Chris Parkinson is a folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 musician from the UK. He was a co-founder of the British folk band The House Band

The House Band

The House Band was a musical group formed in Edinburgh in 1984 by musicians Ged Foley , Jimmy Young , Iain Macleod and Chris Parkinson...

 (1984-2001), playing accordion

Accordion

The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....

, harmonica

Harmonica

The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...

, melodeon

Melodeon (organ)

A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...

 and keyboards. He has also performed with John Kirkpatrick in the accordion duo, 'The Sultans of Squeeze', who were included in nominations as 'duo of the year' in the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards

The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2....

Career

Chris Parkinson has played music since the age of 5, starting with the harmonica. Other instruments include the piano, guitar, concertina, tin whistle, melodeon, piano accordion, keyboard and fiddle.

He has worked with Ralph McTell

Ralph McTell

Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....

, Steve Phillips

Steve Phillips (musician)

Steve Phillips is an English blues and country musician. He is mainly renowned for being part of supergroup Notting Hillbillies along with Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler and Brendan Croker.-Biography:...

 and Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly

William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...

Parkinson's tune Mr Isaac's Maggot appears on the accordion box set Planet Squeezebox.

Discography

Solo Work

• Parky - CPCD313
• Out of his Tree - Pan Records PAN147

With The House Band

• The House Band - Topic
  Topic Records
  Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.-History:...
  
   12TS439
• Pacific - Topic 12TS445
• Groundwork - Green Linnet 1132
• Word of Mouth - Topic 12TS451 - Green Linnet
  Green Linnet Records
  Green Linnet Records was an American independent record label that specialized in Celtic music. Founded by Lisa Null and Patrick Sky as Innisfree Records in 1973, the label was initially based in Null's house in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 1975, the label became Innisfree/Green Linnet and Wendy...
  
   3045
• Stonetown - Harbourtown HAR019 - Green Linnet 3060
• Rockall - Green Linnet
• Another Setting - Green Linnet
• October Song - Green Linnet

With John Kirkpatrick

• The Sultans of Squeeze - Fledg'ling Records
  Fledg'ling Records
  Fledg'ling Records is a British independent record label founded in 1991. The label has re-released some albums previously issued by Hokey Pokey Records which was also run by the Fledg'ling founder - David Suff. David Suff having been half of the team running the Richard Thompson fanzine - "Hokey...
  
  3056