TULSA, Okla. — A hit musician, many Tulsans remember Billy Parker as the voice on KVOO. He was named DJ of the Year multiple times by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
Now in his 80s, he’s retired from working, but not the one-liners.
“When I turned 37 I thought I didn’t want to quit,” he joked. “Then I forgot—oh wait, I was born in ’37, that’s what it was.”
His new autobiography, “Thanks—Thanks a Lot” tells decades of stories—from performing at Cain’s Ballroom, meeting and befriending celebrities like Reba McEntire, and those DJ days in Tulsa. Co-writer Brett Bingham said Parker had a hard time turning the microphone around on himself.
“He said that, but I grew up in the music business and Billy truly is one of my heroes,” Bingham said.
Parker said he’d rather talk about someone else, so the book shares stories of Parker and the friendships he built through the years. KVOO was housed in the KJRH studios when he worked there, so we walked him through the building for a trip down memory lane.
The area where he hosted his radio show is now the IT department. His former audio booth is now a lactation room.
“Oh, that’s good, but I better get out of here then,” he said.
Country music has also changed over the years. Parker struggles with the new sound and prefers Merle Haggard or Alan Jackson.
“The way they mix the new music, sometimes you can’t hear what they’re saying,” he said.
“The reason I made it in the business when I was in the business is liking people,” he said. “The best theory in life is knowing and loving people and I did.”
Parker, along with his co-writers Bingham and John Wooley, will be available for a book signing Saturday, Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon at Ida Red.
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