Biography
Marvin Parish was born and raised on the East side of Indianapolis IN. The youngest of six, Marvin's developing ears were enriched at an early age with a plethora of different kinds of music permeating throughout the house. His older brother and sisters all listened to different music, but Marvin's main musical influences came from his Dad's record collection, which was quite varied itself. Marvin absorbed these records which included the early Delta Blues of Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton, through the electric Chicago Blues of Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters, up through the early Rock-N-Roll of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly and Buddy Holly.
As he grew into his early teens, Marvin expanded his musical palette with the Classic Rock of the 60s and 70s. He was soaking up The Beatles, Stones, Leon Russell, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Neil Young, and way too many others to mention them all. It was around this time he picked up his first guitar having a undeniable instinct. He HAD to play! Thats all he could think about. He took a handful of lessons learning some basic chords but soon abandoned the lessons relying on his own ear to teach him.
During this time of development, Marvin was very fortunate to have parents that supported and encouraged his musical interests. By the time Marvin was 17, he was in bands playing bars and collages but only as a guitar player. Shyness and anxiety would prevent him from fronting a band or producing original songs until years later.
Marvin got married at the age of 22 and since money he was making from music was not enough to support a family, Marvin worked day jobs and played on weekends. At 26, Marvin was blessed with the birth of a Son named Larry. He continued working and playing on weekends and was grateful to be able to provide for his family, but always yearned for much more from the music.
During this time Marvin played in countless bands and eventually overcame his anxiety and started fronting bands and performing original songs. In the early 2000s, Marvin along with his best friend Joe Johnson formed The Whiskey Brothers and became quite a big part of the local scene. They released two albums that were independently recorded and distributed, did several tours of the Midwest and South going as far as New Orleans, and even hosted a local radio show on an independent station that focused on local original music. This period solidified Marvin as a composer, and producer of music.
The breakup of The Whiskey Brothers, a very sad divorce, and shutting down of the book bindery that Marvin worked at for ten years, eventually led Marvin to rely on music as his main source of income. Through self discovery he realized that music WAS his life. It occupied his every thought, and was his reason for being. A day without music for Marvin would be like a day without breathing.
Another marriage led Marvin to live in little Nashville in beautiful Brown County IN. Marvin had played there for years and fell in love with the place. As he would later write in song, there is something about this place, and the people that is unique and can't be fully described in words. This would be put to the test when that marriage ended in a painful divorce. Marvin was very distraught but found so much support and comfort from the people of his beloved home of Brown County that he was able to turn misfortune into a river of creativity that produced what he felt to be the best songs he had written thus far.
During this time Marvin forged a partnership with Claire Nolen, a wonderful lady who would become like a Sister to him. With Claire as his manager, they released Brown County Serenade Volume 1 and Volume 2 in 2011 and 2012. They are a musical tribute to Brown County IN and it's people but the songs are accessible and relate to anyone. Marvin continues to play shows, either solo acoustic, or with The Marvin Parish Band, to promote to promote the Brown County Serenade albums. He is well at work on his next solo album and at remastering and re releasing his work with The Whiskey Brothers. He and Claire are also working on a building a recording studio in Brown County.
Marvin continues to write and perform what he called "American Roots Rock". A blend of all his musical influences with emphasis on "feel". That is what he believes is missing from music today. "So mush music now is formulated and plastic from the song structure itself to the way it is overproduced. There is a lack of true emotion." This is why Marvin prefers to perform music "stripped down" to the bare essence. The Marvin Parish Band is a bare bones, 3 piece outfit of guitar, bass, and drums and when Marvin performed solo acoustic, he does not use looping stations and pre recorded tracks like so many other "one man band" acts do. "It's just not real to me", he says.
Love finally took a right turn for Marvin when he rekindled a romance with Renee, a woman who was his early teen sweetheart and he feels has always been the love of his life. When asked about the future Marvin can see no deviation in his path. " There is no turning back now. This is what I am! However hard the road may get, this is what I am supposed to be doing. Music is truly my life.".
In 2016 Marvin left Indiana and relocated to Florida's Space Coast to expand on his musical adventure and is working on new music of his own and with a popular band out of Cocoa Beach called HONEY MILLER. New horizens.....