Norman Wade born 2 March 1946

Norman Wade (March, 2, 1946 – December, 2021) was an American Country singer and songwriter. 

Norman Wade has been a country music cult hero to thousands of fans throughout the world, yet little is known of Wade’s early years, except that he was born Norman Robert Stevenson in Columbus, Georgia, USA., and developed an interest in country music as a child. He was particularly attracted to the music of Hank Williams.

 As a teenager he learnt to play the guitar and lived and worked in Louisiana. Whilst employed at the local Winn Dixie Store he helped to open other stores in Lafayette, Morgan City, New Iberia and New Orleans. At night he would pick and sing country songs in the few night spots that hadn’t given way to rock & roll music at that time.   

                                    

In 1959, he relocated to Nashville where he first encountered Marty Robbins playing a steel guitar in an Opry dressing room, but at the time didn’t know who he was. Wade answered Marty’s inquiries by saying that he had come to Nashville to write songs and was staying at the YMCA. Marty, who became Wade’s biggest influence, offered him a job that led to his working for the star for the next 15 years, including appearances with him on the Grand Ole Opry (Robbins later even played dobro on some tracks on Wade’s Pure Country). 

Wade first recorded in 1959, and cut a number of singles over the years before "going solo" in the '70s, when he started to record albums of his own.It was in 1978 that he achieved minor success with ‘Close Every Honky Tonk’. Although he continued to record and achieved some local chart successes, his only Billboard entry was a 1979 recording of Hank Williams’ ‘I’m A Long Gone Daddy’. 

The initial response to his career started off in the Deep South. Like an established superstar, folks hearing him for the first time started calling the radio stations to hear more of his records, and they would pack the night clubs to see and hear him perform.  Wade had written many songs and excelled at recording honky-tonk numbers. He played in all parts of the United States and also at the Opry in his own right. In 1984, he was honoured with lifetime membership of the Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival in Meridian, Mississippi. 

He remained active but, like Vernon Oxford, his ability to sing in the style of Hank Williams and his love for the down-home country sound of fiddle and steel guitar meant that he was probably born 10 years too late to gain the proper acclaim his ability merits. 

According to Praguefrank’ s Country Music Discographies Norman Wade died  during December 2021. 

(Edited from scant information from All Muisc and LP liner notes)

Here's a short clip of Norman from You Tube.

Ila Vann born 1938

Ila Vann (born 1938) is a Soul, blues and R&B singer. 

Born Ila Harriet Fields in Long Branch, New Jersy, USA. Her brothers are Hampton Carlton (keyboard player for the The Mighty Clouds Of Joy) and Paul Vann. 

She started out singing in church and was spotted at age 8 by Mahalia Jackson and went on the road as an opening act for her for the next 4 years. She sang with The Blind Boys Of Alabama, The Staple Singers, Clara Ward and Sam Cooke. At age 23, she recorded with Louis Armstrong. Her work with Sam Cooke led to her first recording contract with Arnold Records. 

“I was working as a waitress on Broadway, and Sam Cooke came in. I told him I was interested in recording rhythm and blues. Two weeks later, I was in the studio.” A week later she recorded What’s the Matter Baby that went to number 1 in England. This led to countless recording sessions with Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong.

                                   

“Louis Armstrong was such a nice man and so wise. He told me, ‘You will never make a million in the business because you are so focused on your family, but you will be popular.’ I turned down a lot of tours because of my children. I would never leave my family for long. I am thankful because my children now tell me how grateful they are I didn’t leave them with a sitter for long periods.” Throughout her 30’s, she exclusively performed in NYC. After 14 years of a loving marriage with four kids, she was suddenly widowed.

Ila hit Broadway in 1972 in the musical Inner City and her move to Roulette resulted in a more commercial sound, and she is especially known for her version of "Can’t Help Loving That Man" from the musical "Showboat". This song later became a huge hit on the Northern Soul circuit in England. Vann broke her Roulette contract due to a lack of promotion/marketing for her work.  She continued to be a sought after solo performer as well as providing distinct harmonies with pop greats Barry Manilow. 

