Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA) is an American composer, arranger, producer, instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, author, and actor based in Pasadena, California. Parks is perhaps best known for his collaborations with musician Brian Wilson, and especially for his lyrical contributions to The Beach Boys' legendary Smile album.Among the hundreds of artists he's worked with include Phil Ochs, Tim Buckley, Haruomi Hosono, The Byrds, Rufus Wainwright, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, U2, Joanna Newsom, Inara George, Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Harpers Bizarre, Little Feat, Ringo Starr, Silverchair, and Skrillex.In addition to producing, Parks has released seven studio albums of his own...
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