Frank Parker was born in New Orleans in 1919 and took his first drum lessons at age five. Soon after, he played his first job with The Gin Bandits, who got together every year at Carnival. Frank continued drumming around New Orleans and acquired his most important skill—flexibility. But much of his professional career has been outside New Orleans. In the ’50s, he recorded and traveled with such R&B artists as Roy Brown, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles. In 1958, Frank settled in Los Angeles, where he spent 12 years working with such artists as Johnny Otis and Lou Rawls. In 1970, Frank returned to New Orleans and its traditional music. Preservation Hall is dedicated to preserving original New Orleans jazz in its purest form. Frank joined Preservation Hall in 1980 and has played with all four of the Hall’s bands. He is currently touring with the band led by […]

December 1986 Issue