Following her Roulette recordings, she worked on Broadway musicals, toured with the USO, and the group Business Before Pleasure. She lived in Ontario, Canada for many years and performed in cities and towns around Eastern Ontario. She toured the province for three years, meeting her second husband near Bagotville where he was stationed in the military. She got married and acquired permanent residence. The couple came to Trenton in 1987 when he was posted..  Vann performed for the next four years with the R and B Boys out of Belleville. She also made occasional appearances in the UK for always appreciative Northern Soul devotees. Her husband died in 2002. 

Ila continued to perform weekly for the next four years with the R and B Boys out of Belleville. Then, for the next three, she settled into a regular spot at Brandees in Kingston where the owner hired a tight band to back her. There, she met Ian Kojima, the sax player from the Fade Kings, and consequently she did many shows with them before retiring in 2017. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with one of her daughters. Ila Vann was the kind of performer you never forgot, bubbling with energy and full of life, yet was  a vastly underrated performer – recognition of her contributions to the Soul Music genre is long overdue.  

(Edited from Discogs, The Intelligencer, Loyal Blues & County and Quinte Living.)

 

Mike Wofford born 28 February 1938

Michael Wofford (February 28, 1938 – September 19, 2025) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was an accompanist to singers Sarah Vaughan (in 1979) and Ella Fitzgerald (1989–1994). He was known in the jazz community going back to the 1960s for the albums Strawberry Wine and Summer Night. He performed with Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank, Joe Pass, Shelly Manne, Kenny Burrell, and Zoot Sims. 

Michael Wofford was born in San Antonio, Texas, on February 28, 1938; at age five, he and his mother moved to San Diego, California. At age seven, he began taking classical piano lessons at a local music store. He admired men such as Béla Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, John Cage, and Art Tatum. Wofford was introduced to jazz by a combination of his mother, who had been a professional singer prior to being married, and radio. 

Wofford attended Point Loma High School, where he embraced his love for jazz as a sophomore. He played in area bands with men such as John Guerin, Don Sleet, and Gary Lefebvre. At age 19, the San Diego Symphony performed two compositions of his which he had written at age 14 and 18 respectively. He attended San Diego State College but dropped out after a semester due to lack of devotion. 

                  Here’s “I Know Your Heart” from above album. 

                                   

In 1959, he accepted an invitation to play in Howard Rumsey's band, the Lighthouse All Stars. After moving to Los Angeles, he was featured as the pianist in Mel Tormé's 1962 album Comin' Home Baby!. Through an association with Oliver Nelson, he also worked on TV-film scoring for works such as M*A*S*H, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Merv Griffin Show, The Bill Cosby Show, and You've Got Mail; he also did pop-music sessions with figures such as Joan Baez, The Jackson 5, John Lennon, and Cher. 

In 1964, record producer Albert Marx discovered Wofford and signed him and his trio (John Guerin on drums and John Doling on bass) to Epic Records. In 1966, Wofford released his first solo album, Strawberry Wine, which received critical acclaim. 

In the 1970s Wofford toured Europe with Manne and Lee Konitz, in the 1980s Japan with Manne, Sweets Edison, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Japan and Brazil with Benny Carter. He performed with Kenny Burrell, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Charlie Haden, Slide Hampton, Clifford Jordan, Ray Brown, and Charles McPherson. Wofford worked on John Lennon's album Rock 'n' Roll (1975) and in 1973 briefly toured with Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. He continued touring with various prominent artists and recording before moving back to San Diego in the late 1970s. 

He continued to work with various artists, including George Lewis, Sérgio Mendes, Quincy Jones, James Moody, Harry Nilsson, Zoot Sims, John Klemmer, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald, becoming the latter two's pianist and conductor from 1979 to 1983 and 1989 to 1994 respectively. He also collaborated with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and was featured on an array of film and TV soundtracks, from “The Godfather Part II” and “Sweet Charity” to “Hawaii Five-0” and “The Bill Cosby Show.” 

In 2000, Wofford married flutist Hofmann in 2000 and they toured together and recorded a 2006 duo album together at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in the San Diego neighborhood of La Jolla. Their chemistry together was equally palpable on stage and off. Wofford made significant contributions to jazz education through his involvement in workshops, clinics, and camps, particularly in San Diego, where he served as core faculty for the UC San Diego Jazz Camp starting from its inaugural session in 2003. 

On August 13, 2012, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 22nd Annual San Diego Music Awards. In 2023, Wofford was inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame for his lifetime of representing San Diego with exceptional musical talent. 

