Christian Parker
Christian Parker | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Christian "Moe" Parker |
| Born | July 9, 1968 Ogdensburg, New York, USA |
| Origin | American |
| Genres | Folk music, country rock, cosmic American |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record artist, guitarist |
| Labels | SubCat Records, Edgewater Music Group, The Orchard, Sony Music Entertainment |
| Member of | Waydown Wailers |
| Website | www |
Christian Parker (born 9 July 1968) is an American musician, songwriter, record artist and guitarist.[1] He creates music in the genres of folk, country rock, and cosmic American. His songs explore various topics, including challenges, achievements, and the relationships between people.[2] He is also a member of the band Waydown Wailers, based in Canton, New York[1]
Biography
[change | change source]Parker was born on 9 July 1968, and grew up in Canton, New York, near the Canadian border.[1] He developed a passion for music at a young age and became skilled at playing the guitar and writing songs while in school. At 12 years old, he started taking guitar lessons.[3][2]
In 1986, at the age of 17, Parker released his first album, "Reflections of Tomorrow".[1] Four years later, in 1990, he worked with Peter Pendras, the guitarist of the country band Wild Choir, to release his second album, "Through The Darkness".[1] In 2007, Parker worked with musician Barb Heller to release his fourth album, "Now & Then".[1]
In 2022, he released "Every Passing Mile" in collaboration with musician Phil Hurley under SubCat Records.[1] The album consisted of 13 songs, most of which were written by Parker. It also included the opening track "Cast a Line", which he co-wrote with Peter Pendras during the initial period of the COVID-19 lockdown.[4] That same year, Parker released his sixth album, "Best Kept Secret", which featured previously unreleased material spanning two decades.[1]
In 2023, he released his seventh album, "Sweethearts: A Tribute To The Byrds 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo'". This album showcased Parker's modern country interpretations[5] of all 11 tracks from the original 1968 album by the American folk rock band The Byrds.[1] In addition to the original songs, Parker included three more tracks on the album: "I Still Miss Something" by Johnny Cash, "Satisfied Mind" by Joe Hayes and Jack Rhodes, and "Drugstore Truck Driving Man" by Roger McGuinn and Gram Parsons.[1][6][7][8]
Parker said that the album is "our tribute to the 1968 classic".[9] Notably, Earl Poole Ball, who played on the original 1968 album, is also featured as a co-artist on this rendition. Furthermore, Ball and Parker collaborated as producers for the record. Another notable contributor to the 2023 "Sweethearts" album is JayDee Maness, who also participated in the original 1968 recording. The album's production began in May 2022 and continued in the fall, with additional musicians joining the recording in January 2023.[9]
The second volume of the Byrds tribute album, titled "Change is Now", is set to be released in early 2024.[9]
Discography
[change | change source]Albums
[change | change source]| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Reflections of Tomorrow |
| 1990 | Through The Darkness |
| 1991 | Wonderland |
| 2007 | Now & Then |
| 2022 | Every Passing Mile |
| Best Kept Secret | |
| 2023 | Sweethearts: A Tribute To The Byrds 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' |
| 2024 | Change is Now |
Singles and EPs
[change | change source]| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Cast A Line |
| Every Passing Mile | |
| 2022 | Road To Recovery |
| Weight Of The World | |
| Diamond Sailor | |
| 2023 | You Ain’t Going Nowhere |
| Forever Man | |
| Innocent Eyes | |
| Spirit Of The Trees | |
| Drug Store Truck Driving Man | |
| Hickory Wind: Byrds Tribute |
Awards and nominations
[change | change source]As a solo artist
[change | change source]| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Notes | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Every Passing Mile | Syracuse Area Music Awards | Best Americana | Finalist | [10] |
As a member of Waydown Wailers
[change | change source]| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Notes | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Empty Promises | Grammy Award | Best Americana Album | Nominated | [11] | |
| Jealousy | Best Americana Roots Song | Nominated | [12] | |||
| Susie Q | Best Americana Roots Performance | Nominated | [12] |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Brock, Chris (23 September 2023). "Canton musician hits the 'sweet' spot by reimagining classic 1968 album". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roberts, Vanessa (6 October 2023). "Christian Parker: The Maestro of Musical Diversity". Music Observer. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ↑ "Christian Parker Breathes New Life Into The Byrds' Classic Country-Leaning Album With New LP Sweethearts". Constant Contact. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
Parker started taking guitar lessons when he was 12, the day after John Lennon was killed, and learned how to play "Rocky Racoon" that same night of his lesson
- ↑ "Emerging Artist Christian Parker Releases 'Every Passing Mile' with SubCat Records". Yahoo! Finance. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ↑ Collette, Doug (21 August 2023). "Christian Parker: Sweethearts: A Tribute To The Byrds 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo'". All About Jazz. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
The earthy polish of the original—now sanitized in modern form as so-called contemporary country—finds its corollary in Parker & company's bar-band sensibility
- ↑ "March of the Flower Children". Blogcritics. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ↑ "Revisiting a Country-Rock Gem". Americana Highways. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ↑ Burger, Jeff (25 August 2023). "On The Record: An Anthology of 1967 Rock, plus Talking Heads, Christian Parker, and More". The Aquarian Weekly. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
On the new Sweethearts, Parker interprets all 11 tracks from the original 1968 album, including Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere," George Jones's "You're Still on My Mind," Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd," and Parsons's "Hickory Wind." He also serves up three bonus tracks: Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," which Parsons once recorded; and Parsons and Roger McGuinn's "Drugstore Truck Driving Man" and Joe Hayes and Jack Rhodes's classic "Satisfied Mind," both of which the Byrds recorded
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Mitchell, Paul (15 August 2023). "Canton musician Christian Parker to release new album Friday". North Country Now. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ↑ Smith, John (7 February 2023). "Syracuse Area Music Awards announce nominees for 30th annual SAMMYs". WAER. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ Moe, Todd (9 November 2016). "Canton's Waydown Wailers make it to the Grammy nomination ballot". North Country Public Radio. Canton, New York. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Rizzo, Jim (8 November 2016). "North Country Roots Rockers, Waydown Wailers On The Grammy Ballot". New York State's Music. Retrieved 6 October 2023.