Van Dyke Parks

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on January 3, 1943, songwriter, arranger, producer, and musician Van Dyke Parks is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Brian Wilson / The Beach Boys, Harry Nilsson, and Lowell George, Van Dyke Parks’ 1967 solo album Song Cycle has achieved iconic status within the pop music world. After performing with the American Boychoir in Princeton, New Jersey and working as a child actor, he relocated to California in 1963 and began to perform folk music with his brother. He was also involved with arranging music for Disney film soundtracks including Jungle Book. He signed to MGM Records and released two singles in 1966 before becoming a session musician and playing keyboards for the Byrds, Tim Buckly, and Judy Collins. He also collaborated with Brian Wilson in 1966 and 1967, writing lyrics for songs intended for the legendary unreleased Beach Boys album Smile, a project that would not be completed until 2004. Van Dyke Parks became part of the Warner Bros. Records staff and helped usher in the Tin Pan Alley / sunshine pop sound of Harpers Bizarre. He also guided the Mojo Men to stardom with their song “Sit Down, I Think I Love You,” which was written by Stephen Stills and arranged by Van Dyke Parks. He then spent most of 1967 working on his first solo album, Song Cycle, a concept album that embraced many different styles of pop music. The album has become an iconic release for lovers of sophisticated pop. Van Dyke Parks then worked on albums by Randy Newman, Arlo Guthrie, Ry Cooder, and others. When the Beach Boys left Capitol Records, he was responsible for them signing to Warner Bros. Records and worked with Lowell George and Little Feat on several albums. While continuing to either write for, arrange or produce many other artists including Harry Nilsson, Van Dyke Parks continued to record a series of solo albums including Discover America (1972) and Clang of the Yankee Reaper (1976). In the late 1970s, he began to compose music for films - including Goin’ South (1978) and Popeye (1980) – along with television series including Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre (1982-87). After working on many projects over the years, he reunited with Brian Wilson for the 1995 album Orange Crate Art. Although he had remained active in the music business for many decades, he finally began receiving acknowledgement of his huge debt to music through reissues and reappraisals. And he continues to be in demand as an arranger and instrumentalist for a wide variety of artists.

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