Wofford died  at the age of 87 years, on September 19, 2025, in the Balboa Park-area home he shared with his wife and longtime musical partner, flutist Holly Hofmann. He had been receiving hospice care there for the past two weeks. The cause of death, Hofmann said, was complications from hyponatremia, a condition that occurs when the level of sodium in the blood is too low. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & The San Diego Union-Tribune) 

 

Obrey Wilson born 27 February 1942

Obrey Wilson (February 27, 1942 – February 6, 2016) was an American country, gospel and soul singer / songwriter. 

Obrey Dean Wilson was born in Clarksville, the son of Obey Lee Wilson and Clara Person Wilson. For an artist who had a dozen or so 45s released precious little is known about Obrey – which is a shame as he was a fine vocalist and strong songwriter who made some high quality country soul in the 60s and 70s. He seems to have started his career with Snuff Garrett at Liberty, and although his four sides for the company are more pop than soul, “Hey There Mountain” from 1962 has some notoriety as being one of only a handful of sides that Phil Spector produced for Garrett. 

                                   

The cuts from his first stay at Epic were produced by Jerry Kennedy or Billy Sherrill in Nashville, and they range in styles from pop/country to soul. The best is undoubtedly She Used To Be Mine (1965) which is really soulful thanks to Wilson’s obvious gospel vocal touches, including a well judged rap, and the tasteful piano. His sole Columbia outing was recorded in New York, with Charlie Calello providing the big big backdrop for his version of the uplifting “My Ancestors”, (1966)  also covered by Charles Gray. The flip has had some Northern scene action. Obrey’s Philips 45 was again produced by Jerry Kennedy but neither side was among his best. 

But both sides of his Bell 45 were far better. It was another Nashville recording, but more like John Richbourg’s style of music from there than Billy Sherrill’s. “Soul Satisfaction #1” (1969) was a gently funky little opus, very nicely arranged, and Break Away Baby (1968) was far and away Wilson’s best effort to date. In a classic southern soul setting of guitar/organ underpinning a strong horn section, Obrey cut loose, his high tenor sounding just perfect, full of righteous fire and hoarse commitment. 

He continued this gospel feeling with his next 45, an easy paced tuneful hymn, with some really good guitar and conga playing over which Wilson again gets high with the spirit. Both tracks on his second Mercury single came from the pen of the wonderful Swamp Dogg and while “You Were Meant For Me” (1972) was good, his version of Laid Back And Easy was excellent. Always one of Swamp’s finer evocative numbers, I think Wilson’s rendition just about shades Freddie North’s for sheer soul thanks to his oh-so-flexible vocal. 

Thanks to its inclusion on the “Lost Soul” series of LPs Obrey’s outstanding Sho Nuff You Can (1973) is probably his most accessible track. But this superb slice of country soul can’t really have enough plaudits aimed at it, so sweet is the melody, so subtle the playing , so good are Bergen Whit’s horn charts and so emotional the vocal that it’s almost an advertisement for country soul. 

Wilson’s final single in 1982 was for John E Denny’s Nashville operation and Mel Tillis’ Take Time was another winner, just the right side of the country/soul divide with Wilson’s hoarse tone lovely to hear, and his “delay” sense of time really on the button. His companion on the track Bernice Cook sings well too. 

Obrey was a member of Mt.Zion Baptist Church, Port Royal. He worked as a nurse for Complete Home Health Care for 43 years. He passed away in Clarkesville, Tennessee on February6, 2016, aged 73 years old.  

(Edited from Sir Shambling & obit @ Clarkesville Now)

Guy Klucevsek born 26 February 1927

Guy Klucevsek (February 26, 1947 – May 22, 2025) was an American accordionist and composer known for his fusion of polka, minimalism and experimental music. He stunned audiences around the world with his mastery of the unwieldy instrument in jazz- and world-influenced avant-garde concerts.

Guy Allen Klucevsek, was born in New York City to Godfred Klucevsek and Alyse Hamilton, parents of Slovenian immigrant heritage. He spent part of his early childhood in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, before moving to western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh at the age of nine following his parents' divorce in 1956, where he was raised by his aunt and uncle in a close-knit Slovenian-American community. This environment deeply immersed him in the traditions of Slovenian folk music, including lively polkas and melancholic minor-key waltzes, which were staples at family gatherings and local events. 

