Maceo Parker is a saxophonist who has worked with some giants of music: James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, Keith Richards, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Prince. For his show on Thursday at the Valley Performing Arts Center, he will be celebrating another giant: Ray Charles. Backing him up for this concert will be the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Raelettes. Parker has long stated that Charles was a major influence on him. He’s not alone in that assessment. Rolling Stone Magazine put Ray Charles as #10 in their 2002 list of “The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”
