Parker was born in Matlock, Derbyshire, and was trained by Julian Bream at London’s Royal Academy of Music.
Much of his session work has gone uncredited, but he has been named as the electric guitarist on Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man", the Walker Brothers' "No Regrets",[2] David Bowie's "Holy Holy" and "1984",[3] Mike Batt's "The Ride to Agadir" and the Top of the Pops theme music version of "Whole Lotta Love".
His television work includes Angels, Minder, One Summer, The Glory Boys, Dempsey and Makepeace, French Fields, Room at the Bottom, Red Fox, ITN's News At Ten, and the BBC series Walking with Cavemen and Coast.
His film scores include Jaws 3-D (1983), American Gothic (1988), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and Alex Rider: Stormbreaker (2006).
He also contributed music for three children's series; Gideon, Teetime and Claudia and Snowy and the Buttercup Buskers.