Rock N’ Roll Fashionista’s Album of the Week, for the Week of August 3, 2025
Dennis Parker’s Disco Dream Like An Eagle
In the sex and drug addled landscape of disco music that dominated the late 1970s, one artist shone especially bright, a beacon of style, sexuality and a certain kind of shimmering vulnerability.
Dennis Parker, a man whose very essence seemed fated for the Golden Age of Porn, emerged as a disco star with his one and only album, 1979’s Like An Eagle. At its heart, the record celebrates both the heartbeat of the disco scene and the complex layers of Parker’s life, from his beginnings in adult film to his untimely demise due to AIDS at the age of 38.
Born Dennis Posa on October 28, 1946, in Manhattan, New York, Parker was raised amid the suburban landscapes of Freeport, New York. His early aspirations took shape as he pursued a career in the arts, attending the Philadelphia Museum College of Art to study furniture design, a far cry from the thrilling yet tumultuous world he would eventually inhabit.
Parker’s pivot toward performance became apparent when he won a role in a touring production of The Trojan Women, later honing his craft at New York University and the acclaimed Herbert Berghof Studio.
Ultimately, his entrance into the world of adult entertainment would not be a mere career move but a reflection of the cultural zeitgeist of the time. Parker quickly found his footing in the adult film industry, adopting the name Wade Nichols, a persona that would become synonymous with the gritty yet glamorous world of 1970s “porno chic.”
During this era, with the release of Andy Warhol’s groundbreaking Blue Movie in 1969, adult films shed their seedy image and were celebrated as provocative art. With many pop culture household name celebrities discussing these films openly on platforms from talk shows to newspaper columns, Parker’s work in movies like Boy ‘Napped (1975) and Barbara Broadcast (1977) placed him at the forefront of a cultural movement that blurred the lines between art and eroticism.
While he garnered notoriety within the adult film industry, Parker’s talents extended far beyond the silver screen. Out of a desire to break free from the confines of his adult film persona, Parker released Like An Eagle in 1979 under his own name on Casablanca Records.
Produced by Jacques Morali, the creative mind behind the Village People and Parker’s romantic partner at the time, the album proved to be a heady blend of disco rhythms and pop sensibilities. The title track, infused with infectious energy and a soaring chorus, captivated audiences, resonating not only within the clubs but also deriving life anew in the French film Monique, where it served as the film’s theme song.
The album did not just mark Parker’s musical entry but also his ascent as a cultural icon. Tracks like “New York By Night,” with its glossy production and evocative lyrics, went on to chart in South Africa, reaching No. 11, a testament to Parker’s universal appeal across borders and cultures.
Yet, despite the glitz of his successful album and burgeoning fame on soap operas like The Edge of Night, where he captivated viewers as Police Chief Derek Mallory from 1979 to 1984, the undercurrents of his life began to surge ominously.
Though Parker dazzled the world with his vibrant performances, his life was inexorably entangled with the relentless grip of the AIDS crisis. By the mid 80s, a specter more powerful than fame hung over him. Sadly, in January 1985, Parker succumbed to an unspecified AIDS-related illness at the age of 38, his death a poignant tragedy in a decade devastated by the disease.
His partner, Morali, would fall victim to the same cruel fate just six years later, both men key figures in a larger narrative of loss that claimed over 100,000 lives in the United States alone during a nine year period of the AIDS pandemic from 1981 to 1990.
As we reflect on Like An Eagle this week, we are reminded of both its joy and the fragility of the life it represents. Dennis Parker, a man who traversed the worlds of adult cinema and mainstream music, lived in an era that eagerly embraced notions of freedom and expression. His short life which ended all too suddenly continually serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the pervasive tragedies of the AIDS epidemic.
In recognizing these layers of his life, we honor Parker not only as a disco icon but as a symbol of resilience. Like An Eagle deserves its place in the sun, not simply for its infectious grooves but for the lasting legacy of its unforgettable creator.
As disco balls continue to spin and nightclubs pulse with vitality and life, Dennis Parker’s music will forever invite us to listen, reflect and celebrate our lust, life, creation, heartache, and soaring aspirations.
For more information on the fascinating life of Dennis Parker, click the link below for the very fine bio piece by The Rialto Report podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rialto-report/id604741690?i=1000714058797