At the age of five, Klucevsek became captivated by the accordion after watching a television performance by virtuoso Dick Contino on The Horace Heidt Show, prompting him to coax his father into purchasing a 12-bass accordion. His initial lessons began soon after with a door-to-door teacher named Joe Macko, who instructed him in polka-style pieces and basic techniques suited to the instrument's popularity in mid-20th-century America. This early exposure laid the groundwork for his technical foundation, blending popular ethnic repertoires with the accordion's expressive capabilities. 

                            Here’s The C&M Waltz” from above CD

                                   

He studied accordion with Walter Grabowski who eventually introduced him to the more difficult free-bass accordion. This allowed Klucevsek to play straight from piano music without transcription. In high school he formed a Slovenian polka band and played tuba in the school band. After graduating from high school, he matriculated to Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he earned a BA in 1969. He pursued further studies at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with an MA in 1971. He then attended the California Institute of the Arts where he was a pupil of Robert Bernat, Harold Budd, Gerald Shapiro, Morton Subotnick, and James Tenney. 

In 1972, Klucevsek joined the faculty of Glassboro State College now (Rowan University) where he taught until 1976. He was a member of Relâche, a chamber ensemble based in Philadelphia, from 1980 through 1990. He moved to Manhattan in the 1980s where he was involved in the Downtown experimental music scene and first met his long time collaborator John Zorn. His first album, Blue Window, was released in 1986. 

Over his career Klucevsek composed more than 100 pieces, released more than 20 albums and collaborated with Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell, Laurie Anderson, Maureen Fleming, Tom Waits and others. He was also a founding member of the international group Accordion Tribe. Klucevsek also participated in cross-cultural collaborations including with Basque accordionist Kepa Junkera, oud player Rahim AlHaj and Japanese composer Teiji Ito. 

Klucevsek worked on John Williams's scores for several Steven Spielberg films, including The Terminal, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and The Adventures of Tintin. In 2010, Klucevsek won a United States Artists Fellow award. With a string quartet and Renée Fleming, he performed “Danny Boy” at John McCain's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. 

While Klucevsek's music sometimes fits within traditional polka styles it moves far beyond this into experimentalism and minimalism. Klucevsek was influenced by Flaco Jimenez and Nathan Abshire which led him to look to integrate his Slovenian-American heritage into his avant-garde music. His polkas would often be in minor keys and played at great speed rather than the genial pace and major key of traditional polkas. Klucevsek was reluctant to label himself and his style but thought of himself as a composer rather than an accordionist. His music was unique in employing the accordion in jazz and improvisational music. 

In 2018, Guy Klucevsek ceased touring and largely stepped back from public performances due to declining health, including faltering eyesight from cataracts. His book, Vignettes (Short Pieces for Accordion), was published in 2020 and he last publicly performed in 2022, but continued making music, issuing Hope Dies Last in 2023. Little Big Top, with Volker Goetze, was released in 2024. Klucevsek died at his home in Staten Island on May 22, 2025, at the age of 78, after battling neuroendocrine cancer for nearly ten years. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)

 

Eddie Chamblee born 24 February 1920

Edwin Leon “Eddie” Chamblee (February 24, 1920 – May 1, 1999), known as Eddie "Long Gone" Chamblee, was an American tenor and alto saxophonist, and occasional vocalist, who played jazz and R&B. 

Eddie Chamblee was born, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Robert Chamblee, a prominent life insurance executive, and his wife. Around 1928, the family relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, where Robert Chamblee served as president of the Citizens Life Insurance Company. The family later moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Eddie spent much of his formative years in a supportive, upwardly mobile household that emphasized education and stability. 

Chamblee began his musical journey in Chicago after his family relocated there from Indianapolis around the early 1930s, where he took up the saxophone at the age of 12. This early start laid the foundation for his lifelong engagement with the instrument, initially balancing music with academic pursuits. During his time at Wendell Phillips High School, Chamblee honed his skills on both the tenor and alto saxophones through participation in school ensembles and amateur performances within the local community. 

