Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination.
Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. In 1980, he was a founding member of the Christian Jazz Fusion band Koinonia. Parks is best known for his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, and Bread. Notably, he played guitar on Steely Dan's Royal Scam track "Haitian Divorce". Parks is also a long-time collaborator on David Foster albums, such as Shadows by Gordon Lightfoot.
Parks features on Cat Beach's albums Letting Go and Love Me Out Loud. In 2008, Parks participated in the production of the album Psalngs, the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre.
Parks is very prominently featured on Viktor Krauss' album II (2007), where he plays a plethora of other stringed instruments in addition to electric and acoustic guitars. He played on eight Lyle Lovett albums.
Tours During the late 1970s, Parks teamed up with Bread for their "Lost Without Your Love" reunion tour, taking on the responsibilities of lead guitarist. Following the departure of founding member Jimmy Griffin, Parks then became the 'unofficial' fourth member for the duration of the 1977/78 tours, including the visit to England to record a BBC TV special.
He continued the role when Bread's co-founder, David Gates, put together his own solo touring band shortly afterwards. In the spring of 2005 he joined David Crosby and Graham Nash on their European tour, as well as their U.S. tours in fall 2007, fall 2008, and spring 2011. In April 2017 Parks joined James Taylor's band while Taylor recovered from a broken finger.
Movies Parks has played guitar for film scores such as Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (with Carol Parks), Bowfinger, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Big Bounce, Days of Thunder, Dying Young, August Rush, Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story and Rosewood (with Tommy Morgan and John Williams).
Personal life He was married to fellow musician Carol Parks.
Discography
With America 1980 Alibi 1982 View from the Ground 1984 Perspective
With Bobby Bland 1969 Spotlighting the Man 1973 His California Album 1974 Dreamer
With Cher/Sonny & Cher 1973 Sonny & Cher Live, Sonny & Cher 1973 Bittersweet White Light, Cher 1973 Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs, Sonny & Cher
With Chris Botti 1999 Slowing Down the World 2003 A Thousand Kisses Deep 2004 When I Fall in Love 2005 To Love Again: The Duets 2007 Italia
With Michael Bublé 2003 Michael Bublé 2005 It's Time 2007 Call Me Irresponsible 2009 Crazy Love 2011 Christmas 2018 Love
With T Bone Burnett 1972 The B-52 Band & the Fabulous Skylarks 1992 The Criminal Under My Own Hat
With Joe Cocker 1984 Civilized Man 1996 Organic 1997 Across from Midnight 2004 Heart & Soul
With Koinonia (band) 1983 More Than a Feelin' 1989 Koinonia
With Andraé Crouch 1975 Take Me Back 1979 I'll Be Thinking of You 1981 Don't Give Up
With Rita Coolidge 1974 Fall into Spring 1975 It's Only Love 1977 Anytime…Anywhere 1979 Satisfied 1981 Heartbreak Radio 1996 Out of the Blues
With The Crusaders 1976 Free as the Wind 1978 Images 1980 Rhapsody and Blues 1980 Standing Tall 1984 Ghetto Blaster 1986 The Good and the Bad Times 2003 Rural Renewal
With Julia Fordham 1991 Swept 2002 Concrete Love 2004 That's Life 2005 That's Live
With Kenny Loggins 1977 Celebrate Me Home 1991 Leap of Faith 1994 Return to Pooh Corner 1997 The Unimaginable Life 2000 More Songs from Pooh Corner
With Lyle Lovett 1992 Joshua Judges Ruth 1996 The Road to Ensenada 1998 Step Inside This House 2003 My Baby Don't Tolerate 2003 Smile 2007 It's Not Big It's Large 2009 Natural Forces 2012 Release Me
With The Manhattan Transfer 1979 Extensions 1981 Mecca for Moderns 1995 Tonin'
With Aaron Neville 1991 Warm Your Heart 1993 The Grand Tour 1993 Aaron Neville's Soulfoul Christmas 1995 The Tattooed Heart 1997 ...To Make Me Who I Am 2000 Devotion 2003 Believe 2005 Gospel Roots
