OKLAHOMA SONGWRITER LEVI PARHAM SIGNS WITH MUSIC ROAD RECORDS, NEW LP DUE IN 2016
Music Road Records has announced the addition of Levi Parham to their roster, who will enter the studio this month to record a new full-length album for release next year.
A native of McAlester, Oklahoma, Parham’s music draws on the rich songwriting traditions of his home state. “Perhaps it’s something in the [Oklahoma] water — the same iron-heavy tap drink that Woody Guthrie sipped on as a young man — that leads to an inherited sense of melody,” said The Bluegrass Situation. “Whatever it is, Levi Parham has it.”
With influences from the worlds of blues, folk, soul, rock and country music, it’s Parham’s “soulful, gritty and tender voice” (The Boot) that brings it all together into a sound that CMT described as “enticing” with “a melancholy feel.”
“My dad was a big blues fan growing up, so it was kind of inevitable that I was surrounded by it,” he told The Oklahoman in a recent interview. “He was always playing Muddy Waters and stuff like that at the house, but really my biggest influence was more of like the soul guys like Van Morrison and people like that, Sam Cooke.”
His first release for a record label, the new album will be Parham’s third record, following up on his 2013 debut ‘An Okie Opera’ and his 2014 EP ‘Avalon Drive.’ Parham will tour throughout 2016, including showcases at Folk Alliance and SXSW.
Parham’s debut for Music Road, “These American Blues,” was released worldwide on June 24, 2016. It is currently at #3 on the Euroamericana Chart, and has risen to # 29 on the official Americana Music Association chart. Levi is currently touring the U.S in support of the album and will make his first trip to Europe scheduled for March 2017.
Recent Press
The Bluegrass Situation
Pop Matters
Elmore Magazine- These American Blues album review
Twangrila Blog
The Oklahoman (OKC)
Rootstime (Belgium)
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Red Dirt Nation
Red Line Roots (Boston)
Elmore Magazine
NewsOK (OKC)
The Alternate Root -Songs of the week
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Twangrila Interview Part 1
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Rudolf’s Music (The Netherlands)
Contacts
Press Contact: Tyler Cannon
Booking/Management Contact: Nathan Dohse
Radio / Promo requests: Jesse LaFave