Justin Parker

"He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden." - Plato
I've played guitar since I was twelve. I was born in 1972, so you do the math, lol. My earliest music influences were listening to my father and grandmother sing gospel and country songs. I grew up listening to Elvis, Hank Williams, Sr., Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Alabama, and whatever else my parents listened to. Then in the 4th grade I was introduced to rock music and was influenced by Billy Squier, Def Leppard, KISS, Styx, & Men At Work. When I turned 12, my parents asked me if I wanted to take guitar lessons and I thought, hmm, okay. I always enjoyed listening to my father play guitar and since he gave me my first guitar at an earlier age I figured I should learn how to play it. Guitar quickly became my life. My best friend and I used to put on air guitar concerts for invisible audiences. There were many a time that we were on stage with Mötley Crüe playing "Shout At The Devil" to sold out invisible crowds. My friend took up the drums and soon we were writing songs and waking up the neighborhood at 6am with our favorite song, "Wake-up Call."
I was heavily influenced then by bands like Van Halen, Ratt, Dokken, Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zeppelin, Tesla, & Metallica and had the long hair to match it. Well, I had a lot of hair. It was more of an afro than anything. I took guitar lessons from some local music stores off and on for a while, but mostly taught myself by ear until I met a great local blues guitarist, Doug McCombs, who took me under his wing and introduced me to more eclectic tastes like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Johnson, Robert Cray, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton. I went on the road with his band at the age of 14 as a light engineer, guitar tech, and roadie. It was quite an experience at that age.
Ever since I've picked up the guitar, I've recorded. Most of the time just trying to emulate early Van Halen and Led Zeppelin recordings. Recording was a great learning tool; both for playing guitar and recording techniques. When I didn't have a drum set, I'd improvise with pots and pans, boxes, suitcases, pillows, and anything that made a thud when you hit it. If I didn't have a bass, I'd tune my guitar down. I was a terrible vocalist, but it was good practice. Those recordings have since been destroyed or lost on purpose.
I joined and formed many bands throughout my high school years and played with the strongest desire to "make it" in music. Although, we never amounted to much in those bands, it was always fun. When most of my high school friends moved away and went to college, I got married and later joined the army; hanging up the guitar - but not for long. I played with a few musicians here and there while in the army. I even played guitar for "Little Shop Of Horrors" at the post theatre at Fort Polk for a little while. Once I got out of the army, I realized that playing music was my life's ambition and to give it up would be a waste.
I joined a band called Box Wagon Candy Band which was a 6 peice band that played anything from folk to funk. It was an eclectic, but broad genre of music. That band split in half when we realized everyone had diffent musical paths we wanted to take. I went on to form a few other projects, before forming Perfect Mercy with an excellent vocalist that would eventually become my wife in 2006. I decided to start recording commercially instead of just for personal use and I now run a recording studio called Crocus Lane Studios which just opened in Nashville, TN.
I'm married to my best friend and I'm the luckiest man in the world to be able to be with her every day. We enjoy amusing each other. I'm always looking to make new friends to go hang out and do new things with. I have an 11 year old son who lives with his mother. I like to watch comedies, science-fiction, and horror movies. I attempt to dance when I have a buzz. I don't smoke and I'm an occasional social drinker. I have a newfound love for horses as I just recently rode one for the first time; now I'm hooked!
Justin is a member of BMI