| Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker was a loveable Liberian eccentric whose hard-to-find recordings conjure up a heavenly hash of Nina Simone and Lucia Pamela. The late "Ma Parker" of Marland County was a member of Liberia's House of Reps during the administration of President William V. S. Tubman. The slightly-daft yet elegant Parker sang, wrote and published her own songs, possibly two or three albums' worth. She accompanied herself on grand piano, which she pounded mercilessly as she revamped folk songs and addressed cultural concerns with a freewheeling half-sung, half-narrated storytelling style.
Tubman Goodtype Songs of Liberia by Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker (ca. 1971) is a UK vanity pressing. It contains uninhibited odes to bush cow milk, the disease-spreading propensities of mosquitoes, and the blessings of palm trees. On the first of two versions of "Cousin Mosquito," she utters the word "cousin" 204 times within the song's three minutes and 27 seconds. The second version is based on Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C Sharp Minor. In the song's intro, she pronounces the composer's name "ran-uh-MAN-ov," ran-uh-MAN-yee-ov," and "ran-uh-MAH-ni-nov."
Parker was by reports kind, generous and beloved, dressing in a flamboyant manner and never without a bag of candy to bestow sweets upon little children. She appeared to have a measure of independent wealth. Though there was no known familial connection, the congresslady was referred to as the Parker Paint Company's best customer because of her cosmetic overload. She often accompanied, on piano, others who sang traditional favorites.
One fan wrote: "She was a female Tom Lehrer. 'Cabbages and Scronions.' Wow -- what a lyricist!!" Another said: "I don't know a lot about Parker, only about the terrible makeup she wore in the city of Monrovia. But she was a legend. People had a lot of respect for her. In fact she was one of Tubman's best friends. Everyone loves her song, 'Chicken is Nice With Palm Butter'." |
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