“Maceo, I want you to blow!” cried James Brown and the name of one the world’s greatest living saxophonists was written into musical history. Maceo Parker recounts his warm and astonishing story in his new autobiography 98% Funky Stuff: My Life in Music (Chicago Review Press, February 2013). Maceo has had an unequaled career playing for hundreds of thousands of adoring fans all over the world and his motto of “2% jazz, 98% funky stuff” has never been more evident than in this book.
In this inspiring and funky narrative, Maceo Parker talks about growing up in a small Southern town at the birth of the Civil Rights Movement and reveals how he cultivated his signature style, going from playing in small nightclubs in North Carolina with his brother, to performing on the big stage with funk greats James Brown, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic , Prince and countless others. Using his personal brand of funk and unleashing it through the written word, Parker takes his story and wraps it around readers in an intimate way.
A riveting tale of musical education, with frank and revelatory insights on his relationships with the music icons he’s encountered throughout the years, 98% Funky Stuff arrives in time to celebrate Parker’s 70th birthday and will be a joy for music aficionados and fans alike.
Praise for Maceo Parker: “Parker talks with his sax, chatters away without a seeming care. It's a musical antidepressant, an antidote to dark days." - The San Diego Reader
“Hipper than most 20-year-olds, [Parker] has more soul in his little finger than a roomful of Boyz II Men." - The Oakland Tribune
About the Author: Maceo Parker is probably the world’s most famous living saxophonist. Not only has he contributed to the success of some of the most influential musicians – James Brown, George Clinton, Prince – but he has also enjoyed a blistering solo career for more than twenty-two years. He has also collaborated with Ray Charles, Ani Di Franco, James Taylor, De La Soul, the Dave Matthews Band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. He lives in Kinston, North Carolina.
In this inspiring and funky narrative, Maceo Parker talks about growing up in a small Southern town at the birth of the Civil Rights Movement and reveals how he cultivated his signature style, going from playing in small nightclubs in North Carolina with his brother, to performing on the big stage with funk greats James Brown, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic , Prince and countless others. Using his personal brand of funk and unleashing it through the written word, Parker takes his story and wraps it around readers in an intimate way.
A riveting tale of musical education, with frank and revelatory insights on his relationships with the music icons he’s encountered throughout the years, 98% Funky Stuff arrives in time to celebrate Parker’s 70th birthday and will be a joy for music aficionados and fans alike.
Praise for Maceo Parker: “Parker talks with his sax, chatters away without a seeming care. It's a musical antidepressant, an antidote to dark days." - The San Diego Reader
“Hipper than most 20-year-olds, [Parker] has more soul in his little finger than a roomful of Boyz II Men." - The Oakland Tribune
About the Author: Maceo Parker is probably the world’s most famous living saxophonist. Not only has he contributed to the success of some of the most influential musicians – James Brown, George Clinton, Prince – but he has also enjoyed a blistering solo career for more than twenty-two years. He has also collaborated with Ray Charles, Ani Di Franco, James Taylor, De La Soul, the Dave Matthews Band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. He lives in Kinston, North Carolina.
