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November 2010

Without a doubt Ray Parker Jr. is best known for his hit song “Ghostbusters,” which was intended solely as the background score for the 1984 movie of the same name but remained at the top of the charts for several weeks when released as a single that year.

It was a defining moment in Parker’s music career, but hardly the only one.

The Detroit-born musician, now 56, formed a funk and R&B group called Raydio in 1978 that produced the hits “Jack and Jill,” “Is This a Love Thing,” “Honey I’m Rich” and “You Can’t Change That.”

He began as a teenaged session guitarist who backed up many Motown greats (the Temptations, the Spinners, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder, among them) and co-wrote hit songs other artists made into hits (“You’ve Got the Love” by Rufus and Chaka Khan, “You See the Trouble With Me” by Barry White, and “Keep On Doing It” by Herbie Hancock). He was also a touring member of the late Barry White’s orchestra before striking out with his own band.

Parker’s latest CD ,I’m Free, was released in 2006. The album blends elements of pop, jazz, blues and reggae. He is currently working on another recording project with the youngest of his four sons.

Atlantic City Weeklyspoke with Parker by phone.

Based on the schedule on your Web site you don’t tour that frequently, but you’ve had some interesting stops this year including Tokyo, Switzerland and South Africa [for the World Cup kickoff]. When did you last perform in Atlantic City?

I like to go to interesting places but you know what, I’ve never performed in Atlantic City before. I was there with my wife when she was modeling about 15 years ago. I’ve got four kids and they’re very demanding, which is why you don’t see me on tour all the time. I love playing the guitar and I love playing with the band, but I’ve got so many things to do, including producing a new record with my youngest son who’s 10 years old.

When do you anticipate releasing that record?

It should be completed in two or three months and be out some time next year. It’s coming along pretty well. There’s a lot of talent in the family, and all of them are talented in their own way. They’re all pretty good in music, but now that they’ve heard how good the younger one is, I think they all wish they’d stuck with the music more [laughs]. When you get older you don’t cut as many records. When I was in my 20s I’d cut a new one every year. It used to be boom, boom, boom, but that was the old life — single, no kids, fewer responsibilities.

How much was Detroit’s Motown music scene an influence on your career, and do you still reside in that area?

It was tremendously influential. I used to work with the Spinners and Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder — that’s how I got my start. Detroit at one time was a really, really thriving city. GM, Ford, Chrysler — those were the biggest companies in the world at one time. It’s gone from one of the most popular cities in the world to probably one of the most depressed cities in the world. You hear about it, but seeing it is worse. You can’t imagine a city in the United States that looks like that. I now live in Calabasas [in southern California], which is being made famous by the Kardashians. People used to ask me where the heck is Calabasas? Now I just say it’s where Kim Kardashian lives, and everybody knows where it is.

Is there any one artist you would point to as having the most influence on your career?

It would have to be Stevie Wonder. He’s the one who taught me how to write songs, so I’d have to credit him for a lot of things. He’s definitely a musical genius. He was my favorite artist before I met him, but when he called me [in 1972, to be part of a tour Wonder was doing with the Rolling Stones] it was like “Oh my gosh.”

When you introduce yourself to people for the first time, how often do you hear “Oh, You’re the guy who sang the ‘Ghostbusters’ theme song”?

All the time. Some people don’t even know I made another record, especially the younger ones. The “Ghostbusters” song is big, especially now around Halloween. Last year around Halloween I was invited to my son’s school to sing it with the kids. People ask me, “Ray are you tired of that song?” Absolutely not. It’s the No. 1 song around Halloween. It’s like asking Chubby Checker if he’s tired of “The Twist.” I don’t think so.

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