                                    

These formative experiences in Chicago's vibrant music scene exposed him to jazz pioneers and helped develop his technical proficiency before he pursued higher education in law at Chicago State University. Although music was initially a secondary interest amid his studies, family encouragement and self-taught practice amid the city's jazz milieu solidified his passion for the saxophone. This period marked the beginning of Chamblee's transition from amateur enthusiast to aspiring professional, shaped by the rich cultural environment of 1930s Chicago. 

During World War II, Eddie Chamblee enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1941 and served until his discharge in 1946, performing in various army bands where he contributed jazz arrangements on tenor saxophone. Following his military service, Chamblee returned to Chicago and formed his own small combo in 1946.  In 1948, he gained significant recognition as the featured tenor saxophonist on pianist Sonny Thompson's instrumental "Long Gone, Parts 1 & 2," recorded for Miracle Records and on its follow-up, "Late Freight", credited to the Sonny Thompson Quintet featuring Eddie Chamblee. Both records reached no. 1 on the national Billboard R&B chart earning Chamblee the enduring nickname "Long Gone" from its title. 

Two follow-up records, "Blue Dreams" and "Back Street", also made the R&B chart in 1949. By the early 1950s, as big bands declined in popularity amid economic shifts and the rise of smaller combos, Chamblee adapted to more intimate jump blues outfits, maintaining his emphasis on energetic solos and rhythmic drive in live club performances across Chicago, blending swing jazz with emerging R&B elements, before he transitioned to larger ensembles later in the decade. From 1953 to 1955, he performed notable residencies in Indianapolis at George's Bar on Indiana Avenue, gaining local fame for acrobatic stage antics like playing while swinging from the rafters. 

Other key 78s included "Cradle Rock" (1951, Federal), "Walkin' Home" (1953, United), and "Come On In" (1954, United), often backed by pianists like Johnny Young and drummers such as Osie Johnson or Larry Jackson. By the late 1950s, his singles output shifted to 45s like "Goin' Long" (1957, Mercury) and "Strollin' Sax" (1958, Mercury), distributed through larger networks but with modest chart impact compared to the 1940s boom. 

In 1955 he joined Lionel Hampton's band for two years, touring in Europe, before returning to lead his own group in Chicago. He accompanied both Amos Milburn and Lowell Fulson on some of their recordings, and then worked as accompanist to Dinah Washington on many of her successful recordings in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The two performed vocal duets in a style similar to that later adopted by Washington with Brook Benton, and were briefly married; he was her fifth husband. Chamblee also recorded for the Mercury and EmArcy labels, and with his own group in the early 1960s for the Roulette and Prestige labels. 

In the 1970s, he rejoined Hampton for tours of Europe, where he also played with Milt Buckner, and he recorded for the French Black & Blue label. He also performed with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1982, and from the 1980s until his death with the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, as well as in clubs in New York City. 

He died in New York in 1999, at the age of 79 from natural causes. 

(Edited from Grokipedia) 

Here’s a clip of Flying Home Live in Sesjun 1978, with Lionel Hampton - vibraphone, Wild Bill Davis - organ, Joe Nerman - trumpet, Eddie Chamblee - alto/tenor sax, Paul Moen - tenorsax, Billy Mackel - guitar, Barry Smith - bass, Frankie Dunlop - drums

Ken Parker born 23 February 1948

Kenneth L. Farquharson (23 February 1948 – 22 February 2025), known professionally as Ken Parker, was a Jamaican musician who first recorded in the 1960s. 

Born in Savannah-La-Mar, Westmoreland, Parker was christened at the local church where his father served as a preacher. From an early age, he demonstrated his vocal prowess, drawing inspiration from gospel and R&B sounds played on local radio stations. 

In the mid-1960s, Parker formed the Blues Blenders, with whom he recorded “Honeymoon By The Sea,” a record released by Mr. Anderson, who owned an electrical store in downtown Kingston. Around this time, the legendary producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, who was serving as an audition supervisor at Studio One, recognized Parker’s talent. The group arranged to audition for Coxsone Dodd, but due to a misunderstanding, Parker was the only member to turn up, so he auditioned as a soloist, impressing Dodd sufficiently to launch his solo career. While at Studio One, Parker quickly gained popularity with hits such as “Choking Kind,” “Run Come” and “My Whole World is Falling Down.” 

