By the time Ray Parker Jr. hit the top of the charts in 1984 with that instantly infectious slice of R&B/pop fluff called “Ghostbusters” — the Number One theme song from the hit comedy film of the same name — he had already enjoyed a long and very successful career in music: This was no one-hit wonder in action.

The Detroit native took up the guitar at a young age, and by the time he was in his early teens, he was already backing local groups. “When I was about 13, I used to go…