Don Parmley born 19 October 1933

Don Parmley (19 October 1933 – 30 June 2016) was a bluegrass musician and baritone singer known best for his work with the Bluegrass Cardinals, a group he formed in 1974. Prior to Bluegrass Cardinals, Parmley was a member of The Hillmen. 

Parmley was born in Monticello, Kentucky. As a 12-year-old he began learning claw-hammer/drop thumb banjo from his grandfather, but it was the driving three-finger banjo style of Earl Scruggs that he heard on the Grand Ol’ Opry that soon led to him taking up that method of picking the 5-string. Playing firstly just for family entertainment, Parmley quickly made a name for himself in the region, securing stints with popular touring groups of the era such as Carl Story and Hylo Brown. 

He enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was trained as a tank driver, but it wasn’t long before his musical talents became known among the ranks and his duties were expanded to provide music from “back home” to entertain his fellow troops. After his discharge, Don returned home and on May 26, 1956, he married Betty Jean Abbott. Faced with a severe shortage of employment opportunities in south central Kentucky, the Parmleys soon moved west to southern California where Don found a steady job and entry into a welcoming music community. 

He performed with the Golden State Boys regarded at the time as the top bluegrass band in the region.  As well Parmley, the band featured future Country music icon Vern Gosdin and his brother Rex, noted for his song-writing skills. 18-year-old mandolin prodigy Chris Hillman joined late in 1963. The band subsequently became known as The Blue Diamond Boys and then the Hillmen. The best known album from the quartet was the Together album. 

                       Here’s “Reuben’s Train” from above LP

                                  

Also, Parmley recorded with Glen Campbell, Doug Dillard and Billy Strange, the last named helped Parmley with an album mixing ‘Blue Grass and Folk Blues’, according to LP’s sleeve, as the duo played 5-string banjo and 12-string guitar. From 1964 Parmley was working as a musician for the television show The Beverly Hillbillies and is credited with all banjo work on the show throughout its nine seasons with the exception of the intro theme song. 

In 1974 Don Parmley formed the Bluegrass Cardinals with his 15-year-old son David (lead vocals and guitar) and tenor singer and mandolin player Randy Graham. The band’s calling card was their eponymous LP for Sierra Briar (SBR-4205, released in 1976) that prompted the Parmley family and the Bluegrass Cardinals to move east to settle in Virginia where they quickly established themselves as a top name on the bluegrass festival circuit, charming audiences with their solid, tasteful picking and beautiful vocal harmonies. 

According to the band’s manager/agent, the late Lance Leroy, a noted bluegrass and early country music historian, the Bluegrass Cardinals were the first bluegrass band to record bluegrass Gospel a cappella style. Many bands performed in that style long before but, for whatever reason, they didn’t record in that style. Their popularity led to a deal with Rounder Records that produced one LP Welcome to Virginia.  In all the Bluegrass Cardinals recorded prolifically during their 25-years existence; with five excellent LPs for Martin Haerle’s CMH label. During the mid-1980s in partnership with Sugar Hill Records the band released three LPs. Latterly, the Bluegrass Cardinals issued albums on their own label. 

Under Parmley’s leadership, the Bluegrass Cardinals provided a learning ground and springboard for the careers of Dale Perry, Mike Hartgrove, Larry Stephenson, Norman Wright, Bill Bryson, Barry Berrier, Warren Blair, Don Rigsby and Ernie Sykes. Parmley retired from full-time touring in 1997 with his son David moving on to form the band Continental Divide. Parmley occasionally sang in concerts with the Continental Divide. 

In April 2007 a ‘Day with Don Parmley’ was held in Wayne County, Kentucky. The event featured some great musical performances and a chance for local residents to spend time with Parmley. Signs stating “Welcome to Wayne County, Home of Don Parmley, Founding Member of the Bluegrass Cardinals” were erected on KY 90 at the Clinton and Pulaski county lines. 

Health problems troubled Don in his latter years He died in a Nashville hospital after experiencing complications related to Alzheimer’s disease on July 30, 2016, at age 83. 

(Edited from article by Richard Thompson @ Bluegrass Today & Wikipedia)