                                  

In the late 1960s, Ken Parker transitioned from his earlier recordings at Studio One to Duke Reid's influential Treasure Isle label, marking a pivotal shift in his career toward rocksteady and early reggae sounds. This move, beginning around 1967, allowed Parker to collaborate with Reid's renowned house band, the Supersonics, and tap into the label's reputation for polished productions that dominated Jamaica's music scene. His debut single for Treasure Isle, "True, True, True," released in 1968, showcased Parker's smooth, emotive vocals over a classic rocksteady rhythm, quickly becoming one of his standout tracks and a staple in Reid's catalog. 

Parker's mid-career phase with Treasure Isle from 1968 onward produced several commercially successful singles that propelled him to prominence in Jamaica's reggae landscape. Tracks like "Jimmy Brown" (1972), "I Can't Hide" (1970), "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and a cover of "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" exemplified the label's signature horn-driven arrangements and heartfelt lyrics, achieving strong airplay on local radio stations such as RJR and gaining traction in the island's charts during the early 1970s.These recordings, produced by Reid at his Bond Street studio, highlighted Parker's ability to blend soulful influences with Jamaican rhythms, contributing to Treasure Isle's output of over 200 hits that defined the era. 

His debut album, Keep Your Eyes on Jesus (1972), highlighted his gospel roots alongside reggae elements. Disillusioned with Jamaica's music industry, Parker relocated briefly to New York City before moving to England in 1973, where he occasionally performed but largely stepped back from recording. In the late 70s-early 80s, Ken Parker recorded some contemplative, spiritual roots reggae disco mixes for Roy Cousins record labels backed by the Roots Radics on tunes like “What Kind of World,” a compassionate meditation on poverty and the vanity of materialistic prisms on life. 

The peak of Parker's Treasure Isle tenure culminated in the 1974 album Here Comes Ken Parker, a showcase compiling his recent singles such as "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'," "Jimmy Brown," and "I Can't Hide." This release solidified his status as a leading vocalist in the reggae scene, with tracks earning widespread radio rotation and establishing his reputation beyond Jamaica through international compilations and exports via Trojan Records. Parker's work during this period, often sharing studio time with contemporaries like The Techniques on Reid's varied sessions, emphasized melodic covers and originals that captured the transitional energy from rocksteady to full reggae, fostering his mid-career commercial breakthrough.

In the early 1980s, he established his own record label and production company to prioritize gospel music, reflecting a spiritual turn influenced by his hiatus and relocations. Key outputs from this period include the 1984 album A Touch Of Inspiration on Pisces Records, which showcased inspirational reggae tracks, and Sacred Songs: I Shall Not Be Moved on Flames Records that same year, emphasizing hymns and faith-based lyrics. In 1985, he released Jesus On The Main Line via Pisces Records, further solidifying his gospel reggae niche amid the era's digital production shifts that challenged traditional Jamaican artists.

Parker's output remained sporadic through the 1990s and 2000s, hampered by the global reggae scene's evolution toward dancehall and hip-hop fusions, which limited opportunities for his style. He issued select singles and compilations under his independent banner, but major activity revived in the 2010s with the 2014 retrospective album A Glint Of Gold, a collection of reissued and remastered tracks produced by Duke Reid and Parker himself, highlighting his enduring rocksteady legacy. In 2016, he collaborated with British reggae artist Earl 16 on the album Fusion, released by Tamoki-Wambesi-Dove, blending Parker's vocals with modern dub production for an international audience. These later efforts underscored his adaptability despite decades of personal and professional challenges.

Parker relocated to Florida, where he pursued his music career while also serving as a pastor. His performance at the International Ska and Reggae Festival in London in April 2014 was a testament to his enduring legacy and influence.  

Ken Parker died on February 22, 2025, in Florida at the age of 76, just one day before his 77th birthday, succumbing to injuries from a car accident on February 16. The accident occurred near his home in Margate, Florida, when Parker suffered a seizure while driving home from church with his wife, Rose, causing the vehicle to crash into a lamppost; he was placed on life support and remained in a coma until his passing.

Ken Parker’s rich vocals and heartfelt performances left an indelible mark on Jamaican music, bridging the worlds of reggae and gospel. He is remembered as a pioneer who brought soulfulness and spirituality to his craft. His contributions to music will continue to inspire generations to come. 

(Edited from  Grokipedia, Caribbean National Weekly & Reggae Point)