Don Parmley (19 October 1933 – 30 June 2016) was a bluegrass musician known best for his work with the Bluegrass Cardinals, a group he formed in 1974. Prior to Bluegrass Cardinals, Parmley was a member of

The Hillmen The Hillmen (a.k.a. the Golden State Boys) were a southern Californian bluegrass group. Formed in 1962, the original line-up of the Golden State Boys consisted of Vern Gosdin on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Rex Gosdin on double bass, ...

Early life and education

Parmley was born in

Wayne County, Kentucky Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky along the southern border with Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,555. Its county seat is Monticello. The county, on the south-central border with Tennessee, was name ...

in 1933, moving to Southern California a few years later.

Career

Parmley began his career as a member of

, playing alongside members Vern Gosdin and Chris Hillman. Parmley was working as a musician for the television show

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

and is credited with all banjo work on the show with the exception of the intro theme song.

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...

had moved on from

, finding success with the group

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

. Parmley then moved on to form the Bluegrass Cardinals along with Randy Graham and Parmley's 15-year-old son

David Parmley David L. Parmley (born February 1, 1959) is a bluegrass vocalist, guitarist, and award-winning bandleader. He is best known for being a co-founder of both the Bluegrass Cardinals and Continental Divide. Biography Parmley was born in White H ...

. Parmley retired from the Bluegrass Cardinals in 1997 with his son David moving on to form the band Continental Divide. Parmley occasionally sang in concerts with the Continental Divide. He died on July 30, 2016, at age 83.

Discography

''For discography as part of a group, see

and Bluegrass Cardinals.''

Albums

References

1933 births 2016 deaths American bluegrass musicians People from Wayne County, Tennessee Country musicians from California Country musicians from Tennessee {{US-musician-stub