With three #1 singles and multiple other top 10 hits, Parmalee has found their success in Country music, but it didn’t come without challenges in and out of the music industry.
LISTEN NOW: Parmalee joins Rob + Holly for the Friday Night Takeover
In addition to the regular highs and lows aspiring artists journey through to make it to the big stages, the group, consisting of brothers Matt and Scott Thomas, cousin, Barry Knox, and friend, Josh McSwain, survived a life-threatening event they used to strengthen their bond instead of dissolve it.
“It is a family band, I’m the only one who is not a family member, but it’s almost like a marriage,” Josh McSwain told Audacy’s Rob + Holly when asked if the group ever talked about splitting up. “Like, we’ve committed to this thing and we’re sticking together.”
That commitment was never more evident than in September of 2010 when a violent robbery resulted in band member Scott fighting for his life.
“I would say the only time that the thought [of breaking up] probably popped in everybody else’s head, but completely didn’t in ours was when Scott was shot and in the hospital,” Matt shared.
“We’d already been in a band together for 8 years at that point — no record deal, no money, no nothing — broke. He gets shot and I’m sure everybody was like, ‘Oh, these guys will probably stop now,’ but we just kind of dug in even deeper.”
Scott was shot three times in the stomach as he protected his brother, Matt, firing shots at two robbers who invaded their RV. The shooting happened just as the guys were beginning to gain momentum with their careers and had label meetings with hopes of landing a deal.
“When Scott was shot we had finally come to Nashville after being a band for eight years trying to get a record deal,” Matt explained. “We were going to showcase for all these Country labels and we were going to finally get us a record deal.”
“Then the robbery happens. He gets shot and he’s in a coma and he’s just about to die. That’s 40 days in the hospital, 10 in a coma. He couldn’t even walk…. Three life-saving surgeries.”
Quitting was never an option for the guys who spent their time rallying around Scott as he healed and continued to network with labels.
“When you go through something like that, we were going to keep going anyway, no matter what,” Matt shared.
McSwain added, “Even at that time, we were kind of downplaying and hiding some of this stuff from the record label because we didn’t want this to deter us from getting signed.”
The guys made it through the shadows as a band and are now enjoying brighter days as their current single “Girl In Mine,” currently sits in the top 10 at Country radio.
Hear more about Parmalee's rocky journey to Country music and more by tuning into their full conversation on the Friday Night Takeover with Rob + Holly above.
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