Today we’d like to introduce you to Abe Parker.
Abe, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a two stoplight town just a few miles past the middle of nowhere in Ohio. We grew up poor by most standards, but it never felt that way. My parents were hard workers and always trusted God to take care of us when the paycheck wasn’t enough. Most of all I appreciate my parent’s passion for doing what they believed was right regardless of money. After high school, I was able to pay for college through campus work, summer jobs and an endless campaign of scholarship essays I had written in high school.
My music career started before I can remember. My parents tell me stories of me whistling in the crib and writing songs about dinosaurs on my grandfather’s ukulele. I was in several bands in high school and college and I picked up a love for production and songwriting along the way. After working a season as a zip line instructor to pay off some school debt I decided to blindly move to Atlanta, GA to make a career out of music. I started performing on the street and worked my way into clubs like Smith’s Olde Bar, Eddies Attic and The Vinyl.
Soon I started setting up tours throughout the east coast and opened for acts such as Andy Grammer, Judah and the Lion, Ben Rector, David Crowder and many more! The last three years in Atlanta have been great to me! I got married to an AMAZING, AMAZING woman, started writing/producing for several hip hop artists such as Lecrae, Andy Mineo and Hulvey and moved my studio in with Jan Smith, vocal coach for Justin Bieber, Drake and Usher. However, the coolest part for me has been seeing my original music resonate with fans all over the world through my monthly single releases!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My journey has been anything but a smooth road. I’ve spent months sleeping on a concrete porch in the rain, I’ve done countless tours living out of my car and I’ve had more ramen noodle dinners than I care to remember. The most trying time came about four years ago. I had returned to Atlanta from a tour only to find my apartment window broken and tens of thousands of dollars in studio gear stolen. My industry leads had dried up and I had yet to see any substantial traction from nearly four years of grueling work. I remember sitting on the couch, staring at the wall where the TV used to be and asking myself what on earth I was doing. With nowhere left to turn I decided to pack up what was left and head back to Ohio.
Before leaving the city, I had one last appointment to keep. I had met a beautiful girl at church a few weeks earlier and she had agreed to do lunch with me. It just so happened to be the day I had planned to return home. So, as I headed up 75 with all my belongings in the backseat, my last stop was a lunch date at the Kennesaw’s Big Pie In The Sky. As fate would have it, I fell in love that day. I returned to Ohio, but after a few weeks of texting, she convinced me to move back to Georgia. I packed everything back into my car, drove the ten hours back to her house, picked her up and we went on date number two. We got married a year and half later and ever since it seems both my life and my career have turned around. She is my Godsend and the only reason I’m still doing music today!
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a singer-songwriter, producer and performing artist. If you could imagine Ed Sheeran and Maroon 5 making a trap based pop song, that’s just about what my music sounds like. I’m most known for my unique vocal tone, but I think it’s my lyrical writing style that has connected with so many. I love writing about my wife, my story and my faith. I’m most proud of my fans. So many people have stuck with me for such a long time. They had supported me, housed me, fed me and haven’t given up on me when I wanted to give up on myself. What sets me apart is my work ethic. I’ve never been the best at anything, but I’ve always believed that hard work always beats talent if the talent doesn’t work hard. Cheesy? Lol, maybe. But it’s true!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have focused more on the music. As a DIY musician, you have to wear about 40 different hats. The writer, the producer, the booking agent, the website developer, the marketer, the tour manager, the PR agent, the social media guru… The list goes on and on. Each position can easily become a full-time job and it’s super hard to keep focused on the most important thing. Without a good song, there is no foundation to build a career on. I wish I would have spent more of my earlier years honing my craft. But who knows, a lot of that artist development just comes along the way while you’re doing everything else.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abeparker.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abeparker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abeparkermusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/abeparker1
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5V61WloeXM3XLslOqJ8RES
Image Credit:
Stephen Payne, Dan Almasy, Artimio Black, Logan Russel
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