If there is one
constant in the Detroit blues music community, it is that people care for each
other's well-being.
The newest
demonstration of that is a benefit planned for guitarist Kenny Parker from 3-9
p.m. on Sunday at 1477 Bistro in Troy.
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| KENNY PARKER (BluesPhotos by Don McGhee) |
Parker, a St.
Clair Shores resident, had a benign tumor surgically removed from his brain in
February. Like many musicians, he had no medical insurance at the time of his
diagnosis and initial testing. According to Parker, he now has insurance thanks
to a family member, who used his life savings. But, Parker remains debt ridden.
His many friends
in the blues community hope to alleviate that financial pressure a bit with
Sunday's fundraiser.
"Detroit is
good for that," said musician and bandleader RJ Spangler. "We don't
have the blues scene we had in the old days when I was younger, but the guys
who are here look out for each other.
"Detroiters
come together, they ask no questions, but just want to help out. There's a good
brotherhood and sisterhood in Detroit."
The tumor, which
was around and in Parker's hearing canal, was diagnosed in June 2011 and it was
six months before doctors found a medication that worked to control his pain.
"The
medication was brutal," Parker said. "It made me feel like I was
wearing lead shoes and that I was underwater. It made me nasty and mean."
Last fall, Parker
had another episode and even a double dose of the medication was no longer
effective.
So, on Feb. 4,
neurosurgeons at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit removed the tumor.
"The tumor
was probably growing in there at least 15-16-17 years, because it was slow
growing," Parker said. "It had compromised my balance and hearing so
slowly that I didn't even know it."
Following the
surgery, at first his fine motor skills were affected to the point that he
couldn't even write his name. Now, after rehabilitation and daily mental and
physical exercises, his motor skills are slowly returning and surgeons promise
him he will return to normal within six months.
He is
irreversibly deaf in his right ear and has some facial paralysis, but that also
is improving.
"In certain
aspects, I'm as good as new," said Parker, who has been building his
stamina by walking at least an hour every day. He hopes to play some at
Sunday's benefit and is pointing toward playing a gig in Manchester with the
Back Door Blues Band, which he is now a member of, on May 18.
"Now that
the medication is out of my system, I have more energy than I've had in a long
time, and more enthusiasm."
The lineup for
Sunday's benefit reads like a "who's who" of Detroit blues musicians.
The event begins
with solo sets by Leonardo Gianola (3 p.m.) and Carl Henry (3:20 p.m.). Henry,
who recovered from a flesh-eating virus that landed him in intensive care and
near death, benefited from three fundraisers last year.
"It was a
real lifesaver," Henry said. "They literally kept a roof over my head
during my recovery. The outpouring by the Detroit blues community whenever
someone is in need is outstanding. I'm proud to be a part of it and always have
been. I can't say enough about how good it was to have it come back around to
me when I needed it.
"I've known
Kenny a long time and I couldn't be happier to help anybody out. ... When you
are down, you need all the help you can get."
Some of Detroit's
best electric blues bands will perform after the solo sets, starting with the
Root Shakers (4 p.m.), and followed by Howard Glazer and the EL 34s (4:45
p.m.), the Back Door Blues Band (5:30 p.m.), Laura Rain & the Caesars
featuring George Friend (6:30 p.m.), the All-Star Detroit Blues Band (7 p.m.)
and the Broken Arrow Blues Band (8:15 p.m.).
The All-Star
Detroit Blues Band features frontman/drummer Tino Gross of the Howling Diablos;
guitarist Bobby Murray, who played with the late Etta James for more than two
decades; keyboardist/singer Chris Codish of The Brothers Groove; and harmonica
player/singer Garfield Angove (The MillionAires); as well as youthful guitarist
Carlton Washington; harmonica player Brian Miller, bassists Bob Conner (The
MillionAires) and Jeff Yondrick; and Spangler (Planet D Nonet) on drums.
"I am
extremely humbled that all those musicians would do that for me," Parker
said. "I am unbelievably honored to have rubbed shoulders with all these
people and that they feel a kinship toward me."
Parker, 60, has
been a fixture on the Michigan rock 'n' roll and blues scene since the
mid-1970s.
He grew up in
Albion, played in his first band (The Esquires) at age 14, and graduated from
Eastern Michigan University. From there, he went on to study the blues by
performing with many of Detroit's great musicians who have since passed on.
He played with
Louis "Mr. Bo" Collins and had a long association with Clarence and
Curtis Butler in the Butler Twins Blues Band. Parker's fine 1998 solo
recording, "Raise The Dead" (JSP Records), also featured the Butler
Twins and harmonica player Darrell Nulisch.
Henry knows that
Sunday's event will give his buddy a lift, both financially and emotionally.
"You never
feel as alone as when you have an illness, whether you are lying in a hospital
bed worrying about making it, or whether you are at home recovering and
worrying about how the next bill is going to be paid," Henry said.
"It gives you an emotional boost when people show their love, whether by
organizing the event, helping out, or just coming and giving a couple bucks to
help somebody along. All those things mean the world to you.
"The
emotional boost you receive is overwhelming."
FYI - A
Fundraiser For Kenny Parker will be held from 3-9 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at 1477
Bistro (formerly Mario's of Troy), 1477 John R, Troy (248-588-6000). A $10
donation is suggested. All proceeds go to defray Parker's medical expenses.
To send info to JB Blues, please email Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com