With Madeleine Peyroux 2004 Careless Love 2006 Half the Perfect World 2009 Bare Bones 2013 The Blue Room
With Rebecca Pidgeon 2005 Tough on Crime 2008 Behind the Velvet Curtain: Songs from the Motion Picture Redbelt 2012 Slingshot
With Joe Sample 1978 Rainbow Seeker 1979 Carmel 1980 Voices in the Rain 1982 The Hunter 1983 Roles 1985 Oasis 1995 Old Places Old Faces 1997 Sample This 2002 The Pecan Tree
With Steely Dan 1974 Pretzel Logic 1975 Katy Lied 1976 The Royal Scam 1977 Aja 2000 Two Against Nature
With Stevie Wonder 1973 Innervisions 1976 Songs in the Key of Life
With others 1971 Helen Reddy, Helen Reddy 1972 L.A. Reggae, Johnny Rivers 1973 Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye 1973 Lulu, Lulu 1973 Piano Man, Billy Joel 1973 Blue Suede Shoes, Johnny Rivers 1973 Eddie Kendricks, Eddie Kendricks 1973 Angel Clare, Art Garfunkel 1974 Martha Reeves, Martha Reeves 1974 Boogie Down!, Eddie Kendricks 1974 Reunion: The Songs of Jimmy Webb, Glen Campbell 1974 Wrap Around Joy, Carole King 1975 Sedaka's Back, Neil Sedaka 1975 New Lovers and Old Friends, Johnny Rivers 1975 Nigel Olsson, Nigel Olsson 1975 Diamonds & Rust, Joan Baez 1975 Rhinestone Cowboy, Glen Campbell 1975 Adventures in Paradise, Minnie Riperton 1975 Kim Carnes, Kim Carnes 1975 I've Got the Music in Me, Thelma Houston 1976 Photograph, Melanie 1976 Streetheart, Dion DiMucci 1976 Wild Night, Johnny Rivers 1976 Music, Music, Helen Reddy 1976 Bloodline, Glen Campbell 1976 Steppin' Out, Neil Sedaka 1976 Everything Must Change, Randy Crawford 1976 Endless Flight, Leo Sayer 1976 Gulf Winds, Joan Baez 1976 Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dee Dee Bridgewater 1976 The Painter, Paul Anka 1977 Here You Come Again, Dolly Parton 1977 El Mirage, Jimmy Webb 1977 Outside Help, Johnny Rivers 1977 Blowin' Away, Joan Baez 1978 Heartbreaker, Dolly Parton 1978 Leo Sayer, Leo Sayer 1978 Night Flight, Yvonne Elliman 1978 This Night Won't Last Forever, Bill LaBounty 1978 Midnight Believer, B.B. King 1979 Open Your Eyes, Maria Muldaur 1979 Wet, Barbra Streisand 1979 Hard Times for Lovers, Judy Collins 1979 Take It Home, B.B. King 1980 Inherit the Wind, Wilton Felder 1980 This Time, Al Jarreau 1980 Now We May Begin, Randy Crawford 1980 Red Cab to Manhattan, Stephen Bishop 1980 Somethin' 'Bout You Baby I Like, Glen Campbell 1980 In the Pocket, Neil Sedaka 1981 Power of Love, Arlo Guthrie 1981 Secret Combination, Randy Crawford 1981 I'll Be There, Gail Davies 1981 Pirates, Rickie Lee Jones 1981 If I Should Love Again, Barry Manilow 1981 The Right Place, Gary Wright 1981 Restless Eyes, Janis Ian 1981 Songs of the Beatles, Sarah Vaughan 1981 Scissors Cut, Art Garfunkel 1981 Love Life, Brenda Russell 1981 Breakin Away, Al Jarreau 1982 Windsong, Randy Crawford 1982 Friends in Love, Dionne Warwick 1982 Heartlight, Neil Diamond 1982 Daylight Again, Crosby, Stills & Nash 1982 If That's What It Takes, Michael McDonald 1982 Hey Ricky, Melissa Manchester 1982 Givin' Herself Away, Gail Davies 1982 Angel Heart, Jimmy Webb 1982 Bill LaBounty, Bill LaBounty 1982 Shadows, Gordon Lightfoot 1982 The Nightfly, Donald Fagen 1982 Thriller, Michael Jackson 1983 Hearts and Bones, Paul Simon 1983 Hello Big Man, Carly Simon 1983 Salute, Gordon Lightfoot 1983 What a Feelin', Irene Cara 1983 Seventh Wave, Melanie 1983 Not a Through Street, Johnny Rivers 1983 Girl at Her Volcano, Rickie Lee Jones 1983 Surrender, Debby Boone 1983 The Wild Heart, Stevie Nicks 1983 Emergency, Melissa Manchester 1983 A Christmas Album, Amy Grant 1983 Two Eyes, Brenda Russell 1983 Trouble in Paradise, Randy Newman 1984 Straight Ahead, Amy Grant 1984 The Magazine, Rickie Lee Jones 1985 Stay Tuned, Chet Atkins 1985 Dreamland Express, John Denver 1985 Crazy from the Heat, David Lee Roth 1985 Without Your Love, Dionne Warwick 1985 Real Love, Dolly