This Week’s Backstage Country Host: Parmalee
Kelly Ford’s co-host for the week is Parmalee! Backstage Country’s airwaves will be dominated by Matt and Scott Thomas, Barry Knox and Josh McSwain from December 9–15 so be sure to stay tuned!
The 411 on Parmalee
The band Parmalee consists of brothers Matt Thomas (lead vocals, guitar) and Scott Thomas (drums) with their cousin Barry Knox (bass) and friend Josh McSwain (guitar). They had a total of seven studio albums. Their debut album, Daylight, was released in 2002 and their latest album, For You was released in 2021. Parmalee’s single, “Carolina” is their first number one hit.
The band will release a new album in 2025.
Humble Beginnings
Barry and Matt reminisced about when they were writing “Already Callin’ You Mine.” Barry remembered thinking they needed an up-tempo love song. “It was me and Matt and Wade Kirby and Phil O’Donnell in the room, and they said, ‘No problem, let’s write one.’” He added, “Luckily enough, I was around some guys that were really good at songwriting to help me put it together.”
Matt remembered being grateful, “I still go back and listen to that demo sometimes. It’s great. It’s a lot of energy. We’ve just gotten into town and everybody’s so excited. We’re just down for anything. We had a studio set up in the basement with whatever gear we could scrounge together and were thankful that these songwriters would come to work with us. We were nobodies at that time, but they would all come out and hang out the house.”
Collab with Blanco Brown
Matt mentioned the collaboration with Blanco Brown happened because of their new producer who suggested to see if he wanted to work together. “I was like, ‘Yeah, why not?’ So, I called Blanco up and reproduced the song ‘Just the Way.’”
He added, “We go in and drive down to Atlanta and when Blanco sings on it, I’ll never forget it. We’re driving back from Atlanta and I’m trying to sleep. He cranks a song. I swear he played it 25 times between Atlanta and Nashville. And I’m like, ‘Dude, enough, man.’ He’s like, ‘I really think there’s something here. I really do.’ And you know what? Long after that, we played it for the label and the next thing you know, the whole floor is just jamming with the song.”
Be sure to follow Parmalee on their social media for the latest updates and exclusive content. Connect with them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. Stay updated with all their exciting new music and news!
