Sista Monica Parker

Like E.C. Scott, Bettye LaVette, Denise LaSalle, and so many other powerful contemporary blues women, Sista Monica Parker got her start singing in church. She began singing at age seven and began touring with the choir as a 12-year-old. She sang with her local church choir in places like Chicago and Detroit, and got her exposure to show business -- albeit in the church -- early. Parker cites Al Green, Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke as early influences. After some time in college, Parker joined the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of sergeant after three years. Upon discharge, she began her own staffing firm for the engineering professions. After several years in the Chicago area, she relocated her business to Silicon Valley in Northern California. Her blue-chip clients included Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Yahoo!, and Sun Microsystems. Inspired by her neighbor MC Hammer, Parker decided to turn her longtime love of singing into more than just an avocation. She began sharing stages in Northern California clubs and festivals with Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal, Luther Allison, Etta James, and other blues and classic R&B legends. By 1995, she had recorded and released her debut, Get Outta My Way! Radio programmers latched onto the tune "Windy City Burner," and she and her band were able to tour around the U.S., Europe, and Canada in support of it. She recorded a second album, the self-titled Sista Monica, in 1997. In 1998 she received a W.C. Handy Award nomination under the Best Contemporary Blues, Female category and won a California Music Award the same year for Most Outstanding Blues Artist. In 2000 Parker released her third album, People Love the Blues, which showcases the talents of Jimmy Thackery, Larry McCray, and Dan Caron...