Frederick R. "Chubby" Parker (1876–1940) was an American old-time and folk musician and early radio entertainer.

Background

Parker was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1876. His grandparents were from Kentucky, and his father was the deputy treasurer of Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Parker graduated from Purdue University in 1898 with a degree in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. He worked for a circus, and then moved to Chicago where he worked as a

patent attorney A patent attorney is an Lawyer, attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing patent applications ...

, inventor, and

electrician An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenanc ...

Music career

In 1925 Parker began appearing frequently on the

National Barn Dance ''National Barn Dance'', broadcast by WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the ''Grand Ole Opry''. ''National Barn Dance'' also set the stage for other ...

program of Chicago radio station

WLS WLS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * WLS (AM), a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, US * WLS-FM, a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, US * WLS-TV, a television station in Chicago, Illinois, US * DWLS, a radio station in Metro Manila ...

. Parker played the banjo and sang old-time and

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer w ...

songs in his high-pitched, clear voice. The far reach of WLS made Parker a household name throughout the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. ...

. During a single week in February 1927, he received 2,852 pieces of

fan mail Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or " fans". In return for a fan's support and admiration, public figures may send an autographed poster, photo, reply letter or note thanking their fans for t ...

, which was believed to be a world record. As his radio popularity grew, Parker began recording music. Between 1927 and 1931, he produced over 50 records, including many re-recordings.

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began ...

owned WLS and many of Parker's recordings were on Sears record labels:

Conqueror Records Conqueror Records was a United States-based record label, active from 1928 through 1942. The label was sold exclusively through Sears, Roebuck and Company. History Conqueror was originally owned by the Plaza Music Company, then became part ...

, Silvertone Records, and

Supertone Records Supertone may refer to: * Supertone Records * The Supertones Band, a West Indian band * Supertones, a Christian ska band * A guitar developed by Charles Brasher Charles E Brasher was a Canadian inventor, and maker of stringed instruments. ...

. Sears also promoted Parker's records in its mail-order catalogs. Parker's repertoire included versions of well-known folk songs such as "

Oh! Susanna "Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all ti ...

", " Little Brown Jug", and " Darling Nelly Gray" as well as

Henry Clay Work Henry Clay Work (October 1, 1832 – June 8, 1884) was an American composer and songwriter known for the songs Kingdom Coming, Marching Through Georgia, The Ship That Never Returned and My Grandfather's Clock. Early life and education Work ...

compositions. Other successful songs that he played on the radio and recorded included "Nickety, Nackety, Now, Now, Now", "I'm a Stern Old Bachelor", and "Get Away, Old Maids Get Away".

Later life and legacy

After 1931, Parker apparently left radio and stopped recording, although he did return for the WLS twelfth anniversary celebration in 1936. Parker continued doing business in Chicago, and died in 1940. In 1952,

Harry Everett Smith Harry Everett Smith (May 29, 1923 – November 27, 1991) was an American polymath, who was credited variously as an artist, experimental filmmaker, bohemian, mystic, record collector, hoarder, student of anthropology and a Neo-Gnostic bish ...

released his influential ''

Anthology of American Folk Music ''Anthology of American Folk Music'' is a three-album compilation, released in 1952 by Folkways Records, of eighty-four recordings of American folk, blues and country music made and issued from 1926 to 1933 by a variety of performers. The album wa ...

'', and included Parker's song "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O", a version of the traditional English folk song " Frog Went A-Courting". By 2008, the British Archive of Country Music (BACM) assembled an album of Parker's music titled ''Chubby Parker & His Old Time Banjo: Classic Recordings 1927–1931''. Mickey Avalon's 2009 song "What Do You Say?" from ''

The Hangover ''The Hangover'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, co-produced with Daniel Goldberg, and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is the first installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. The film stars Bradley Cooper ...

'' also featured a sample of his song "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Chubby 1876 births American radio personalities Old-time musicians People from Lafayette, Indiana Purdue University College of Engineering alumni 1940 deaths