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Sonny Parker
Willis "Sonny" Parker (May 5, 1925 or October 29, 1926 – February 7, 1957) was an American blues and jazz singer, dancer, and drummer. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Parker was raised in Chicago by the popular vaudeville duo Butterbeans and Susie (Jodie and Susie Edwards). In 1948, he led a band at the Cotton Club in Cincinnati, which included King Kolax as one of his sidemen, and recorded with Kolax in Los Angeles later that year.

Parker gained prominence as a vocalist when he replaced Rubell Blakely in Lionel Hampton's ensemble. His tenure with Hampton included appearances in the films Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra (1949) and Jelly Roll (1952), as well as recordings on Decca and MGM, including the 1949 R&B chart hit "Drinking Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee, Drinking Wine." He also recorded under his own name for various labels such as Aladdin, Spire, Peacock, and Brunswick, often collaborating with members of Hampton's orchestra.

Parker toured Europe multiple times with Hampton between 1953 and 1955. However, his career was cut short when he suffered a brain hemorrhage during a concert in Valenciennes, France, in March 1955. He never fully recovered and returned to the United States, where he died in a New York City hospital in 1957.

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