Knocky Parker

Knocky Parker (August 8, 1918, Palmer, Texas – September 3, 1986, Los Angeles, California),^[1] born John William Parker, II, was an American jazz pianist. He played primarily ragtime and Dixieland jazz.

A native of Texas, Parker played in the Western swing bands The Wanderers (1935) and the Light Crust Doughboys (1937–39)^[2] before serving in the military during World War II.^[3]

After the war he worked with Zutty Singleton and Albert Nicholas.^[1] He became an English professor at Kentucky Wesleyan College and the University of South Florida.^[4][5] On the side, he played piano with Tony Parenti, Omer Simeon and Doc Evans.^[1] He recorded albums for Euphonic, GHB, Jazzology, London, Progressive, Paradox, Audiophile and Texstar. At Audiophile, he was one of the first to record all known ragtime pieces by Scott Joplin,^[1] excluding "The Silver Swan", which was not discovered at that point.

In 1984, he was nominated for a Grammy Award with Big Joe Turner for Big Joe Turner with Knocky Parker and His Houserockers.^[6][7]

Discography

• In Gay Old New Orleans with Dick Wellstood (Progressive, 1950)
• Piano Artistry (Audiophile, 1955)
• Old Blues (Audiophile, 1958)
• Old Rags (Audiophile, 1958)
• The Complete Piano Works of Scott Joplin (Audiophile, 1960)
• The Complete Piano Works of Jelly Roll Morton (Audiophile, 1960)
• The Complete Works of James Scott (Audiophile, 1962)
• Golden Treasury of Ragtime (Audiophile, 1970)
• Eight on Eighty Eight (Euphonic, 1977)
• Classic Rags and Nostalgia at the Old Town Music Hall (Euphonic, 1978)
• From Cakewalk to Ragtime (Jazzology, 1979)
• From Ragtime to Ballroom (Jazzology, 1979)
• Knocky Parker and His Cakewalking Jazz Band (GHB, 1981)
• In Gay Old New Orleans with Dick Wellstood (GHB, 1989)^[8]
• The Complete Piano Works of Jelly Roll Morton (Solo Art, 1994)
• The Complete Piano Works of Scott Joplin (Solo Art, 2002)
• From Cakewalk to Ragtime to Ballroom (Solo Art, 2010)