Sista Monica Parker

Born in Gary, Indiana, United States, Parker began singing in her local Baptist church at the age of seven. It was her performances in the late 1990s in Europe that gained her the nickname, "the Blues Lioness." Sweet Inspirations was issued in 2008 when Parker was again the disc's producer. Living in the Danger Zone (2011) saw Parker include Kelley Hunt in a vocal and piano duet. Her festival and other event appearances included the San Francisco Blues Festival (1995 and 1997), Monterey Jazz Festival (1998), Notodden Blues Festival (1999), Edmonton's Labatt Blues Festival (2004), and Blue Bear Live II (2007). ==Awards and nominations==

Parker was the Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year in 2005, and winner of the Gail Rich Award for excellence in the arts in 2000. She was dubbed 'Best Blues Artist' at the California Music Awards in 1998, and was nominated for the 'Best Soul Blues Female Artist' at the Blues Music Awards in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. In 2015, she posthumously won a Blues Music Award as the 'Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year'. ==Death==

Parker died from lung cancer in Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Modesto, California, on October 9, 2014. She was 58. ==Discography==