Parker McCollum

Parker McCollum (born June 15, 1992[1]) is an American Americana and country singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. The owner of PYM Music, he released his first single and EP in 2013,[2] and his full-length debut album The Limestone Kid was released on February 24, 2015.[3] The Austin Chronicle gave the release 3.5/5 stars, writing that "it's too early to declare The Limestone Kid debut of the year, but it's already one to beat," and comparing McCollum's music to that of Charlie Robison.[4] McCollum and his backing band announced a 2015 tour[3] of Texas in support of the album,[1] performing at events such as RedGorilla Music Fest.[5] McCollum released the EP Probably Wrong: Session One on July 7, 2017, and followed it with Probably Wrong: Session Two on September 8, 2017. The full Probably Wrong album was released on November 10, 2017.

Parker McCollum
Background information
Born (1992-06-15) June 15, 1992
Conroe, Texas
GenresAmericana, alternative country, Texas country, country
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
InstrumentsGuitar, harmonica, vocals
Years active2013–present
Labels
WebsiteParkerMcCollum.com

Early life

Parker McCollum was born in 1992[1] and raised in Conroe, Texas near Houston.[1] Early in his life he listened to classic country musicians such as Willie Nelson, Buck Owens and Porter Wagoner,[1] and his family introduced him to red dirt musicans such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Pat Green and Chris Knight.[2] Working summers on a cattle ranch with his grandfather,[6] McCollum was further exposed to artists such as Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, and Steve Earle.[2]

In elementary school McCollum learned violin and played in the school orchestra,[2] and he started learning guitar at age thirteen.[6] At thirteen he also began writing his own music,[7] mixing genres such as Texas country music, Americana, and indie rock.[2] According to McCollum, he was greatly influenced by his older brother Tyler's lyrics and songwriting.[7] After performing at a number of local open mics with his guitar,[2] he started learning harmonica at age fifteen.[6] By sixteen he was securing gigs at local venues,[2] and he continued to work on his material through high school.[2][6] After graduation he moved to Austin, Texas,[7] where he began attending college.[2]

Music career

Singles and A Red Town View (2013–2014)

McCollum continued to perform as a singer-songwriter while living in Austin, and he also went on his first tour with the Texas band Six Market Blvd. The tour inspired the lyrics for his first single, "Highway",[2] which was released on June 5, 2013, and later included on his debut EP A Red Town View. Released on November 19, 2013, the EP was produced by Corby Schaub, who is also known as the former guitarist for Ryan Bingham.[2]

The Limestone Kid (2015)

McCollum's debut album The Limestone Kid was recorded at Cedar Creek Recording in Austin,[6] and includes styles such as Americana,[5] Texas country, and folk-rock.[6] McCollum handles vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica,[5][6] and his Austin-based backing band includes Kurt Grien on lead guitar, Jason Newberry on bass, Will Hoback on drums, and Charlie Magnone on keyboards and piano.[6] Multi-instrumentalist Corby Schaub produced the album.[6] Lloyd Maines contributed pedal steel guitar.[8]

External video
Parker McCollum — Meet You In The Middle Live at The Saxon Pub (Feb 2015)

McCollum wrote or co-wrote nine of the eleven tracks,[6] and two of the songs were written by McCollum's family members.[5][6] Many of the lyrics are about his experiences growing up in Limestone County, Texas,[6][8] and the album's title is a reference to the nickname he earned working summers at a Limestone County ranch.[1] The first single on the album, McCollum's original track "Meet You in the Middle," was released to Texas radio prior to the album.[5]

The full-length debut album The Limestone Kid was released on February 24, 2015.[3] The Austin Chronicle gave it 3.5/5 stars, writing that "it's too early to declare The Limestone Kid debut of the year, but it's already one to beat," and comparing McCollum's music to that of Charlie Robison.[4] Texas Music Pickers wrote that "[McCollum's] stories are not all happy, or sad, or even have resolution; they’re just straight-forward accounts of life. It’s like Todd Snider meets Whiskeytown."[9] "High Above The Water“ reached the top 50 of the Texas Regional Radio Report.[10]

McCollum and his backing band announced a tour[3] of Texas in support of the album,[1] with February and March dates set for venues in Houston, Austin, and Fort Worth. The band performed at the RedGorilla Music Fest, and Texas Crawfish and Music Festival in Spring, Texas.[5] He won the T-Birds Songwriter Award, and in 2015 performed at Larry Joe Taylor's Texas Music Festival,[11]

Probably Wrong (2017)

McCollum released an EP titled "Probably Wrong: Session One" on July 7, 2017.[12] It is his first release to appear on the Billboard charts, debuting at No. 6 on Heatseekers Albums,[13] No. 14 on Independent Albums chart,[14] and No. 15 on Country Album Sales chart with 2,000 copies sold in the US in its first week.[15] "Probably Wrong Session Two" was released shortly after on September 8, 2017.[16] The full 10-track "Probably Wrong" album will release on November 10, 2017 and will include all the previous sessions which feature songs such as his current singles "I Can't Breathe" and "Misunderstood" plus two new tracks, including "Hell of a Year". The full "Probably Wrong" album was produced by Grammy Award-winning, Lloyd Maines. McCollum is currently on tour now through the end of the year to promote his newest releases.

