Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

musician. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

) charts. His highest-charting hits are "

What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am" is a song recorded by American country music artist Lee Roy Parnell, written by Al Carmichael and Gary Griffin. It was released in May 1992 as the second single from the album, ''Love Without Mercy''. The song ...

" (1992), " Tender Moment" (1993), and " A Little Bit of You" (1995), all of which peaked at No. 2. Four more of his singles have charted in the Top Ten as well. Parnell made a shift in the early 2000s back to the bluesier sounds of his early works, releasing two blues albums on

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

and Universal South. Besides his own work, Parnell has played

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

and

National guitar The National String Instrument Corporation was an American guitar company first formed to manufacture banjos and then the original resonator guitars. National also produced resonator ukuleles and resonator mandolins. The company merged with Dobr ...

on several other country and blues recordings.

Early years

Parnell was born in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

, but raised in

Stephenville, Texas Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. It sits on the North Bosque River, which rises nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. Located in north-central Texas, Stephenville' ...

. His father had performed with

Bob Wills James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade C ...

, and Parnell gave his first performance at age six on Wills' radio show. Parnell played guitar and drums in various bands during his teenage years. He joined

Kinky Friedman Richard Samet "Kinky" Friedman (November 1, 1944 – June 27, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, and columnist for ''Texas Monthly'', who styled himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Roger ...

Texas Jewboys Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and has an international border wit ...

in his late teens and moved to Austin in 1974 to join the city's budding music scene. He moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, in 1987, and he signed with the

Arista Nashville Arista Nashville was an American record label that served as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specialized in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks ...

recording company two years later.

Career

''Lee Roy Parnell''

Parnell released his self-titled debut album for

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

in 1990.Rusty Russell. "Lee Roy Parnell: A Nashville hitmaker breaks out. " Guitar Player December 1, 2001: General Interest Module, ProQuest. Web. July 14, 2009. This album produced three chart singles in "Crocodile Tears", "Oughta Be a Law" and "Family Tree", none of which charted in the Top 40 on the ''

'' country charts. A video for "Mexican Money" was created and released, but the song was not released to radio.

''Love Without Mercy''

Love Without Mercy ''Love Without Mercy'' is the second studio album by American country music singer Lee Roy Parnell. It was released in 1992 on Arista Records. The album includes the singles "The Rock", "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am", "Tender Moment" and ...

'' was Parnell's breakthrough album, released in 1992. Although its lead-off single "The Rock" fell short of Top 40, the next three singles all reached Top Ten: "

" at No. 2, the title track at No. 8, and finally "Tender Moment" also at No. 2. These three were also Top Ten hits on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' charts in Canada.

''On the Road''

1993's ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagoni ...

'', Parnell's third album for the Arista label, also produced two top-10 hits: the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

and "I'm Holding My Own", at No. 6 and No. 3 respectively. The album also contained a No. 17-peaking rendition of the

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

song "Take These Chains from My Heart", which Parnell recorded as a duet with

Ronnie Dunn Ronald Gene Dunn (born June 1, 1953) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record executive. Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of Brooks & Dunn. He released his Ronnie Dunn (alb ...

Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1988 through the suggestion of songwriter and record producer, Tim DuBois. Before thei ...

, although Dunn was not credited on the chart. The final single from ''On the Road'', "The Power of Love", peaked at No. 51.

''We All Get Lucky Sometimes''

Parnell's fourth album, 1995's '' We All Get Lucky Sometimes'', was also his first for Career Records, then a newly formed subsidiary of

. This album's lead-off single "A Little Bit of You" was the third single of his career to reach No. 2. Following it were the No. 12 "When a Woman Loves a Man" (featuring background vocals by

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...

), the No. 3 "Heart's Desire" and another No. 12 in "Giving Water to a Drowning Man". The album's title track, which was its fifth single, peaked at No. 46.

