Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician,
songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various
film and television soundtracks. He is known for his 1967 album Song
Cycle and for his lyrics on the Beach Boys' unfinished album Smile. In
addition to producing or arranging albums by Randy Newman, Harry
Nilsson, Phil Ochs, Little Feat, Happy End, Ry Cooder and Joanna
Newsom, Parks has worked with performers such as Syd Straw, Ringo
Starr, U2, Grizzly Bear, Inara George, Kimbra, Suzy Williams and
Silverchair.Raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Parks spent his
childhood studying clarinet, piano, and singing at the American
Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey. He started his professional
career as a child actor. During the 1950s, he worked steadily in
movies and television, and in the early 1960s, he majored in music at
the Carnegie Institute of Technology. After dropping out of university
in 1963, he relocated to Los Angeles, where his first paid gig was
arranging "The Bare Necessities" for the 1967 Disney film The Jungle
Book. Following this, he involved himself with the growing West Coast
music scene, subsequently playing withâ€"or appearing on records
byâ€"acts like the Mothers of Invention, the Byrds, Judy Collins, Paul
Revere & the Raiders, and Harpers Bizarre. His LP Song Cycle (recorded
on a budget exceeding $70,000) mixed a number of genres (including
bluegrass, ragtime, and show tunes) and framed classical styles in the
context of 1960s pop music. It was released to underwhelming sales,
but attracted a cult following in later years.Starting in the 1970s,
Parks made repeated excursions into Afro-Caribbean music, notably on
his 1972 album Discover America and on records he produced for the
Esso Trinidad Steel Band and Mighty Sparrow. At the same time, he
managed the audio/visual department of Warner Bros. Records, which was
the earliest of its kind to produce music videos for artists. Since
then, he established himself in motion pictures and over the years has
directed, arranged, produced, and composed soundtracks for theatrical
films and television shows such as Popeye (1980), Sesame Street
Presents: Follow that Bird (1985), and The Brave Little Toaster
(1987). Much of his more recent work has been in commissioned
orchestral arrangements for lesser-known indie acts.
songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various
film and television soundtracks. He is known for his 1967 album Song
Cycle and for his lyrics on the Beach Boys' unfinished album Smile. In
addition to producing or arranging albums by Randy Newman, Harry
Nilsson, Phil Ochs, Little Feat, Happy End, Ry Cooder and Joanna
Newsom, Parks has worked with performers such as Syd Straw, Ringo
Starr, U2, Grizzly Bear, Inara George, Kimbra, Suzy Williams and
Silverchair.Raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Parks spent his
childhood studying clarinet, piano, and singing at the American
Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey. He started his professional
career as a child actor. During the 1950s, he worked steadily in
movies and television, and in the early 1960s, he majored in music at
the Carnegie Institute of Technology. After dropping out of university
in 1963, he relocated to Los Angeles, where his first paid gig was
arranging "The Bare Necessities" for the 1967 Disney film The Jungle
Book. Following this, he involved himself with the growing West Coast
music scene, subsequently playing withâ€"or appearing on records
byâ€"acts like the Mothers of Invention, the Byrds, Judy Collins, Paul
Revere & the Raiders, and Harpers Bizarre. His LP Song Cycle (recorded
on a budget exceeding $70,000) mixed a number of genres (including
bluegrass, ragtime, and show tunes) and framed classical styles in the
context of 1960s pop music. It was released to underwhelming sales,
but attracted a cult following in later years.Starting in the 1970s,
Parks made repeated excursions into Afro-Caribbean music, notably on
his 1972 album Discover America and on records he produced for the
Esso Trinidad Steel Band and Mighty Sparrow. At the same time, he
managed the audio/visual department of Warner Bros. Records, which was
the earliest of its kind to produce music videos for artists. Since
then, he established himself in motion pictures and over the years has
directed, arranged, produced, and composed soundtracks for theatrical
films and television shows such as Popeye (1980), Sesame Street
Presents: Follow that Bird (1985), and The Brave Little Toaster
(1987). Much of his more recent work has been in commissioned
orchestral arrangements for lesser-known indie acts.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.