Worked With:
Formal Connection With:
- Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s
- Genres: Rock
- Instrument: Saxophone
Biography
A British saxophonist who plays in horn sections and on recording sessions, Dick Parry's discography begins by at least the early '70s when soul singer J.J. Jackson used him on a British tour. Without a doubt Parry's moment of mass audience glory is the famous saxophone solo on "Money" by Pink Floyd; he is also featured on other tracks by this band such as the inclusive "Us and Them" and the bright "Shine on You." Circa 2006, the hard-working and eloquent Parry was touring with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd as well as the Violent Femmes.In between there were stints with the Bonzo Dog Band, the Who, John Entwhistle's Ox, and Rory Gallagher, among others. The recording session legacy is, needless to say, somewhat murky due to the casual relationship between rock stars and their sidemen. Extremely modest and unassuming, Parry has little interest at all in the cult of celebrity -- particularly fiendish, raving Pink Floyd fans or interrogative journalists. He freely points out, however, an entry in an international auction catalog that is a bittersweet reference to a part of his life when he temporarily gave up playing.
Hard up for cash, Parry apparently decided to auction off his collection of memorabilia relating to Pink Floyd and other British rock associates, from tour jackets to, sadly enough, his instruments themselves. Parry says the catalog describes the prices fetched by these items as disappointing; moreover, the text points out that this indicates the difference between sidemen such as Parry and the rock stars who employ them, at least in terms of collectors spending loot for fetish objects. It was the saxophone played on the Dark Side of the Moon album, but Parry would have gotten more money for it had he simply sold it to a music store. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
