Vale: Doug Parkinson

Soul singer Doug Parkinson, who has a long history of rock, stage & TV appearances, has died, aged 74.

“Just received the saddest news that Doug Parkinson, the legendary Australian recording artist with a powerful and soulful voice. He passed away suddenly at home,” publicist Lionel Midford said.

Amongst his hits were Dear Prudence, Without You / Hair, I’ll Be Around, The Sun Ain’t Gonna Sun (Anymore), Everlasting Love and fronted The Questions, Focus, Fanny Adams The Southern Star Band & The Doug Parkinson Band.

He clocked up decades of touring Australia as soloist, front man and support act to The Who, The Small Faces, Paul Jones, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Pointer Sisters, Thelma Huston, Bob Marley and The Wailers, and Randy Crawford. There were stage shows including Jesus Christ Superstar, Ned Kelly, Big River, Tommy, The Wizard of Oz, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Hunting of the Snark, Grease, The Arena Spectacular and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.

He appeared on TV shows including The Graham Kennedy Show, Countdown, Uptight, Celebrity Squares, Celebrity Tattle Tales, Farnham and Byrne, The Daryl Somers Show, New Faces, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Perth Telethon and acted in The Young Doctors, Always Greener and Shadows of the Heart.

Parkinson also sang the theme song for the short-lived 10 soap Arcade plus The Outsiders and on ads for Ads for Coke, BHP, Toyota, Carlton United Breweries, Sanyo and Philips.

Doug was just days away from his first gig since Covid. He was scheduled to play in Adelaide this Thursday and had dates through until August.

He once said, “I only found out a year ago that I love singing. It’s always been a job, I’ve just gone out and done it, I’ve never ever thought about it, and then one day the penny dropped. I thought ‘I really enjoy where this takes me and what it does to me’.”

I worked with Doug briefly and he was a top bloke, with a booming soul voice that could fill the theatre. RIP Doug.

Source: Nine, Noise 11, Newcastle Herald