Jim Parker has been in the music business in Canada since 1976. Most of this time he has made his living in the area of Children's Entertainment. In 1980 he began working in the touring version of THE POLKA DOT DOOR, a children's television show produced by TV Ontario. He opened the show with a small set of children's songs and would later don a costume and become THE POLKA ROO, an eight foot character that looked like a cross between a giraffe and a kangaroo. In 1983 Jim met and began performing with Ernie Coombs, better known as MR. DRESSUP, star of the long running hit children's television show on the CBC, Canada's national television network. In the beginning Jim would open the show with a musical performance and come out later to sing more songs with Ernie. As time went on this format began to change. With the retirement of Judith Lawrence, the long time puppeteer for the television show and creator of the famous puppets Casey and Finnegan, Jim began to perform them on stage. He also began to have more bits with Ernie on stage and by the time the tours ended in 1997 Jim was sharing the stage with him for almost the full 60 minutes. Over the course of 15 years, Jim toured across Canada with Ernie 7 times, visiting just about every major and minor city and town in the country and entertaining thousands of Canadian children and their parents.

In 1986 Jim began to write for the TV show and completed in the following years some 30 or so original scripts. With the loss of Casey and Finnegan, 6 new puppets were added and Jim began performing one of them, a loveable little boy named "Alex." He also appeared as a regular musical guest and can still be seen on re-runs on this still hugely popular television show.

Jim has three CD's out for kids...AROUND THE WORLD, ON MY STREET, and THE CROSS CANADA MUSICAL JOURNEY. This last recording is part of a musical programme for junior and intermediate students he puts on in schools throughout the GTA.

In 1997 Jim finished his first solo recording for adults entitled FROM AWAY.  He has been working on his second recording, BANANA MOON for several years and hopes to release it in 2009.

In 2002 Jim co-founded the rock band THE GENUINES with his good friend Ray Gauvin and continues to perform with them to this day. Playing mainly their own original rock music the band plays many concerts throughout the Durham Region and eastern GTA area. They hope to release their first CD in 2009 as well. 

Jim works closely with the Durham Board of Education in their Artsmarts programme and is a songwriting mentor with SASS (The School Alliance of Student Songwriters). He also continues to perform concerts in schools, libraries, fairs, and festivals across Canada.

Jim lives in Whitby, Ontario with his wife Sue, their two sons Jordan and Danny, and their dogs Sheena and Hamish.

	Jim chillin' out in the Virgin Islands.
Jim hard at work.
	Jim, working on a new song.
Jim relaxing in St. Martin in the Carribean.