Dennis Parker Shares More Than Music
Dennis Parker & Friends started with a James Taylor Tribute that became so much more
I recently caught one of the most heartfelt shows I have seen in a long time at The Station Inn, located in West Nashville. The award-winning venue hosts bluegrass and roots music’s and is a premiere listening room of Middle Tennessee. Internationally recognized as a place where Bluegrass, American Roots Music and Country Music artists and stars are both on the stage and sometime even in the audience. Live music is on tap 7 nights a week. Seating is first-come, first-served, and you if you arrive any time after 8pm (shows are typically at 9pm) you will see a battalion of regulars who have taken their rightful place in the back of the venue against the wall in their folding chairs, which were salvaged from Lester Flatt’s tour bus (of Foggy Mountain Boys fame)- Heard that from the sound guy. Our show was a little earlier of a start at 8pm and featured Dennis Parker and Friends doing a James Taylor tribute set, but boy did it roll into so much more that I did not expect, but I was pleasantly surprised and moved.
The station in was founded in 1974 by some local bluegrass pickers and in 1981 it was sold to current owner J.T. Gray who has his Gold Record hanging on the wall right near the door. The Station Inn is rich in history, so I implore you to do some more reading about it here. The mood of the building is seeped in nostalgia and the interior lined with posters from shows and ghosts of yesteryear. The place is simple in the best way possible with easy foods, snacks and beverages. It’s not overly complicated and it’s the best kind of “dive bar” if you want to use that descriptor.
Dennis Parker was here tonight with a selection of collaborators to showcase an evening of Taylor tunes. I was there, along with my dad and my (descriptive relationship status here) Nancy. Dennis and my dad go way back, but we are going to circle around to that story in a bit. Let’s talk about Dennis and where he came from and how he got to the spot that we are at now.
Nearly a decade ago he was in an Alabama prison cell. Now he plays the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and other larger venues as the rhythm guitarist and shared vocalist with Ricky Skaggs. His story is captivating, and he is not ashamed to share his difficult journey with the onlookers who come to his shows. Parker’s 2019 album, Songs Under the Air Condition Ing Unit, honestly tells the story. He is a Grammy winning artist with Skaggs for the Bluegrass Rules album ( credited with guitar, mandolin and vocals). Dennis has also played professionally with Leann Womack, Tracy Lawrence, Joe Diffy and Mark Chestnutt among others. He can also play blues, soul, country, gospel, pop and contemporary Christian with an equal amount of passion. Dennis is a master at multiple instruments that include but are not limited to the fiddle, banjo and mandolin, but he self admittedly favors the guitar.
All of this was on display for us tonight. Parker sat solo on a stool at the beginning of this night. Simply strapped with a guitar, he thanked us for being there. “Kinda funny being in a bar. I used to get kicked out of them and now I play in them.” He is just starting to unravel his story before us, but first the music. He leaped into a James Taylor hit and the burning flame that lives in this man made the whole audience glow. He sings with conviction and strikes the strings with intention and even though these are not his own words he still delivers a message that we all need to here. It is tales of compassion, heartbreak, hope and love. There are also songs of gutted turmoil with hope and redemption mixed in. It is everything -and Dennis knows that we can’t have one without sprinkling in the others.
I am not a religious person; however, Dennis very much is. His faith is what has gotten him this far and rather than forget the past, he solely embraces it and realizes that the dark chapters must not be skimmed over in retrospect but studied in detail to not only build a greater formation of himself, but to help others that may be looking for a guiding light.
Parker knows quite a bit about God working. In the show, Dennis recounted his battle with alcoholism that ended with him in jail after a fifth DUI conviction. While in jail, a friend shared that God still loved him and Dennis was where he needed to be.
“I thought that was the biggest nonsense I have ever heard in my life,” Dennis said. But after starting to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in jail, Dennis’ life began to change, and God changed him spiritually and physically. Now, Dennis shares his story whenever he can. And he enlightened us all this night. I noticed people staring at him with awe, and I know I did. This man that was so broken and so helpless at one point is now wowing us with his talents and easing our pain through song.
He stayed with my dad for awhile. In the beginning of his journey back my dad helped him get on his feet. My father gave him a place to live, food to eat and a place to play his guitar on the front porch of New Market, Alabama. I met Dennis when he was at a low point for sure. It was on that same white, wrap around decking that I heard him play and listened to him sing. He was joined by a neighbor from the local church named Cindy Musselwhite. Their voices worked so well together, and my heart was much lighter after hearing them harmonize into the wind. I’m not even sure they knew I was there because they looked as though they had been lifted to a higher plain while creating these heavenly sounds.
Again, I am not the religious type, but I’d like to think I am spiritual. I listen to the universe for signs and strongly believe that if you pay attention, you will find a path or answer that meets your needs. It’s up to you to believe and to grab onto that opportunity when it is presented.
Parker talked between melodies and told of us his father and their relationship. About them being “oil and water” and that they both thought that they were inherently good but could not agree on a system that worked for both sides. However, there was common ground in music. I believe that wholly today in my life. Music helps and music heals, and Dennis was doing that for all of us tonight.
Throughout the setlist Dennis added more players. Like I mentioned, he started alone. That shifted to him being joined by Jeff Taylor on keys and Andrew Carney on horns. No bass player or drummer tonight as they were assigned to a different gig. Cindy Musselwhite also showed up and my emotions began stirring. He and Cindy joined forces to sing some hymnals that evoked joy and shared community. I felt like the faces of the old showbills that were stapled to the wall, turned their heads and wanted to watch the magic unfold. The show was built like his new life (whether that was intentional I don’t know). He was isolated at first but was joined by so many positive forces and uplifting spirits as he accepted and grew.
This is clearly not an article that I normally write about music. Generally, I say who played what and give you a setlist and so on and so forth. This is different because this experience was different. The musicianship was phenomenal as others joined in on standup bass, harmonica and banjo. Parker picked up they fiddle for a bit and that keys player ripped the accordion. The music rang true and guided us away from being simply a James Taylor tribute band to being a testimonial of pain and yet hope at the same time. He said during the set, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” and “It makes you realize God is the beginning of everything. If you don’t believe that, you don’t believe anything.”
Seeing Dennis is unique. In the way that The Station Inn is unique, and all of us in that room were individuals. When we came through the doors. However, there is this overseeing commonality that reminds of that we are all here together. Whether that’s the music, or God, or some other guiding force- it’s reassuring to feel like we are all in the place that we are supposed to be in, for that moment.
Sometimes I leave a show and feel hyped. I often feel joy or reflection or solace. This show left me inspired. I was moved by not only the music but Dennis Parker’s tale of resilience. We can change our path. Just look for those signs.
Beautifully written article about a broken man who found peace in music and now passes it on to others.
It is people like Dennis Parker that help guide us to the positive spirit that is in all of us ❤️