Landon Parker is making his mark on the country music scene with not one but two offerings that are bound to make an impact on country music listeners far and wide. With a perfect blend of traditional sounds and modern lyrics, Parker’s two tracks are already becoming strong contenders for summertime anthems.
Born and raised in Yadkinville, North Carolina, Parker began fueling his musical passion as a teenager. He honed his craft in his home state before setting foot in Music City, performing on Nashville’s honky-tonk circuit. An avid songwriter, Parker first found his way onto Free Dive ( Tim McGraw’s publishing company in partnership with TriScore Music). In March of 2022, his impressive vocal and performance talent landed him a management deal with EM.Co, (who also manages Tim McGraw), and representation from CAA.
Now Parker is out with a two-song package. Produced by Grammy Award winner Blake Chancey (Waylon Jennings, The Chicks, Little Big Town), they include the fun-loving “Good Beer Drinkin’” penned with Cody Gregg, and the swaggering “Caught Me at a Good Time,” written alongside Chancey and Josh Hoge.
Parker, who is also expected to release an EP via Bad Ass Records, recently caught up with Country Now to talk about his current singles, his road to Nashville, and more.
Read on to find out more about Landon Parker in this exclusive Q&A below.
How did you begin a career in country music?
I started when I was 16-years-old. My dad bought me a guitar from Tennessee and taught me a few chords. My brother also helped out with that. I started posting some cover songs of Blake Shelton, Scotty McCreery, and things on YouTube and tried to build a fanbase through that to see if people liked my singing or not. After posting some YouTube covers, I entered a local talent contest in my area in North Carolina and won. I received a lot of hometown support from that. It gave me more confidence to get on stage and play for people. After that, this band called Chasin’ Crazy found my covers on YouTube. They were like, ‘Man! You should move to Nashville!’ They were working with Tim McGraw’s manager, Scott Siman, and he wound up calling me and saying, ‘Do you want to join this band?’ I said, ‘Yeah!’ But I thought it was a joke because it was Tim McGraw’s manager asking me to move to Nashville. But, I said, ‘I’m going to do that. I love you, mom and dad.’ I was in that band for five years. When it came to an end, I was going to move back home. But Scott called me up again and said, ‘Don’t leave. I want to offer you a publishing deal and a management deal. I want to work with you.’ So, I started working on my solo career again. I’ve been doing that for three or four years now.
More recently, you signed on with Tim McGraw’s management company. What was that conversation like for you?
Well, it was definitely a shock. I did not expect that at all. I was going to move back home and try to play music from there. My wife was living in Charlotte, North Carolina. So, that was the reason why I wanted to move back home. The conversation was a shock because it was Tim McGraw’s manager and my producer, Blake Chancey. He produced bands like The Chicks, Montgomery Gentry, and people like that. After they had sat me down and said they wanted to work with me, it was mind-blowing. I was like, ‘I can do this.’ They gave me the confidence to not give up.
So now you’re out with two songs. What inspired ‘Good Beer Drinkin’’?
One of my first songs, as a solo artist was ‘Good Beer Drinkin.’” I just thought with playing downtown a lot, I needed a crowd sing-along song. I was like, ‘I just need a good beer-drinking song.’ Then it hit me. I thought that was a great title. So, I thought of everything that I could – every drinking term that I could think of. I called up my wife and my buddy and they were like, ‘Alright. Intoxicated? Wasted? Whatever it was. Then, I pieced it together and played it for some people out at a show and they were like, ‘Bro! This is a smash! You need to go into a studio and record it.’
Read the rest of this interview over here!
