Dennis Parker Brings James Taylor Tribute to the Mentone Americana Nights Stage

The final installment of Mentone Americana Nights will bring top talent to the mountain and feature music that is loved by generations.

Dennis Parker will headline the event on Saturday, September 27, at the Shigley Amphitheater on Moon Lake Campus. He will be joined by other artists in presenting a celebration of American musical treasure James Taylor.

Parker has been a professional touring and recording artist for most of his adult life. His resume includes stints with artists such as Joe Diffie, Lee Ann Womack, Tracy Lawrence, and Mark Chestnutt.

For fans of bluegrass and traditional country music, Parker is best known for his years traveling and recording with Ricky Skaggs. He was part of Skaggs’ band in the 90s, returning in 2016 to lead the band for the past nine years.

Skaggs recently announced Parker’s departure on social media. “Dennis is moving on to other opportunities where he feels led,” wrote the legendary performer. “And although he is missed, we wish him all the best!”

Those other opportunites include pursuing a solo career that includes presenting the work of one of America’s most beloved artists.

“I became obsessed with James Taylor at a young age,” says Parker, who grew up in a musical family where bluegrass was the undercurrent of everyday life. “I heard him on a PBS special singing ‘How Sweet It Is,’ and it was like a breath of fresh air.”

The impact never left him. “I loved the way he voiced things,” says Parker. “He played like a piano player. There were these rich chords that I just didn’t hear a lot. I tried to play like him, to sing like him.”

As Parker’s career evolved beyond bluegrass festivals, where he won countless awards and regional notoriety, he found himself working among the best in the country music business. Along with that success came personal challenges, which Parker shares openly in his testimony. Yet no matter what he faced, he found Taylor’s music as a centering presence.

“In some dark periods of my life, his music was still there,” Parker shares. “It comforted me. It was a place of home for me. He talked about love. He talked about doing the right things. There’s so much truth in his music.”

Songs like ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ are universal in their appeal to the human heart, Parker says. “Everybody needs a friend. I think God speaks through music like that just as much as He speaks through the hymns. God is crying out for us to know Him, and for us to be better people, and Taylor’s music features so many of these principles that are just true.”

One James Taylor song in particular impacted Parker’s life in difficult times. “There’s a song he does called ‘A Junkie’s Lament’ that is spot on when it comes to addiction,” he says, “and what addiction looks like, how awful it is. It speaks to the fact that there’s really nothing anyone can do until that person wants to do something about it themselves.”

Last year, as Parker began considering what was next for his career, he assembled a group of musicians to explore James Taylor’s vast catalogue. They began performing at The Station Inn in Nashville each month, and the show has been a hit.

Joining Parker for the James Taylor Tribute in Mentone will be Jeff Taylor and Brad Benge. “Jeff is a multifaceted instrumentalist,” Parker says. “He’s played with everyone from Elvis Costello to Kenny Chesney to Bob Dylan. If you hear an accordion on a record from a big artist, it’s probably Jeff.”

Benge is a renowned sound engineer and bassist. He has toured with such notable acts as Jimmy Fortune of Statler Brothers fame, Sierra Hull, and Tommy Emmanuel.

“I’ve played in a lot of bands, but I’ve always been a hired gun,” says Parker. “This is my first experience actually putting a band together and trying to keep it together and really pushing for excellence.”

He’s excited to bring the James Taylor show to Mentone. “I live in Huntsville now, but DeKalb County was home to me for a long time,” Parker says. “This is a bit like a homecoming for me. I have a lot of friends in the area, and I hope they can come enjoy the show and say hello.

“I think it’s so great, what Mentone is doing to bring more live music to the area, and I’m grateful to be part of it.”