Parker's
1929 - 2012
Aka:  Aquarius Tavern
17001 Aurora Avenue North
Seattle, Washington

Photo:  Brian Semple
This is how Parkers appeared in August 2000
Though renamed back to Parkers after being the Aquarius Tavern for a while, this building recently served as a Casino.

This is how it appeared in the 60's
This building was torn down in November 2012.  Once a haven for young adult circuit music explosion.  Many of the old 50's and 60's dance venues around Puget Sound no longer exist.

 We are in the process of compiling a list of the bands that performed at Parkers.  If you had a band that played here, have a flyer or advertisement for gigs at Parkers, or remember seeing a particular band perform at this establishment, please let us know and we will add their name to the list of bands that performed here.  Send any information to our Webmaster.

Staff

Louise Kennedy
Cory Koch
Stephanie Benedict Paulson
Donna

Others?
 



Louise Kennedy Brodland & Donna at the Front Desk
October 1979

Did you know that in the transition between the Aquarius Tavern and Parker’s that the site was used to by Hollywood for filming scenes for a movie called the Last Convertible.. starring Bruce Boxleitner? I worked at a small pizzeria called Pizza Plus owned by Wally Curtis and Bruce nd the crew came for pizza. After meeting Bruce, I walked into the site and got an immediate job…..better work and better pay. I was now working for Skip and Vern. Wow…… I started as a waiter after dropping Pier70 as a reference.

One year later I was Restaurant manager.  Perks were good. When Ray Charles was visiting for the weekend, I sat down with Burnett Fogg, Ray’s PA. We had such a good time. Ann and Nancy Wilson, Howard Leese, Al Hendrix, Randy Hanson, Al Dimeola, Chuck MaGione, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Buddy Rich and His Band all had a very positive effect on the community of Shoreline when we held the 25 Year Anniversary of KISW Radio in Seattle. I remember Glen Campbell coming over to my roommate’s house after the roadies got going. We sang and played all morning. I was a part of the history of Parker’s, the Aquarius….and the community. I have so many photos of those days too.

Mark Kuchenbecker, March 2017

Some of the bands that played at Parkers/The Aquarius were:


Aerosmith
Africa Fete
The Alarm
Putt Anderson & his Dixieland Band
Alisyn Flyer
Annie Rose & the Thrillers
Aurora
Axis Drive 
B.B. King
Bad Boy
Badfinger
Backbone
The Bandits
The Beach Boys
Beachcombers
Duffy Bishop & Rhythm Dogs
Elvin Bishop
Black Oak Arkansas
Blue Oyster Cult

Blue Sky
Bluebird
Big Horn
The BoDeans
Bodine
The Box Tops
Boy Toy
Bread
BTO
The Buckinghams
Buffalo Springfield
Burgundy Express
The Bumps
Burgandy Express
The Byrds
Calliope
Canned Heat
Captain Oh Wow
The Cascades
Chains of Hell Orchestra

Ray Charles
Chaser
Cheeseburger Delux
Child

China
City Limits
Joe Cocker
The Convertibles
Albert Collins
James Cotton
Chic Corea
City Zu

Conspiracy
Count 5
Country Joe McDonald
Dan Reed Network
David Crosby w/ Jeff Pevar
Dr. Hook
Crazy 8's
Crowded House
Crown
The Cyrkle
The Daily Flash
Bobby Darin
Dave Clark Five
Dave Lewis Combo
The Deacons
Delaney Bramlett
Denise Richards Band
Dick & Dee Dee
The Dimensions
Al Di Meola
The Dinosaurs
Doug Kershaw
Duffy Bishop Band
The Dynamics
Easy Chair
Edgar Winter Group
The Edge
Elvin Bishop
Elvis Mania
Emergency Exit
Epicentre
Eric Burdon
The Exotics with Woody Carr
The Fab Four
The Fleetwoods
Fragile Lime
The Frantics
Freddy Pink
Full Blown
Gabriel
Jan Garber Orchestra

Burke Garrett Orchestra
The Gatormen
Don & The Goodtimes
Norman Greenbaum
The Guess Who
Arlo Guthrie, Jr

Harbour
Molly Hatchet
Heart
Hightops, Freddy Pink and The
House of Freaks
Hustlers
Iron Butterfly
Island Cowboys

Jimmy Davis & Junction
Joan Jett
Edison Jones
Guy Jones
Jr. Cadillac
Jupiter
Albert King
Knickerbockers

Delbert McClinton
Lee Michaels
Lemonpipers
Jerry Lee Lewis
Guy Lombardo Orchestra
Grassroots
Loverboy
Johnny Limbo & the Lugnuts
Lyle Lovett
Lydia Pense and Cold Blood
The Machine
Magic Fern
Marshall Tucker Band
John Mayall
MoJo Men
Ivan Neville
Nomads
Neville Brothers
Ohio Players
Johnny Otis
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Rick Nelson
Graham Parker
Patch
Peece
Max Pillar Orchestra
The Playboys
The Montana Band
  Nazereth
Omar and the Howlers
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
Pied Pipers
Zassu Pitts
Poco
Popcorn
Pretty Poison
John Prine
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
Quest
Radio City
Rail & Co.
Rapid Transit System (R.T.S.)
The Young Rascals
The Rangehoods
Stevie Ray
Red Rider
Leon Redbone

