It’s fair to say Walter Parks has worn a few hats in the music world. As lead guitarist for Woodstock legend Richie Havens for most of the last decade, he’s played some prestigious venues, like Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden.
As half of the alternative-folk duo The Nudes with cellist Stephanie Winters before that, he released three albums and created music Billboard magazine described as unlike “anything else on the airwaves.”
In 2011, he worked with the Florida Ballet on a joint project which debuted in October. And if you attended the Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport, Ala., this past fall, you may have seen him with his low country band, Swamp Cabbage.
But, with the recent release of Park’s self-titled solo album on Judy Collins’ Wildflower Records, the music man comes into his own. He’ll share his style of “north Florida swamp music” with a Golden Triangle audience Friday, Feb. 17. The Columbus Arts Council presents Parks in concert in the Omnova Theater of the Rosenzweig Arts Center at 7 p.m.
Roots
“There’s a lot of Southern atmosphere, Southern influence, to my music,” said Parks Thursday, by phone from his home in Savannah, Ga. “I’m very proud of that and sort of parade it around the country as I travel to different regions.”
At times introspective and beautiful, at times sultry, Parks’ signature music moves from acoustic to electric guitar as the mood calls.
“And some of it’s just ‘good time.’ I’m a Libra, so have to kind of balance out my pensive side with my primal side,” he quietly laughed.
Parks is eager for a return visit to Mississippi. He has a soft spot for the Magnolia State.
“I played in a big downtown festival in Jackson with Richie. … I remember he and I went out front in the audience and listened to the Isley Brothers. That was one of my most memorable moments of playing on the road with Richie — being in that sea of people and enjoying the wonderful music of the Isley Brothers in downtown Jackson,” he reflected.
“I’m really looking forward to coming to Columbus; I’ve never been there before,” he went on. ” … I’m always very inspired by the land where I am. There’s something about certain areas of the country, they just hand me musical ideas.”
Parks recently returned from touring in Spain with Swamp Cabbage.
“It’s so great to come back and to come to Mississippi, where the blues and some of the jazz sounds originated, because in Spain and in Europe, they crave what came out of Mississippi; they crave it. In a certain way, I think it’s a shame artists have to go to Europe to get that degree of appreciation for American music.”
Parks is currently recording some of his favorite cover songs, but only when he can do them his way.
“I’m very much inspired by what I heard Richie Havens do with cover songs. … I’m really putting a lot of time in trying to come up with unique arrangements.” Some of these pieces will be included in the Columbus show.
How to go
Tickets are $10 in advance at the Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St.; or $12 at the door. For more information or tickets, contact the Columbus Arts Council at 662-328-2787.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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