You might think the Halloran Centre’s show Saturday, featuring local hero Garry Goin talking and playing with Ray Parker Jr., was a carefully orchestrated tie-in with today’s theatrical release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. But you’d be wrong. Parker, of course, is the composer and performer of the theme song for the original Ghostbusters movie, but, as with so much that clicks in Memphis, the confluence of his live appearance here and the film’s release was sheer serendipity.
“I was telling my good friend and mentor, David Porter, who I’ve worked with for 20-some years, ‘I want to do these new shows, with storytelling and music,'” Goin recalls. “So we were kicking around a few names, and Ray’s name came up. This was in March of this year. But I wanted to wait and aim for November. When I called Ray, he didn’t hesitate. He said ‘Sure! I would love to do it.’ And Ray’s a big fan of David Porter and Memphis. And we just happened to pick November 20th. So the stars just seemed to line up, because it just so happens that the new Ghostbusters movie is being released on the 19th! I said, ‘Man, I couldn’t have planned this any better!’ Once he leaves here, he’s going out to L.A. I’m sure he’s doing promotional tours for the new movie. So this is perfect.”
Goin is a performer and A-list sideman and session guitarist in Memphis, often heard collaborating with Kirk Whalum, but he also specializes in producing music-themed shows for casinos and performing arts centers. In fact, that may rival his musicianship, in terms of raw talent.
“I’ve been doing this since the 1980s,” he says. “You do certain things and it’s like, ‘Man, I get that!’ I can see somebody else’s show and I can see what they’re doing, how they layered it — the staging, the lighting, the set design, the costumes. All that, I get. And I’m always thinking, ‘Where can I place that? Can I use some of that?'”
Yet with all this experience, Saturday’s show with his old Ghostbusting friend will be breaking new ground for Goin. For once, he won’t be the musical director. “I’ll be playing a little,” Goin says, “but I’m going to be doing more of the conversation with Ray, because this is something I haven’t done before. I want to get my feet wet in that area. So the musical director for the show is Chris Pat. We’ve got so many touring musicians who are based in Memphis. Chris Pat works with Christina Aguilera and the Jacksons. We have people from Stephanie Mills’ band. We have people from Stevie Wonder’s band. And they all live here in Memphis. And a lot of people don’t know! It’s a great band: great players, great personalities. And I have a few surprises for the audience, too. Some people that Ray Parker, Jr. has worked with, and some who are just fans of his music.”
The list of stellar artists with whom Parker has worked suggests that the surprise guests will be very impressive indeed. He’s been at the music game for a very long time, and quickly began working at a very high level. Perhaps you’re a fan of the Stevie Wonder track, “Maybe Your Baby”? That’s a teenaged Parker playing lead guitar. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“Miles Davis said something like, ‘Genius is born, it’s not based on age,'” Goin reflects, “and Ray’s one of those chosen folks. He blew my mind, because when I was going through his work, I knew some of the stuff he’s been involved in, but I didn’t know everything. The first song that he wrote, he wrote with Marvin Gaye. It’s called ‘Funky Nation,’ and we’re going to play that song Saturday. As well as some other songs people may not have heard. And we’ll talk about the history of those songs.
“He goes all the way back to Motown. And he was a kid! He had his first number-one hit at 18 with ‘You Got the Love,’ that he co-wrote with Chaka Khan. And he just kept getting stronger and stronger from there. And he gives a lot of credit to Stevie Wonder, who encouraged and inspired him to write songs and to be better at what he was doing. He went from one thing to the next, from songwriting to producing to engineering. You know how some people just have this hunger and this appetite for knowledge and understanding? He’s one of those guys.”
Of course, there will be some exploration of “Ghostbusters,” the iconic song, the meme, the phenomenon. “I believe Ray Parker will go into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Goin predicts. “Still today, ‘Ghostbusters’ sounds great. And it’s unique. I don’t want to put down anyone’s music, but the industry forces people today to sound like what is already out there. Because then you know you’ll get X amount of sales. But when I grew up, everyone was wondering, Who’s the next Beatles? The next Earth, Wind & Fire? The next Michael Jackson? Artists at that level are not competing with anyone but themselves. They push themselves to a much higher level. Ray Parker Jr. is one such artist. I wish our industry would go back to that.”
Garry Goin Presents A Tribute to Ray Parker Jr., Halloran Centre, Saturday, November 20, 7:30 p.m. $47.50.