Lee Roy Parnell

Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music singer. Parnell was born in Abilene, Texas in 1956. His parents were friends of country superstar Bob Wills, and Parnell began his music career on Wills's local radio show at the age of six. During his teens, he played drums and guitar in some local bands, and he played in Kinky Friedman's Texas Jewboys band during the early 1970s. He continued to play in local clubs throughout Texas until 1987, when he moved to Nashville and became a regular performer at the Bluebird Café. Parnell recorded his first album, Lee Roy Parnell, for Arista Records in 1990. His second album, 1992's Love Without Mercy, was the most successful of his career, containing three Billboard top-10 hits, namely the title track, "Tender Moment," and "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am." 1993's On the Road also produced two top-10 hits, the title track and "I'm Holding My Own." The album also contained a rendition of the Hank Williams classic "Take These Chains from My Heart," as a duet with Ronnie Dunn. Parnell collaborated with Trisha Yearwood, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, and Flaco Jimenez in his 1995 album "We All Get Lucky Sometimes," which contained the hits "A Little Bit of You" and "Heart's Desire." 1997's, Every Night's a Saturday Night, a commercially lackluster album, was his last original album for Arista Records. Parnell recorded an album titled Tell the Truth for Vanguard Records in 2001, and he released Back to the Well for Universal Records in 2006. While he is an accomplished traditional guitar player, Parnell is most noted for his unique slide guitar style. He is heavily influenced by Duane Allman and David Lindley and he has in fact been a frequent guest of the Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, Parnell played a 1950’s vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar. During his Nashville years however, he switched to Fender guitars partially due to an endorsement deal with the manufacturer. It was with the Fender Stratocaster that Parnell created the searing tones reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt for which he is most widely known. Of late though, Parnell has returned to the Gibson Les Paul guitar and his tone and playing style have changed dramatically since his years with Arista. He is currently an endorser of Gibson guitars and has participated in promotional activities with the company. Parnell has released 8 studio albums which include his greatest hits album titled "Hits & Highways Ahead".

Singles

^AFailed to chart.

References

• Huey, Steve (2003). Edited by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, & Stephen Erlewine. "Lee Roy Parnell." All Music Guide to Country, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2003. ISBN 0-87930-760-9

External links

• Official website