Biography
Who is Ray Parker Jr.?
Early life
Ray Parker Jr. Was born on May 1, 1954, in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Angel Elementary School where his music teacher inspired him to play the clarinet at age six. He later attended Cass Technical High School and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1971 before attending the Lawrence Institute of Technology.
Ray gained recognition in the late 1960s as a member of Bohannon's house band at the 20 Grand nightclub in Detroit. His guitar skills impressed the Detroit Spinners, who added him to their touring group. As a teenager, he recorded and co-wrote songs with Marvin Gaye and worked as a studio musician for Invictus and Hot Wax.
Music career and Raydio
In 1972, Ray played guitar on Stevie Wonder's song Maybe Your Baby, which led to a permanent move to Los Angeles. He also served as lead guitarist for Stevie Wonder when he opened for the Rolling Stones in 1972, and later became a sideman in Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra.
In 1977, Ray formed the rhythm and blues group Raydio with Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. The group released successful tracks such as Jack and Jill and You Can't Change That. By 1980, the band became known as Ray Parker Jr. And Raydio, releasing additional albums before breaking up in 1981.
Solo success and Ghostbusters
Following the breakup of Raydio, Ray pursued a solo career and released the hit single The Other Woman in 1982. In 1984, he achieved big international success by writing and performing the theme song for the feature film Ghostbusters. The track spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Ghostbusters theme song earned Ray a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1984 and an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. He also released other well-known solo tracks during this period, including I Still Can't Get Over Loving You and Jamie.
Later projects and acting
Throughout his career, Ray has written songs, played guitar, or produced for artists such as Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and New Edition. He is also the founder of Ameraycan Recording Studios in Los Angeles and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014.
In addition to his music work, Ray has made television and film acting appearances in shows like Gimme a Break!, Pryor's Place, and 21 Jump Street. In 2022, he competed in the eighth season of The Masked Singer as Sir Bug a Boo, performing the Ghostbusters theme as an encore.
Birthday and age
Ray Parker Jr. was born on May 1, 1954, which makes Ray 72 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Ray shares the date with 32 other famous people.
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