Gloria Parker

Infobox musical artist
Name = Gloria Parker


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Birth_name = Gloria Parker
Alias = "Glorious Gloria Parker", "Princess of the Marimba"
Born = Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died =
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Instrument = Marimba, Vibraphone, Drums, Organ, Piano, Vocals, violin, viola, xylophone, guitar, glass harp and all latin percussion.
Voice_type =
Genre = Swing, Big band, Mainstream jazz, Country, Latin
Occupation = Multi-instrumentalist, Singer, Actress, Songwriter, Bandleader, Conductor and talented ability to play the Musical Glasses or glass harp
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Label = Columbia, Decca, Ferris, Gloro
Associated_acts = Alfonso D'Artega, Lionel Hampton, Noro Morales, Tito Puente, Una Mae Carlisle, Vincent Lopez
URL = http://www.missgloriaparker.com/
Notable_instruments = Marimba, glass harp Glorious Gloria Parker is an American entertainer active during the Swing Era as a bandleader of an All-female band, Gloria Parker and the Starletts. Alfonso D'Artega composed many of the bands musical arrangements and Gloria Parker and the Starletts played D'Artega's hit song "In the Blue of Evening". The Gloria Parker Show aired nightly coast to coast on WABC and Gloria entertained her audience playing the marimba, organ and the singing glasses or glass harp. On Sunday evening The Gloria Parker Show followed The Paul Harvey Show. Gloria's WABC Sunday morning show featured the Princess of the Marimba playing beautiful melodies on her marimba such as "Tango of Memories", "The Lord Heard My Prayer", "Tropical Love" and "Fortune Teller" with four mallets. Gloria Parker "Princess of the Marimba" conducted the 21-piece "Swingphony" broadcasting nationally from the Kelly Lyceum Ballroom in Buffalo, New York. This was the largest big band ever led by a female bandleader. Edgar Battle and Footsie Thomas were engaged as arrangers for the Swingphony.Gloria Parker and her Orchestra performed at Leon and Eddies Nightclub "Celebrity Nite" on 52nd Street in Manhattan, "Honoring the Most Beautiful Bandleader on Broadway", Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin carried on stage her Musical Glasses or glass harp to open.

Gloria is a talented songwriter and has composed both the music and lyrics of hundreds of recorded hit songs for artists and bandleaders. She has also written musical scores for the movie industry as well as commercial jingles. Parker worked as the principle songwriter for Fargo Music Inc., Ferris Records, Gem Music Corp., Gloro Records, Godell Music Inc., Inter Collegiate Syndicate Inc., Life Music Inc. and Savannah Music Inc.

Gloria Parker is also known for her performances in Soundies or Music Shorts. Gloria composed the music and wrote the lyrics for "Broadway And Main" with Stepin Fetchit, "Four Letters", "Here Comes The Fattest Man In Town" with comedic personality Mel Blanc as Santa Claus, "Penthouse Party" featuring Parker playing the glass harp and "Wise Men Say"; all produced and directed by William Forest Crouch. Soundies were viewed on the Panoram, a coin-operated film jukebox, in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, amusement parks and community centers.

Biography

Musical Glasses

Gloria Parker is known for her unique ability to play the mystical Musical Glasses or glass harp. The very first American known to have practiced the art of "Glasspiel" was Benjamin Franklin and some of Gloria Parker's glasses date back to the time that Franklin lived. Gloria Parker learned the art from her grandfather, a native of Czechoslovakia, where most of her glasses were collected. She plays the glasses by rubbing her fingertips over the rims of each glass. The 28 glasses are arranged chromatically on a special table and some of them are partially filled with water to give the proper pitch. The range of her glasses is two octaves and the lowest note she can play is E below middle C. The resulting sound is reminiscent of a well played flute. Gloria performs hundreds of popular songs on these delightful glasses.

On February 18 1979, Parker performed as a musical glass soloist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra at the Jai-Lai Fronton in Hartford, CT. Richard Hayman, noted for his arrangements for Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, was the guest conductor for the 90-piece orchestra that accompanied the musical glasses which included songs such as "Lara's Theme" from the movie "Dr. Zhivago", "Lover" and "Amor".

Early life

Parker was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Rita Rose, a musician, who studied the violin with Leopold Auer and performed on CBS Your Hit Parade along with Snooky Lanson, Dorothy Collins and with bandleaders Mark Warnow and Raymond Scott. Gloria's father was a United States Air Force test pilot stationed in Hawaii during the Second World War.

By the age of three and a half, Glorious Gloria Parker was on her way to stardom. She played her personalized quarter-size violin and charmed everyone who heard her. By age five, she played in concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and by the time she was 14, she conducted her own all-girl orchestra, Gloria Parker and the Coquettes and was featured on stage with the marimba and glass harp.

Career

Glorious Gloria Parker is a talented songwriter, bandleader and musician. Gloria mastered and performed with her orchestra's playing the marimba, glass harp or musical glasses, piano, organ, violin, viola, vibraphone, xylophone, guitar, drums and all latin percussion instruments.

