Gene Watson's Peers: Lee Roy Parnell
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 a quote from
Lee Roy Parnell, which he
submitted to this site on Monday 22 January 2007.
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 1956 & where he grew up his
parents' ranch. His father had toured with a teenage Bob Wills in travelling
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 Parnell signed to Arista's Nashville division in 1989; 1990 saw the
release of his self-titled debut album, 'Lee Roy Parnell' (Arista Records,
1990), 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 & 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 Billboard
country music singles chart, 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 American country radio a bit more & featured duets with Trisha
Yearwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter & Tex-Mex accordionist Flaco Jimenez; the
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'
album proved to be Lee Roy Parnell's last new album for Arista Records,
which issued the compilation 'Hits & Highways Ahead' in 1999 to coincide
with his departure.
Lee Roy Parnell next wound up on the rootsy Vanguard Records label, debuting
for them with the 2001 album 'Tell the Truth'. Lee Roy returned to the
recording studio in 2006 & saw the release of 'Back to the Well' on
Universal South Records.
Collin Raye recorded
Lee Roy Parnell's 'That's my story' (co-written with Tony Haselden) &
included the track on 'Extremes' (Epic Records, 1994); the track was a Top
10 hit on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1994
Kenny Chesney recorded Lee Ro Parnell's 'Back in my
arms' (co-written with Cris Moore & Rory Michael Bourke) & included the
track on 'Me & You' (BNA Records, 1996)
Patty Loveless recorded Lee Roy Parnell's 'Old soul' (co-written with
Tony Arata) & included the track on 'Dreamin'
My Dreams' (Epic Records, 2005)
Visit Lee Roy Parnell's Official Site
Visit Lee Roy Parnell's
Official MySpace Site
