‘Catch of the Day’ – Parmalee – “Sunday Morning” [AUDIO]

Today we feature a group from North Carolina that went through a lot climbing the ladder on their way to Nashville, including an attempted armed robbery on their own tour bus. A group that has stuck together through thick and thin, just the way family does.

In 2000, brothers Matt and Scott Thomas, who had cut their performing teeth working with their father Jerry Thomas as Jerry Thomas and the Thomas Brothers Band, decided to carry on after their father retired, and along with their cousin Barry Knox and a long-time friend Josh McSwain formed the group Parmalee, an interestingly diversified group, with all of the members played multiple instruments. 2002 saw the release of their first album, Daylight, a self-produced project, which garnered little attention, though it did catch the ear of producer David Bendeth of RCA Records.

Bendeth invited the quartet to New Jersey for what was originally supposed to be a three song session, but eventually became a publishing deal and a full length album, Inside. Still signed to Indy label Deep South Records, the group toured the next couple of years in support of Inside, releasing a live album, Unplugged and DVD, Inside Live, along the way.

In 2006, Parmalee headed to Los Angeles, ending up splitting their time between LA and Nashville while recording their next album. Working with producer Steve Bruno, the group would eventually bring in one of the most unlikely people to help them finish the album. Before leaving for Nashville, bass player Nikki Sixx of the rock band Motley Crue was enlisted to co-write, produce and even play on several the album's tracks. They took what the had recorded with to Nashville, and producer Kevin Beamish helped them mix the final product, 2006's Mildew or Barbeque. As with their first two albums, the project failed to receive airplay.

The band would release one more album with Deep South Records, 2008's Complicated. While touring to support the album in September of 2010, the band had just finished a show in Rock Hill, South Carolina and were relaxing in their RV when two armed men hopped on board demanding money. Scott Thomas emerged from the back of the RV also armed, and was shot by the suspects in the leg, stomach and shoulder. Both suspects were also hit in the exchange of gunfire, with one of them being killed. The injuries sustained by Scott Thomas were severe enough to force the group to cancel a scheduled label showcase.

Scott was able to get back behind his drum kit in May of 2011. After a few performances, Parmalee was finally able to perform that showcase, which led to them being signed by Stoney Creek Records in 2012. They headed into the studio immediately after signing with the label, along with producer David Fanning. The result was their break-out album Feels Like Carolina, which featured three top-10 hits, including the #1 hit "Carolina". The band took time releasing those singles, with one each coming from the album in 2013, 14 & 15.

Parmalee went back into the studio in 2016, and the result is an album whose title and release date have yet to be determined, and whose lead single, "Roots" was released last year and peaked at #27; the follow-up to that single is in our spotlight today. Brought to you by All American Super Car Wash, "Sunday Morning" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

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