The saxophonist and composer Maceo Parker was born into a musical family. Along with his brothers Melvin, a drummer, and Kellis, a trombonist, he began performing while still in elementary school. His career took off in 1964 when he and Melvin joined James Brown's band. Later, musicians such as Bootsy Collins, George Clinton and Prince, to mention just a few, would make use of his talents as an accompanist. He began to record under his own name in the 1970s but it wasn't until two decades later that his career as a soloist really took off. Since then, the master has been churning out discs and marathon concerts. Recorded with the WDR Big Band, his disc Roots and Grooves was released in 2007.