Gloria Parker was under the personal management of Joe Glazer, who managed great musical talent such as Louis Armstrong, Van Alexander, Les Brown, Billy Holiday, Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo, Russ Morgan, and Teddy Powell.

Gloria Parker and the Starletts toured on the USO Ballyhoo show produced by Theodore Hammerstein with Judy Garland, June Preisser, The Kim Sisters, an all-female band from Korea that played every musical instrument known, ventriloquist Canfield Smith with Snodgrass and many other notable personalities.

In the early 1950s, Gloria Parker and Vincent Lopez hosted a radio program on WABC broadcasted Saturday afternoon from the Taft Hotel in Manhattan called Shake the Maracas in which audience members competed for prizes by playing maracas with the orchestra. In addition, Gloria Parker and her Society Orchestra hosted an evening broadcast Gloria Parker Calling on WOR from the Green Room of the Edison Hotel in New York City. Gloria would open the show with the glass harp or musical glasses and feature the popular Latin sound on her marimba and vibraphone with her orchestra.

On television,Gloria Parker, Princess of the Marimba aired Friday night on ABC, the show opened with Gloria playing, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" on her glass harpand featured rhythms from South America.

The Big Band Era suffered with a musicians recording ban from August 1942 to November 1944. The union that a majority of musicians belonged to did not allow its members to record until the record companies such as CBS agree to pay them each time their music was played on the radio. This happened after an earlier ban of ASCAP songs from radio stations which lead to the demise of this style of swing music. Gloria emerged as a spokesperson for the musicians and earned the title as the "Famous One Share Stockholder" in her battle for musician rights with CBS, RCA and Time Inc. The national media would anxiously await Gloria's head to head confrontations with CBS founder William S. Paley and RCA Chairman of the Board David Sarnoff at the annual stockholder meetings.

As a Songwriter, Gloria became the spokesperson for National Juke Box Music Inc. and became a focal point for organizing royalty payments in this industry as well. "We want to be paid when our song is played" was Gloria's slogan. Miss Parker was the first to picket the White House asking for the President's intervention and setting the precedent for future White House demonstrations.

Personal life

Gloria designs and makes her own wardrobe. She has utilized this talent throughout her career with "show stopping" gowns, suits, dresses and coats. Gloria considers all animals her friends. She has had parrots from Africa who sing and talk, and feeds squirrels, birds, raccoons and foxes every day. Gloria Parker currently resides on Long Island in New York.

Filmography

*1984 — "Broadway Danny Rose" — ( Water Glass Virtuoso — Gloria Parker / 1984 / Released ) Academy Award — nominated film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen.
*1948 — "Echo Ranch" — Western Musical Music Short, directed by William Forest Crouch, music scores "Echo Ranch" and "I'm A Roving Cowboy" composed by Gloria Parker, starring Red River Dave (Davie McEnery), the Texas Tophands and Curly Williams.

Big Band/Swing Era Music

* A Stairway to the Moon, recorded by Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra, recorded by Betty Jane Rhoades on Columbia Records, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker.
* Baby Please Be Good To Me, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Baseball Time In Brooklyn, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Broadway And Main, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker, title and music used in Soundie starring Stepin Fetchit and Gloria Parker.
* Charleston South Carolina, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Citation, recorded by Alan Holmes, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Daddy From Georgia Way, recorded by Bob Chester and his Orchestra on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Daisy Lawton, a pen name for Gloria Parker.
* Do, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Doodle Doo, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Early In The Morning, recorded by Vincent Lopez on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* 8:20 At Gate 20, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Forgive Me For Gettin Forgetful, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Four Letters, Gloria composed the music and wrote the lyrics, title and music used in 1946 Soundie starring Gloria Parker and her Orchestra. Distributed by Mills Pan-O-Gram Jukebox Company.
* Good Better Best, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Here Comes That Mood, recorded by Vincent Lopez, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker.
* Here Comes The Fattest Man In Town, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker, title and music used in Soundie starring Mel Blanc and Gloria Parker.
* How Could I, music and lyrics by Nancy North a Gloria Parker pen name.
* I Bought Myself A Book, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Kathleen Shea, a pen name for Gloria Parker.
* In Santiago by the Sea, by Gloria Parker and recorded by Vincent Lopez and his Orchestra.
* I Learned To Rumba, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker and recorded by Vincent Lopez and his Orchestra.
* Jonathan, recorded by Alan Holmes on Columbia, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Long, lyrics and music by Kathleen Shea a Gloria Parker pen name and recorded by Una Mae Carlisle.
* Lovely Rosa, by Gloria Parker and recorded by Noro Morales & his piano.
* Mad About Love, music and lyrics by Gail Porter a Gloria Parker pen name.
* My Dream Christmas, recorded by Vincent Lopez, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Never Again music and lyrics by Daisy Lawton a Gloria Parker pen name.
* On The Motor Boat, recorded by the Corsairs on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker, Broadcasted by Leighton Noble and his orchestra.
* Pat On The Back music and lyrics by Gloria Parker.
* Perfectly, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle on Columbia Records, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Rippling Brook, music and lyrics by Lois Daniels a Gloria Parker pen name.
* Shake The Maracas, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker, and name of a radio program on WABC hosted by Gloria Parker and Vincent Lopez.
* Stars and Stripes Forever Merengue, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker on Gloro Records.
* Subway Boom Deay, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker recorded by the Corsairs on Columbia Records.
* Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus, also known as The Super Song, recorded by Alan Holmes and his New Tones on Columbia Records, Vocal by Hal Marquess and the Holmes Men, music and lyrics by Patricia Smith a Gloria Parker pen name.
* The Best Idea You Had, music and lyrics by Collette Bizet a Gloria Parker pen name and recorded by Una Mae Carlisle with Bob Chester and his Orchestra.
* The Dixieland Rhumba, lyrics and music by Gale Porter, a pen name for Gloria Parker.
* Tonight Be Tender To Me, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker, recorded by Una Mae Carlisle , recorded by Betty Jane Rhodes on Colunbia.
* The Sweetest Words I Know, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker on Columbia Records with Vincent Lopez Orchestra.
* When Our Country Was Born, recorded by Vincent Lopez, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Wise Men Say, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker, title and music used in Soundie starring Gloria Parker.