MCA Nashville

McCollum signed with Universal Music Group on June 27, 2019.[17] His first single under the label was "Pretty Heart".[18]

Musical style and influences

Parker McCollum's music incorporates genres as diverse as blues, roots rock,[9] soul and folk rock, though his albums have primarily been described as country[2] and Americana. His music has received rotation on Americana radio stations in particular, and he has referenced Americana singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham as a significant influence. Other stylistic influences include alternative country musician Ryan Adams and blues and folk artist Townes Van Zant, and blues/pop artist John Mayer[2]

Discography

Albums

Year Album title Release details Sales
2015 The Limestone Kid
2017 Probably Wrong
  • Released: November 10, 2017
  • Label: PYM Music
  • Format: CD, digital download

EPs

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
US
Heat
[20]
US
Folk
[21]
US
Indie

[22]
A Red Town View
  • Released: November 19, 2013
  • Label: Parker McCollum
Probably Wrong: Session One[12]
  • Released: July 7, 2017
  • Label: Parker McCollum
6 23 14
Probably Wrong: Session Two[16]
  • Released: September 8, 2017
  • Label: Parker McCollum
16 50
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Incomplete list of singles by Parker McCollum
Year Title Peak chart positions Sales Album
US Bubbling
[24]
US Country
[25]
US
Country
Airplay

[26]
Texas
Regional

[27]
2013 "Highway"' 74 A Red Town View
2015 "Meet You in the Middle" 45 The Limestone Kid
"High Above The Water" 45
2016 "All Day" 33
2017 "I Can't Breathe" 20 Probably Wrong
"Hell of a Year" 14
2018 "Misunderstood" 13
2019 "Pretty Heart" 5 28 26 1 TBA
2020 "Like a Cowboy" [upper-alpha 1] 53
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also

Notes

  1. "Like a Cowboy" did not enter the Hot Country Songs chart, but peaked at number 22 on the Country Digital Song Sales chart.[29]

References

  1. Parton, Chris (February 12, 2015). "Parker McCollum Surveys the Limestone Landscape". CMT Edge. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  2. "Biography of Parker McCollum". sonicbids.com. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  3. "About". parkermccollum.com. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  4. Caligiuri, Jim (February 20, 2015). "Parker McCollum - The Limestone Kid". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  5. Harr, Dan (February 4, 2015). "Parker McCollum To Release Debut Album 'The Limestone Kid' Feb. 24". Music News Nashville. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  6. "Biography". lonestarmusic.com. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  7. Powers, Calvin (March 17, 2015). "Ep237 Parker McCollum drives a truck from the 70s". Americana Music Show. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  8. Underwood, Shawn (February 19, 2015). "Parker McCollum – The Limestone Kid". Twangville.com. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  9. Fox, Chris (February 23, 2015). "Album Spotlight: Parker McCollum – The Limestone Kid". Texas Music Pickers. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  10. "Indie Extreme - Success Stories". Indie Extreme. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  11. "Parker McCollum". larryjoetaylor.com. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  12. Fox, Chris (July 6, 2017). "Parker McCollum Does it Right with "Probably Wrong: Session One"". Texas Music Pickers.
  13. "Heatseeker Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. July 27, 2017.
  14. "Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. July 27, 2017.
  15. Bjorke, Matt (July 17, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: July 17, 2017". Roughstock.
  16. "Probably Wrong: Session Two - EP: Parker McCollum". iTunes.
  17. "Parker McCollum Joins Universal Music Group Nashville Roster". June 27, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  18. Logan, Buddy. "LISTEN UP! Parker McCollum Drops New Song 'Pretty Heart'". Radio Texas, Live!. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  19. Bjorke, Matt (November 21, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: November 20, 2017". Roughstock.
  20. "Parker McCollum: Chart History: Heatseeker Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  21. "Parker McCollum: Chart History: Americana/Folk Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  22. "Parker McCollum: Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  23. Bjorke, Matt (September 19, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: September 18, 2017". Roughstock.
  24. "Parker McCollum: Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard.
  25. "Parker McCollum: Chart History: Hot Country Songs". Billboard.
  26. "Parker McCollum: Chart History: Country Airplay". Billboard.
  27. Texas Regional Radio Report Sources:
  28. Bjorke, Matt (March 4, 2020). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Sales Chart: March 2, 2020". Rough Stock. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  29. "Parker McCollym Chart History: Country Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2020.

Further reading

Audio and video
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