Parker Lee Williams
Born and raised in New York City, and the son of famous Jazz drummer Leroy Williams, Parker Lee Williams has been active in the music business from a very young age. He became a leading force in the Hip Hop world, known as DJ P-Lee Fresh, from his adolescence as one of the first Hip Hop DJs in Chicago. Early on, he appeared on Chicago’s WNUR radio station, bringing the New York sound to the “Windy City.” At age 18, he launched Chicago’s first official Hip Hop club, STEPPS, where he DJ’d and brought in other young Hip Hop artists. At age 21, he used his own funds to start his record company Jazz Child; a company which was and still is devoted to giving the Hip Hop giants that he had looked up to a new voice and opportunity.
While actively pursuing his Hip Hop career, he simultaneously graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 1990. Following graduation, he began his working full time for Harpo Studios, starting as an intern. He moved from Tape Room Assistant up to Assistant Editor, all the while selecting and organizing music for the show’s edits. He became known for the myriad of CD’s he created, which proved to be a valuable resource for Harpo’s editors and producers, called “Parker Picks.” His creative work was rewarded in 2004 with a promotion to the role of Music Director for Harpo Productions/Studios and later for The Dr. Oz Show. In this role he DJ’d for The Oprah Winfrey Show daily until the final episode in Chicago, and also selected music which would evoke the emotion and set the mood of every minute of every episode. During this time he also worked on a range of ABC Primetime Specials, working with numerous composers to produce and select the right music for every minute of these shows. The Specials included “Xmas At The White House” and “Oprah’s African Leadership Academy.”
Soon after becoming the Harpo’s Music Director, he created the Harpo Sounds Music Library, where he produced and directed the creation of unique music for each Harpo production and promo. This library not only enhanced the quality of Harpo’s soundtracks (and later OWN Productions) but also generated millions of dollars in additional revenue. In addition to utilizing the library to create all music for The Oprah Winfrey Show, Williams created themes and other music for a full range of Harpo and OWN productions including The Dr. Oz Show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Super Soul Sunday, The Gayle King Show, Oprah’s Master Class, and a variety of Harpo produced specials including Wanda Sykes’ “Herlarious” special. He also provided the themes and music for many of the Oprah owned SiriusXM radio shows including programs with Gayle King and Maya Angelou. Williams earned two Emmy Award nominations for his outstanding musical contributions to the Oprah shows focused on the dramatic Hurricane Katrina tragedy and a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.
Over the years Williams has produced many outstanding Hip Hop albums on Jazz Child Records including old school legends such as Grandmaster Caz, The Cold Crush Brothers, Busy Bee, Jamalski and his own duo “Mental Giants”. Early in his Hip Hop career he produced a video that featured Chuck D and Parker’s own DJ sounds. Furthermore, over the years Parker has connected with other contemporary Hip Hop greats including P. Diddy, Common, LL Cool J, KRS-One, Heavy D, and Melle Mel.
Today he embarks on an new musical and business venture as the co-founder of Who’z The Boss Music Library, partnering alongside co-founder Dave Herrero. The two industry veterans first collaborated when Herrero and his team of award winning composers were one of the lead Music Producers contributing to the Harpo Sounds Library. Who’z The Boss Music Library provides an important resource for production houses, television shows, films, radio and multimedia producers across the globe.
In his “spare time” Williams still practices his Hip Hop skills and creates exciting beats and producing Hip Hop Music.