Maceo Parker

His sound is unmistakable. Bright, bold, rhythmically-charged with a gospel-tinged sting, it served as the perfect foil for James Brown's funky invocations through the ‘60s and ‘70s. Check out classic cuts like "Cold Sweat," "Lickin' Stick," "Poppa's Got A Brand New Bag" and "Mother Popcorn." He's all over those tracks, blowing with gutsy abandon in a style coming out of Hank Crawford's earthy approach to alto sax but was indelibly stamped with a quality all his own. Back in the day, the Godfather of Soul would yell, "Maceo! I want you to blow!" And blow he did, like no one else.

Maceo Parker was a young man when he jumped on the James Brown bandwagon back in 1964. While in the service of J.B., Maceo along with trombonist Fred Wesley and tenor saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis comprised a telepathically-tight horn section that added punch to the groove. He says of his section partners, "Fred came up as a jazz musician and Pee Wee I consider to be a 100 percent jazz cat, while I think of myself as a little bit more middle-of-the-road, kind of leaning toward the funk." Today, at age 60, the legendary alto saxophonist is still blowing with youthful fervor and undeniable authority while enjoying extraordinary success as a solo artist. His piercing, pungent tone and sharp, punchy attack remains one of the most instantly recognizable and highly regarded signatures on the contemporary music scene. As neo-folkie queen Ani DiFranco noted, "He's still doing it. And that to me makes a really legendary person." Or as jazz guitarist and former band member Rodney Jones put it, "Maceo Parker is a living legend. His sound helped to define the sound of instrumental soul and his deep sense of groove is without compare!"