Malinda Jackson Parker

Malinda Jackson Parker ( 1903 – 1978) was a Liberian singer and pianist. She composed her own music and recorded the album The Liberian Landmark Joy around 1971. She served a term in the House of Representatives of Liberia representing Montserrado County. A well-known figure in Monrovia, she graduated from Morgan College in Baltimore. Her songs were included in Irwin Chusid's 1999 compilation albums Songs in the Key of Z, which considered her an outsider artist.

Early life and education Malinda Jackson Parker was born around 1903, in Louisiana, Montserrado County. Her parents were Selina Malinda Jackson and Gabriel Parker, a pastor and musician who served in the Senate of Liberia for 28 years. She attended school in Clay-Ashland and graduated from the College of West Africa in Monrovia. Parker traveled to the United States on a government scholarship, where she studied classical piano and graduated from Morgan College in Baltimore. She wrote a dissertation entitled Africa's Need of an Industrial Education.

Musical career After returning to Liberia, she collaborated with blind composer Howard Benedict Hayes. Parker composed marches, political praise songs, and political hymns. Her vocal style has been compared to Nina Simone and Lucia Pamela. Her songs were included in the compilation Songs of the African Coast: Café Music of Liberia. Parker donated a piano to the Liberia Broadcasting System, reportedly with the guarantee that she would be allowed time on-air whenever she requested. She was labelled an "outsider artist" in Irwin Chusid's 1999 book and compilation albums Songs in the Key of Z, which included her songs "Cousin Mosquito #1" and "Cousin Mosquito # 2".