Buddy Rich
The Righteous Brothers
Rimfire
Johnny Rivers
The Rock Collection
Rock Kandy
Rocky & His Friends
The Rogues
Rose & The Dirt Boys
Frankie Roth Orchestra

The Rum Runners
Santana
Seattle Star

Shaker
Shock
Shyanne
Simply Red
Sonics
Sons of Chaplin
Spirit
Standells
Statics
Stella & The Back Porch Revue
Al Stewart

George Straight
Stray Cats
Strypes
Superband
Sun Ra 
Sweet Talkin' Jones
Koko Taylor
BJ Thomas
David Clayton Thomas
Texas Tornados
Thea & The Sunset Drifters
Them
The Thin Red Line
George Thorogood
Time Machine
Billy Tolles
Toots & the Maytals
Tower of Power
Trane
Pat Travers
Robin Trower
True 2 Life
Tubes
Tanya Tucker
Merrilee & The Turnabouts
Tina Turner
Stevie Ray Vaughan

The Ventures
Viceroys
Bobby Vee
Wailers
Jerry Jeff Walker
Joe Walsh
Muddy Waters
West Coast Natural Gas
Carl Wilson
Who Found Who

Johnny Winters
Stevie Wonder
Young Fresh Fellows
Jesse Collin Young
Warren Zevon
Zero to Zero




Parkers Matchbook Cover
Courtesy of Ron and Don Edge



Clipping Courtesy of Richard Evans


Duffy Bishop Band at Parkers - Opening for Tower of Power - July 1993 - Courtesy of Richard Evans

Steven Stills with Buffalo Springfield  and Neil Young backstage after Buffalo Springfield show 1967
Photos by and Courtesy of Richard Evans



Bill Tommisser, Richard McNamee, Dick Powell, Paul Wager, Bill Charleton
Backbone at Parkers - 1974 - Courtesy of Richard McNamee
In high school (Shoreline) we were regular visitors to Parkers.  The Dynamics were my personal favorite.  I also remember seeing Bobby Vee there around 1962 or 1963.

Skip Bowe, Stockton, CA, August 2007


I can not forget my sneaking out from my bedroom window to go to the forbidden, infamous, PARKERS.

   How well I remember watching Jerry Lee Lewis right after his involvement with his cousin and the rude, mean audience he played to, there, throwing pennies at him, and my crying for the ugly cruel way people were showing their lack of respect for him as a proformer.  I guess that was not a time when we placed, “Principles before Personalities”.

Deb Cook, May 2010


R.I.P.   They tore Parker's Ballroom down yesterday (15 Nov 2012)... sad ... I went there a lot.

Richard Evans, November 2012


Portland’s “Crazy 8s” were a fairly popular band at Parkers for a few years around 1988.
 

Peter Andrijeski, November 2012


In the late 1980's, John Prine  played a very emotional show there shortly after his friend and touring partner, Steve Goodman, died.

Mike Nichols, November 2012


Steve Marchant managed the Aquarius between the years 1973 and 1976.

Deborah Marchant, February 2013



Courtesy of Richard Evans


Photo Courtesy of Louise Kennedy Brodland
Rick Nelson on stage at Parkers
Click Here for More Rick Nelson at Parkers


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Last Update: 13 March  2019

Credits:  S. Carlson, Top Photo by B. Semple, Norm Peterson, Dave Baroh (R.I.P.), Steve Feary, Dean Tonkin, Denny Gor e, Louise Kennedy Brodland, Marc Lathrop, Don Gardner, Steve Fukushima, Keith Craine, Fred Raxter, Paul Rieland, Ed Busey, John Rice, Mike Allan, Chris Ronning, Jim Sola, Kevin Mason, Gretchen Christopher, Robin Feetham, Alan Berry, Michael Linehan, Peter Simpson, Walt Melweski, Fil Gudmundson, Dave Burke, Bob Brannon, Stan Price, John Gordon, Greg Cole, Nina Mabalay, Skip Bowe, Phil Dirt, Joel Johnson, Glenn Raymond, Tom Lash, Trapper Graves-Lalor, Mike Elwell, Don Edge, Ron Edge, Jim Henning, Deb Cook, Richard Evans, Richard McNamee, Jeff Morgan, Craig Fletcher, Chuck Hickman, Jack Dolan, Peter Andrijeski, Jerry Perrine, Mike Nichols, Deborah Marchant, George Merrill, Don Peterson, Michael Kelbaugh, David Jaedyn Conley, Mike Apker, Stan Larsen, James Miller, Norm Heutmaker, Maria McCrackin, Steph Paulson, Rick Edwards, Cory Koch, Dave Kuntz, Al Hooper, Kristina Bammert, Robert Varney, Randall, Garland, Robert Hall, Peter Blossom, Cliff Lenz, Robert Downey, Kirby Hoyt, Peter Blecha