Lee Roy Parnell (January 2007)
Gene Watson's peers within the country music industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east
Texas, so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as
'the singer's singer' - and rightly so!
All of Gene's Peers who were contacted in 2007 were most gracious with
their time & words. It is here, within this special
part of gene-watson.com, that you have an opportunity to
read
Lee Roy Parnell's quote, which he submitted to this site on Monday 22 January
2007.
I (Sean Brady)
would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Lee Roy Parnell who
has made a special contribution to a unique part
of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
 Lee
Roy Parnell
This quote was submitted on Monday 22 January 2007
'I'll
start out by just laying it out. I
do now, & have always, loved Gene.
In Texas, we do things a little
different. We do it our own way.
Gene Watson laid the groundwork for so
many of us. He doesn't sound like
anyone else. His rich & beautiful
voice sets him apart from the rest.
His commitment to use his own band that
has their own sound; hell, you knew it
was a Gene record in the intro (think of
the left hand on the piano).
He chooses his own songs & most
importantly, has integrity. Just
try & find that yesterday, today or
tomorrow. Bottom line, I am a Gene
Watson fan. Always have been,
always will be.
Keep 'em comin', old friend!'
Thank you,
Lee Roy Parnell, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Lee Roy Parnell...
Lee Roy Parnell is a native of Abilene,
Texas where he was born on 21 December in 1956 &
where he grew up his parents' ranch. His
father had toured with a teenage Bob Wills in
traveling medicine shows & his first public
performance came on Wills' radio show at the age of
six. As a teenager, Lee Roy played drums in a
local band & soon picked up guitar as well,
eventually concentrating on slide playing. He
joined Kinky Friedman's Texas Jewboys in his late
teens & moved to Austin in 1974 to join the city's
budding music scene.
Lee Roy spent over a decade playing clubs in Austin,
Houston & Dallas/Fort Worth, honing his style &
song-writing. He moved to Nashville in 1987 &
quickly landed a publishing contract & a regular
spot at the famed Bluebird Café. Lee Roy
signed to Arista's Nashville division in 1989; 1990
saw the release of his self-titled debut album, a
collection of horn-driven country-soul.
The album received good reviews but didn't break him
commercially; that would happen with 1992's 'Love
Without Mercy', which mostly dispensed with the
horns and concentrated on displaying Parnell's slide guitar.
'What kind of fool do you think I am' & 'Tender
moment' both went to No.2 on the country charts,
while the title track also made the Top Ten.
In 1993, the 'On the Road' album produced two more
Top Tens in its title track & 'I'm holding my own'.
His duet with Ronnie Dunn (of Brooks & Dunn) on Hank
Williams' 'Take these chains from my heart' made the
Top 20.
In 1995, the 'We All Get Lucky Sometimes' album
found Parnell tailoring his sound to country radio a
bit more & featured duets with Trisha Yearwood, Mary
Chapin Carpenter & Tex-Mex accordionist Flaco
Jimenez.
The 'We All Get Lucky Sometimes' album also spawned
two Top 5 hits in 'A little bit of you' & 'Heart's
desire. However, 1997's commercially
disappointing 'Every Night's a Saturday Night'
proved to be Lee Roy's last new album for Arista,
which issued the compilation 'Hits & Highways Ahead'
in 1999 to coincide with his departure.
Lee Roy Parnell next wound up on the rootsy Vanguard
label, debuting for them with the 2001 album 'Tell
the Truth'. He returned to the recording
studio in 2006 & saw the release of 'Back to the
Well'.
Visit Lee Roy Parnell's Official Website
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