Herman “Junior” Parker (March 27, 1932 – November 18, 1971)  was an American blues singer and musician. He is best remembered for his voice which has been described as “honeyed” and “velvet-smooth”. One music journalist noted, “For years, Junior Parker deserted down home harmonica blues for uptown blues-soul music”. In 2001, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Parker is also inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.

There is some disagreement over the details of Parker’s birth, but most reliable sources now indicate that he was born in March, 1932 at Eastover Plantation near Bobo, Coahoma County, Mississippi. He moved with his mother to West Memphis, Arkansas, during the 1940s. Other birth dates in 1927 or 1932 have been suggested, and some research suggests that his name at birth was registered as Herbert Parker.

He sang in gospel groups as a child and, beginning in his teenage years, played on various blues circuits. His biggest influence as a harmonica player was Rice Miller a.k.a. Sonny Boy Williamson, with whom he worked before moving on to work for Howlin’ Wolf in 1949. Around 1950, he began performing with a coalition of performers in Memphis known the Beale Streeters, which included Bobby “Blue” Bland and B.B. King.