Van Dyke Parks Biography
For more than 40
years, composer/arranger/vocalist/pianist Van Dyke Parks has helped create soundscapes of American life. Whether scoring for films and theater or nurturing his solo
career, Parks has managed to play an important role in popular music without ever getting burned under the
spotlight.
Born in Mississippi in 1943, Parks began his musical career at age four. While attending American Boychoir School in New Jersey, Parks paid his own tuition by performing in New York City shows on the
weekends. After several stints on Broadway, he traveled the country with the choir until 1955, when he headed to Hollywood. In 1963, Parks earned his first studio session work on the soundtracks for the Disney movies Jungle
Book, Savage Sam and Moonspinners.
The 1960s brought Parks many opportunities to expand his experiences as a
musician. His skills as a keyboardist led to studio sessions with both the Byrds and the Grateful
Dead. Parks is also noted for is collaborative efforts with Beach Boy Brian Wilson. As a
lyricist, arranger and composer for Wilson's Smile, one of his "lost" recordings of the '60s, Parks readied himself for the release of his own
album, Song Cycle in 1968.
Parks worked as a session musician with several popular artists of the time, releasing several solo albums along the way including the Trinidad-influenced Discover America in 1972 and Clang of the Yankee Reaper in 1975.
Parks maintained a collaborative spirit through the ensuing decades, working with Ry
Cooder, Brian Wilson and folk singer Steve Young, among others.
