career. His first album of this period "Roots Revisited" spent 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts To date he has released 11 solo albums since 1990.
His band has been billed as "the greatest little funk orchestra on earth" and the "million-dollar support band".
His 1992 live album "Life on Planet Groove" is considered to be the seminal live album, marking his first collaboration with Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer. In 1993, Parker made guest appearances on hip hop group De Louisiana Soul"s album Buhloone Mindstate. In the late 1990s, Parker began contributing semi-regularly to recordings by Prince and accompanying his band, The New Power Generation, on tour.
He also played on the Jane"s Addiction track "My Cat"s Name Is Maceo" for their 1997 compilation album Kettle Whistle.
In 1998, Parker performed as a guest on "What Would You Say" on a Dave Matthews Band concert, which also became one of their live albums, Live in Chicago 12.19.98. In 2007, Parker performed as part of Prince"s band for Prince"s 21 nights at the O2 arena.
Parker also played as part of Prince"s band for his 21-night stay at Los Angeles"s Forum in 2011. Parker"s album Roots & Grooves with the WDR Big Band is a tribute to Ray Charles, whom Parker cites as one of his most important influences.
Parker followed this up with another collaboration with WDR Big Band in 2012 with the album Soul Classics.
In October 2011, Parker was inducted in the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. He continues touring, headlining many jazz festivals in Europe and doing as many as 290 concerts a year. In February 2013, Parker published his autobiography, 98% Funky Stuff My Life in Music withe the publisher Chicago Review Press.
Maceo plays Selmer Mark VI, (one of which he has had goldplated) and a Brilhart Ebolin mouthpiece 3.
He uses Vandoren Java 3 and a half reeds. Parker was portrayed by Craig Robinson in the 2014 James Brown biopic Get on Up.