''Every Night's a Saturday Night'' and ''Hits and Highways Ahead''

'' Every Night's a Saturday Night'' was Parnell's final release for Career Records. This was his first album since his debut release that did not produce a Top Ten hit, and only three singles were released from it: "Lucky Me, Lucky You" at No. 35, "You Can't Get There From Here" at No. 39 (his final Top 40 hit), and "All That Matters Anymore" at No. 50. After Career Records was merged back into Arista Nashville, Parnell released his final album for the Arista label, 1999's '' Hits and Highways Ahead''. This album's only single, "She Won't Be Lonely Long", peaked at No. 57, and by the year's end, Parnell exited Arista's roster.

''Tell the Truth'', ''Back to the Well'' and ''Midnight Believer''

In 2000 Parnell signed to

and released the album ''Tell the Truth''. This album's only single, "South by Southwest", failed to chart, and he soon left the label as well. Parnell's next album, ''Back to the Well'', came in 2006 on

Universal South Records Show Dog Nashville is an American independent record label specializing in country music artists. It was founded in 2005 by singer Toby Keith. It was later merged with Universal South Records into Show Dog-Universal Music in December 2009 until ...

, although it also produced only one non-charting single in "Daddies and Daughters."

External contributions

Besides playing

and

on his albums and co-writing several of his own songs, Parnell has co-written two Top 40 country hits for other artists: "Too Much" by

Pirates of the Mississippi Pirates of the Mississippi were an American country music band founded in 1987 in Nashville, Tennessee. The original members were Bill McCorvey (lead vocals, guitar), Rich Alves (lead guitar, background vocals), Jimmy Lowe (drums), Pat Severs ( ...

and "

That's My Story ''That's My Story'' is a studio album by American blues musician John Lee Hooker, released in April or May 1960 on Riverside Records. The album was recorded in one session on February 9, 1960 at Reeves Sound Studio in New York City. It was prod ...

" by

Collin Raye Floyd Elliot Wray (born August 22, 1960), known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut ...

, from 1992 and 1993 respectively. In 1994, he and

Steve Wariner Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late ...

collaborated with

Diamond Rio Diamond Rio is an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Marty Roe (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy Olander (lead guitar, banjo), Dan Truman (keyboards), Dana Williams (bass guitar, vocals), Micah Schweinsberg ( ...

on a cover of

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

's " Workin' Man's Blues", credited to Jed Zeppelin and recorded for a tribute album '' Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard''. This rendition peaked at No. 48 on the country charts. He played slide guitar on

Mary Chapin Carpenter Mary Chapin Carpenter (born February 21, 1958) is an American country and folk music singer-songwriter. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C.-area clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records. Carpenter's firs ...

's late-1994 Number One hit " Shut Up and Kiss Me", and appeared in the song's music video. Parnell added slide guitar to

Delbert McClinton Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist. From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, h ...

's "Sending Me Angels" in 1997, and in late 2004, he was credited with playing slide guitar on

David Lee Murphy David Lee Murphy (born January 7, 1959) is an American country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American ...

's No. 46-peaking single "Inspiration", from the album ''

Tryin' to Get There ''Tryin' to Get There'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist David Lee Murphy. It was released on March 23, 2004 by Audium Records. Its lead-off single "Loco", released in early 2004, was a Top 5 hit on the ''Billboard'' H ...

''.

Discography

;Studio albums *''

Lee Roy Parnell Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music, country and blues musician. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Cou ...

'' (1990) *''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1993) *'' We All Get Lucky Sometimes'' (1995) *'' Every Night's a Saturday Night'' (1997) *''Tell the Truth'' (2001) *''Back to the Well'' (2006) *''Midnight Believer'' (2017) ;Compilation albums *'' Hits and Highways Ahead'' (1999)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parnell, Lee Roy 1956 births 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American country guitarists American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters Arista Nashville artists Country musicians from Texas Guitarists from Texas Musicians from Abilene, Texas Living people People from Stephenville, Texas Resonator guitarists Show Dog-Universal Music artists Singer-songwriters from Texas American slide guitarists Vanguard Records artists