Latin Music

* Glorita, recorded by Noro Morales on Columbia Records, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker.
* In And Out Mambo, recorded by Noro Morales, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Let's Mambo, recorded by Noro Morales & his piano, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Madonna of the Moonlight, tango by Gloria Parker and played by bandleaders Tito Puente and Xavier Cugat.
* Mambo Away, recorded by Noro Morales, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Marimba Merengue, composed and recorded by Gloria Parker and her merengue rhythms on Gloro Records, recorded by Noro Morales with Gloria Parker and her marimba on Columbia.
* Pepito And Carmencita, recorded Vincent Lopez on Columbia, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Push And Pull Mambo, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* St. Louis Blues Mambo, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker and recorded by Noro Morales & his piano.
*Tango of Memories, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* The Up and Down Mambo, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker, recorded by Noro Morales on Decca records.

NY Blues and Jazz Music

* A Women Who's Blue, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker.
* Clap Your Hands and Shake Your Blues Away, recorded by Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra, lyrics and music by Gloria Parker.
* Frenzy, music and lyrics by Annabelle Day a Gloria Parker pen name and recorded by Una Mae Carlisle.
* Gone, music and lyrics by Annabelle Day a Gloria Parker pen name and recorded by Una Mae Carlisle.
* O'Lawdy Tell Me What To Do, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker.

Country Western Music

* Echo Ranch, Gloria composed the music and wrote the lyrics, title and music used in western movie short starring Red River Dave McEnery.
* I'm A Rovin Cowboy, Gloria composed the music and wrote the lyrics, music used in Echo Ranch a western movie short starring Red River Dave McEnery.
* Rocky Trail to Peaceful Valley, recorded by Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra on Columbia Records, music and lyrics by Gloria Parker.

References

*"Radio Music Live 1920–1950" A Pictorial Gamut by Morris N. Young and John C. Stoltzfus, Published by Arrangement with Life Music, Inc., pg. 47,50,237,239,240,241
*"A Toast To Christmas with the Singing Glasses" recorded and released in 1980, composed by Gloria Parker playing the glass harp. 14 well-loved carols come to life with the glass harp producing flute like sounds on crystal glasses, marking the first commercial album with this instrument. A New CD is being released for the 2008 Christmas holiday.
*"Life Magazine", May 1959, "Rising to a Point of Disorder", Famous One Share Stockholder Gloria Parker confronting Radio Corporation of America (RCA) with Billings-Gate at the annual stock holder meeting.

ee also

* Angelic organ
* Glass Armonica
* Glass harp
* Judy Garland
* June Preisser
* Lionel Hampton
* List of marimba performers
* Swing Era
* Vincent Lopez

External links

* [http://www.missgloriaparker.com Gloria Parker official website]
*imdb name|id=|name=Gloria Parker
* [http://www.bizbash.com/newyork/content/editorial/e9176.php bizbash] Water Glasses
* [http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Gloria_Parker/1465923 Gloria Parker] Water Glass Virtuoso
* [http://movies.nytimes.com/person/1076023/Gloria-Parker/filmography NY Times] Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
*rhof|id=297|name=Your Hit Parade
* [http://www.parrotclubs.com/national.html Miss Gloria Parker] Parrot Club
* [http://www.bam.org Brooklyn Academy of Music]
* [http://www.davidsarnoff.org/ David Sarnoff Library]
* [http://www.mtr.org/ The Museum of Television & Radio]