Frankie Parker
Chicago, Illinois, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Soulful singer-songwriter Frankie Parker launches her new year show with a private promotion in Chicago. Parker will perform cover and original R & B songs from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 17 at Close Up 2, a contemporary upscale jazz venue located at 416 S. Clark St. in Chicago. "Breezy," the title track of the new album she's working on, will be debuted. Admission is $15 at the door. For discounts available and information call (847) 845-3463 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (847) 845-3463 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Parker was raised in the church, Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey, and on gospel music. "My father bragged about how I had my first recording when I was 5 years old," she said. Parker attended rehearsals of Christian Fellowship, a local church group with her aunt and uncle, and often sang with the ensemble. "I only vividly remember the clothes I had to wear," she said of the experience. "But from that point on my parents said I was a ham," she said. "I did ballet, tap and tumbling at Susan's School of Dance in South Holland."
But it was music that continued to be a constant in Parker's life, encouraged both at church and at home by her parents. She made the decision to take singing seriously while attending Thornton Fractional South High School. Focused on academics, she discovered a love for writing and English, which evolved to writing music and lyrics.Parker made her first visit to Chicago's House of Blues with the high school's Multicultural Club. Her second visit was an opportunity that came up soon after when a vocal group scheduled to perform a brunch show at the Chicago venue was short a singer and Parker was asked to fill in. "On the way there I learned four songs, I knew the other three or four I guess," she remembered. "For me to go back there was crazy and from that point on I said I can do this."
Parker attended Columbia College in Chicago and has been working as a solo artist for the past four to five years. She now lives in Chicago Heights with her husband, Damien, and their 11-month-old son Miles.She's grateful for the gift she's been given and the opportunity to share her love and talent with others."It's liberating," she said of performing. "It's perfection. It makes me feel complete. I'm at a level of perfection, where I need to be."
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- NWI.com
Discography
Hot Pot of Grits
Divine Destiny
Breezy
Photos
Bio
Frankie Parker is a dynamic songstress with extensive lyrical skills. Her style interweaves ‘old school’ soul, jazz, and contemporary R&B. With drive like no other, she is bound to reach the top. Frankie Parker was born as Tameka Frankie Powell on March 9, 1983, in San Bernadino CA. At the age of two, her love for music was discovered when she taught herself how to use the record player. By five, she recorded her first album with Christian Fellowship, a local community choir established in the Chicagoland area.
The revelation to pursue a professional career in music came at the age of sixteen, after performing with Gospel Artist, Desmond Pringle, at the House of Blues- Chicago. By 18, she was enrolled at Columbia College-Chicago, as a vocal performance major. Simultaneously, she studied vocal jazz at A&A Music Academy, which is located on the outskirts of Chicago. Although her training and development were primarily jazz and gospel-related, her influences steered her into the direction of R&B/ Soul music. Frequently compared to Chaka Khan and Erykah Badu, she is known for enthralling the audience with her wide vocal range, strong lyrics, and humorous story-telling.
Frankie Parker has performed throughout the country for various venues. In 2005, she opened for hip-hop band, Black Elephant at the Onopa in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In January of 2007, she was a part of the opening act for 22nd Annual Stellar Awards. She’s performed at several Chicago venues including the Green Dolphin, Little Black Pearl, and the Darkroom.
To expand her horizons, in 2004, Frankie Parker began her television career as a host for Channel 19 CAN TV’s, “Elma & Company”. She had the opportunity to interview such celebrities as The Inc.’s Ja Rule, WGCI’s former program director, Elroy Smith, and former Bad Boy Artist, Elliot Ness. Currently, Frankie Parker is writing and co-producing her debut album, “Breezy”. She is looking forward to continuing her musical journey throughout Chicago, and soon again, the nation.
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