Chubby Parker

(1876–1940) was an American old-time and folk musician and early radio entertainer (banjo - vocals).

Parker was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1876. His grandparents were from Kentucky, and his father was the deputy treasurer of Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Parker graduated from Purdue University in 1898 with a degree in electrical engineering. He worked for a circus, and then moved to Chicago where he worked as a patent attorney, inventor, and electrician.

In 1925 Parker began appearing frequently on the National Barn Dance program of Chicago radio station WLS.[2] Parker played the banjo and sang old-time and minstrel songs in his high-pitched, clear voice. The far reach of WLS made Parker a household name throughout the Midwest. During a single week in February 1927, he received 2,852 pieces of fan mail, which was believed to be a world record.

As his radio popularity grew, Parker began recording music. Between 1927 and 1931, he produced over 50 records, including many re-recordings. Sears owned WLS and many of Parker's recordings were on Sears record labels: Conqueror Records, Silvertone Records, and Supertone Records. Sears also promoted Parker's records in its mail-order catalogs.

Parker's repertoire included versions of well-known folk songs such as "Oh! Susanna", "Little Brown Jug", and "Darling Nelly Gray" as well as Henry Clay Work compositions. Other successful songs that he played on the radio and recorded included "Nickety, Nackety, Now, Now, Now", "I'm a Stern Old Bachelor", and "Get Away, Old Maids Get Away".