For those outside the Western swing and honky tonk circuit of the Texas Hill Country, the name Georgia Parker may bring flashes of recognition and wins garnered from the Ameripolitan Music Awards and Academy of Western Artists. Others might be familiar with her former trio Big Cedar Fever or noted her performance of Cindy Walker’s “You Don’t Know Me” on the YouTube channel Western AF. More astute observers may have even caught her on stage alongside Nick Shoulders, Willi Carlisle, Brennen Leigh, Joshua Hedley and a multitude of others. Fortunately for fans and newcomers alike, Parker’s full length self-titled debut puts her talents as a stylist, songwriter, and song wrangler back at the forefront with a dozen tunes displaying a passion for places, lovers, local lifestyles and timeless sounds packed full of personality.

 

Although not written by Willie Nelson, Parker leads things off with the lesser known cut “Dallas” from Nelson’s largely obscure Texas In My Soul record and puts her own spin on the album opener. “The album is somewhat cheesy, but a classic in my mind and an early influence on my music,” says Parker. “Since the album was mostly a forgotten flop, and I've never heard this song anywhere else, I decided to make it my own." The track gives a mantle of mystique to the towering Texas city and immediately showcases Parker’s ability to be effortlessly endearing. As the first track offering an homage to her home state on the record, Parker sums up what’s to come on the second line of this idealized version of The Big D: “she can charm you with her own Texas style.”

 

Initially released as a single in both Parker’s early discography and with Big Cedar Fever, the often told tale of a lovesick and left behind romantic partner on the self-penned “Boy In Texas” is paired with the more recent co-write and evolved songwriting of “Lone Prairie.” “I wrote this song with my friend John Calvin Abney,” says Parker. “This song is not just about loving the western United States, it's about it being so important to who you are, that you are one with it. It is essential to who you are.”

 

“I wrote this song late one night on my way from my home in Kendall County, Texas to San Antonio for a gig at the Lonesome Rose,” says Parker of “Drivin’ Me Crazy.” "It was winter and already very dark when I left my house. I began to paint the picture of what the drive was like. My car’s headlights are perpetually burning out, the grass on the sides of the roads is always way overgrown, there are deer everywhere and the clouds were so low to the ground, it was nearly fog. All of these things on top of the twisty windy roads really does feel like some kind of crazy roller coaster ride. The twin arrangement on this song was created by Greg Harkins and really ties the whole experience together.”

 

As a legend and fellow Texan, Cindy Walker’s material is a mainstay in Parker’s live set. "I decided to include this particular song of hers because it is a lesser known song that is oh so fun to sing and includes a twin guitar arrangement created by Greg Harkins, and one of my favorite recorded fiddle solos by Katie Shore,” says Parker of “Bottle Talkin’.” “We were loose and had a great time in the studio recording this version of this song.”

 

Like a postcard put to music, the funky “Come Visit Me” is an open invitation to the heart of the Lone Star State. “I wrote this song for all the far away friends that I crave to show the beauty of my home to,” says Parker. “Skeeter Bit” generously dishes out the down home hospitality with extra helpings of solos from friends and frequent collaborators Katie Shore on fiddle, Curtis Clogston (Asleep At The Wheel) on pedal steel, and Harkins on guitar - who also composed the instrumental. “Everyone involved was buzzing to include a new original instrumental tune on the record,” says Parker. “As that isn't a common choice these days.”

 

The sentimental “San Antonio” is the first of two romanticized appearances of the Alamo City on the record and where Parker leaves no landmark un-haunted by heartbreak. The following “Pickles & Tomatoes” is Harkins’ highly upbeat second contribution to the album. "A Greg Harkins classic about (you guessed it) Pickles and tomatoes,” says Parker. “This song is lighthearted and fun, simple and delicious.”

 

Winking at the modern day idea of the Western motif, “Cowboy’s Life” is a lighthearted assessment of the real-life ruggedness of riding the range. “I wrote this song in 2015 after having a heat stroke incident in Terlingua, TX,” says Parker. “I had been in Marfa on that trip too and was mesmerized by how big the cowboy image was becoming in popular culture, and began musing about how harsh and terrible the reality of being a cowboy in the desert would be.” Only similar to the barrenness of the previous track by its main metaphor, “Tumbleweeds” is a torch song built from both contemporary and classic artists. “This song was inspired by my friend, David Moss (The Brother Brothers), when he wrote a song about his love being like a flower planted on a stone.” says Parker. “I love to garden and I love the metaphor of gardening to love. I was imagining Patsy Cline singing this song when I wrote it.”

 

Ending the album with a track from major inspiration and “cult classic” favorite Freddy Powers, “My San Antonio Rose” comes from Powers' album The Country Jazz Singer - a title blending the styles Parker adores most. “Every song on that record is hugely influential to me,” says Parker. “I can still remember the first time I heard this song and how giddy I was as it hit my ears. His songs speak so dearly to the hillbilly, songwriter, Texas swing, country vein that I live in, and embody the kind of music I strive to make.” 

 

Georgia Parker was recorded entirely in Kendall County, Texas along the banks of the Guadalupe River at Parker’s childhood home in a studio constructed by her brother, Clogston, who engineered the album in addition to playing pedal steel. The sessions also included Alan Eckert on drums and Lindsay Greene on bass. Mixing was done by Andrija Tokic at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, Tennessee with mastering from Nick Landis Mastering in Austin, Texas.

 

Parker has recently performed at the 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival with Hunter Burgamy and continues to make appearances as part of the Texas Touring Roster and at major Western swing events in the region.

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"Wait til you hear her rendition of "You Don't Know Me!" Wow! Al Dressen introduced her at his Texas Hall of Fame show this past spring and she knocked everyone out."

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-Barbara Martin

(Editor of Western Swing Monthly Magazine)

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