Graham Parker

The English singer-songwriter Graham Parker was born in London in 1950. After a decade of singing with local bands, in 1975 Stiff Records founder Dave Robinson put him together with guitarists Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont, keyboard player Bob Andrews, bassist Andrew Bodnar and drummer Steve Goulding. The result was Graham Parker and the Rumour.

They released their critically acclaimed debut Howlin' Wind in 1976. The rock album had reggae influences but their sound would develop over the course of subsequent albums until they had their biggest hit with the punk styled Squeezing Out Sparks in 1979. The album was their most successful in the US, and would go on to be included in Rolling Stone Magazines 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list at No.335. In 1980 he released the last Rumours album, The Up Escalator for which he would be joined by Bruce Springsteen.

His 80s albums were commercially successful, but it was his 1989 work The Mona Lisa's Sister which found critical acclaim. The back to basics rock sound saw him reach Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the 80s list.

Although working with a variety of collaborators and on some interesting projects, including A Window: The Lost Songs of Lennon and McCartney and A Fair Forgery of Pink Floyd, Parker has failed to recapture the critical or commercial success of the 80s.