Parton 1985 Nobody Wants to Be Alone, Crystal Gayle 1985 Dangerous, Natalie Cole 1986 One World, John Denver 1986 Rapture, Anita Baker 1986 Street Language, Rodney Crowell 1986 Nine Lives, Bonnie Raitt 1986 The Bridge, Billy Joel 1987 I Prefer the Moonlight, Kenny Rogers 1987 Famous Blue Raincoat, Jennifer Warnes 1987 Maria Vidal, Maria Vidal 1988 Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson 1988 The Best Years of Our Lives, Neil Diamond 1988 Nothing but the Truth, Ruben Blades 1988 Land of Dreams, Randy Newman 1988 Twice the Love, George Benson 1988 Nobody's Angel, Crystal Gayle 1989 On Solid Ground, Larry Carlton 1989 Something Inside So Strong, Kenny Rogers 1989 Somebody Loves You, Paul Anka 1989 Let it Go, Clair Marlo 1989 Ain't Gonna Cry, Juice Newton 1989 Good to Be Back, Natalie Cole 1989 Barry Manilow, Barry Manilow 1989 No Holdin' Back, Randy Travis 1989 Home for Christmas, Debby Boone 1989 Here I Am... Yes, It's Me, Nikka Costa 1989 Vonda Shepard, Vonda Shepard 1989 Bowling in Paris, Stephen Bishop 1989 Flying Cowboys, Rickie Lee Jones 1989 Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, Aaron Neville, Linda Ronstadt 1989 O Tempo e o Vento, Roberto Carlos 1990 Some People's Lives, Bette Midler 1990 Heroes & Friends, Randy Travis 1990 Beth Nielsen Chapman, Beth Nielsen Chapman 1990 Ivory, Teena Marie 1990 If There Was a Way, Dwight Yoakam 1990 Blue Pacific, Michael Franks 1990 Kiss Me with the Wind, Brenda Russell 1991 What You See Is What You Sweat, Aretha Franklin 1991 Pure Schuur, Diane Schuur 1991 Dance of Love, Dan Hill 1991 Showstoppers, Barry Manilow 1991 Christmas, Stephanie Mills 1991 The Fire Inside, Bob Seger 1991 Can You Stop the Rain, Peabo Bryson 1991 All I Can Be, Collin Raye 1991 Keep This Love Alive, Tom Scott 1992 The Future, Leonard Cohen 1992 King of Hearts, Roy Orbison 1992 Timeless: The Classics, Michael Bolton 1992 The Christmas Album, Neil Diamond 1992 In the Running, Howard Jones 1992 Something Real, Stephanie Mills 1993 Suspending Disbelief, Jimmy Webb 1993 Back to Broadway, Barbra Streisand 1993 This Time, Dwight Yoakam 1993 Let There Be Peace on Earth, Vince Gill 1993 The Crossing, Paul Young 1993 Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building, Neil Diamond 1993 I'll Always Be There, Roch Voisine 1993 Friends Can Be Lovers, Dionne Warwick 1993 Thousand Roads, David Crosby 1993 Traffic from Paradise, Rickie Lee Jones 1993 The Colour of My Love, Céline Dion 1993 I'm Alive, Jackson Browne 1993 Duets, Elton John 1993 Blink of an Eye, Michael McDonald 1994 11 Tracks of Whack, Walter Becker 1994 Rhythm of Love, Anita Baker 1994 Passion Play, Teena Marie 1994 Jamie Walters, Jamie Walters 1995 Bette of Roses, Bette Midler 1995 Gone, Dwight Yoakam 1995 That's Me in the Bar, A. J. Croce 1995 Time Was, Curtis Stigers 1995 Delilah Blue, Joshua Kadison 1995 Kissing Rain, Roch Voisine 1995 Feels Like Home, Linda Ronstadt 1995 Cornerstones, Chikuzen Sato 1996 Treasures, Dolly Parton 1996 Louder Than Words, Lionel Richie 1996 Mandy Barnett, Mandy Barnett 1996 Secrets, Toni Braxton 1996 Full Circle, Randy Travis 1996 Ten Easy Pieces, Jimmy Webb 1996 Fade into Light, Boz Scaggs 1997 Higher Ground, Barbra Streisand 1997 Under the Covers, Dwight Yoakam 1997 Deuces Wild, B.B. King 1997 Songs from a Parent to a Child, Art Garfunkel 1997 Deborah, Debbie Gibson 1997 Evolution, Martina McBride 1997 Dark Dear Heart, Holly Cole 1997 Open Road, Gary Barlow 1997 Let's Talk About Love, Céline Dion 1997 All That Matters, Michael Bolton 1997 Nothin' But the Taillights, Clint Black 1997 Three Chords and the Truth, Sara Evans 1997 Talk on Corners, The Corrs 1998 Back with a Heart, Olivia Newton-John 1998 A Long Way Home, Dwight Yoakam 1998 Painted From Memory, Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach 1998 Bathhouse Betty, Bette Midler 1998 Jennifer Paige, Jennifer Paige