John Parish

John Parish (born 11 April 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer.

Parish is best known for his work with singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. He has also worked with such artists as Eels, Aldous Harding, Tracy Chapman, Giant Sand, and Sparklehorse. His sister is the actress Sarah Parish. Parish was born in Yeovil, Somerset and lives in Bristol. In the 1980s, his girlfriend was Maria Mochnacz.

Career His first record release was the single "Mind Made" as a member of the British new wave band, Thieves Like Us (1980). In 1982, he formed the band Automatic Dlamini, with Rob Ellis. The changing line-up of Automatic Dlamini included Polly Harvey from 1988 until 1991. Automatic Dlamini recorded three albums: The D Is for Drum (1987), Here Catch Shouted His Father (1990 – unreleased but available as a bootleg), and From a Diva to a Diver (1992). By the time From a Diva to a Diver was released, Harvey had left to form the PJ Harvey trio with ex-Dlamini members Rob Ellis and Ian Olliver, and Parish was playing guitar with Marc Moreland's band the Ensenada Joyride.

In 1986, Parish had begun a parallel career as a record producer working with UK bands including the Chesterfields, the Brilliant Corners, the Caretaker Race and the Becketts. In 1995 he co-produced PJ Harvey's "To Bring You My Love", on which he also played guitar, drums, percussion and organ. He co-wrote and produced the Eels album Souljacker (2001), and played guitar on the world tour that accompanied its release. He has produced and/or played on a number of Howe Gelb / Giant Sand albums and frequently appears onstage with them. Parish produced the Giant Sand album Chore of Enchantment (2000), and a photograph of his wedding in Tucson in 1998 was used as the cover for the 2011 re-release of the record.

He also began working as a film composer in 1998, writing the score for Belgian director Patrice Toye's debut film, Rosie. Parish's score won the Jury Special Appreciation prize at the 1999 Bonn Film & TV Music Biennale. He has since scored another ten soundtracks.

Parish has now worked on seven albums with Harvey, including two co-written albums: Dance Hall at Louse Point (1996) and A Woman a Man Walked By (2009). He played in the PJ Harvey touring band (guitar, drums and keyboards) from 1994 to 1999, from 2009 to 2012 and from 2015 to 2017. He co-produced and played on To Bring You My Love (1995), White Chalk (2007), the Mercury Prize winning Let England Shake (2011), The Hope Six Demolition Project (2016) and I Inside the Old Year Dying (2023).

He has produced and played on three albums by New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, two This Is the Kit albums and two albums by Malian artist Rokia Traoré. He has also collaborated several times with two established European stars, the Italian singer Nada and Belgian singer Arno.

Partial discography Solo Rosie (2000) How Animals Move (2002) Once Upon a Little Time (2005) Screenplay (2013) Bird Dog Dante (2018)

Scores Rosie dir. Patrice Toye (1998) Water dir. Jennifer Houlton (2004) Waltz dir. Norbert Ter (2006) Nowhere Man dir. Patrice Toye (2008) Going South dir. Sébastien Lifshitz (2009) She, a Chinese dir. Xiaolu Guo (2010) Little Black Spiders dir. Patrice Toye (2012) (2014): Producer, guitar, vocals Kira Skov – Spirit Tree (2021) Eels – Extreme Witchcraft (2022): Producer, co-writer, various instruments

Productions PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love (1995): Producer, guitar, organ, percussion, drums Elliot Green - United States (1997): Producer, guitar, keyboard 16 Horsepower – Low Estate (1997): Producer, various instruments Giant Sand – Chore of Enchantment (2000): Producer Bettie Serveert – Private Suit (2000) : Producer Thou – Put Us in Tune (2000): Producer, mix Dominique A – Auguri (2001): Producer, various instruments Morning Star – My Place in the Dust (2001): Producer Sparklehorse – It's a Wonderful Life (2001): Co-producer, various instruments Tracy Chapman – Let It Rain (2002): Producer Thou – I Like Girls in Russia (2004): Producer Morning Star – The Opposite Is True (2004): Producer Jennie DeVoe – Fireworks and Karate Supplies (2004): Producer Nada – Tutto l'amore che mi manca (2004): Producer Afterhours – Ballate per piccole iene (2005): Producer and guitar on Ballata per la mia piccola iena Dionysos – Monsters in Love (2005): Producer PJ Harvey – White Chalk (2007): Producer Tom Brosseau – Cavalier (2007): Producer Magic Rays – Off the Map (2007) : Producer Marta Collica – Pretty and Unsafe (2007) : Producer Afterhours – I Milanesi Ammazzano il sabato (14 ricette di quotidiana macabra felicità) (2008): Producer Jennie DeVoe – Strange Sunshine(2009): Producer This Is the Kit – Krulle Bol (2008): Producer, drums Cesare Basile – Storia di Caino (2008): Producer, guitar Marta Collica – About Anything (2009): Producer Maika Makovski – Maika Makovski (2010): Producer, guitar, drums, bass, banjo Kira – Look Up Ahead (2010): Producer Zender – Sunday Kids (2010): Mix Nive Nielsen and The Deer Children – Nive Sings (2010): Producer, drums, guitar, bongos Peggy Sue – Acrobats (2011): Producer PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (2011): Producer, guitar, drums, vocals, keyboards, trombone Arno – Future Vintage (2012): Producer, guitars, drums KT Tunstall – Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon (2013): Mix, steel drums, percussion, timpani, guitar, drums Jay Diggins – Searching (2013): Co-producer with Jay Diggins, various instruments Mazgani – Common Ground (2013): Co-producer with Mick Harvey, various instruments Jenny Hval – Innocence Is Kinky (2013): Producer, guitar, drums, variophon Rokia Traoré – Beautiful Africa (2013): Producer Jennie DeVoe – Radiator: The Bristol Sessions (2014): Producer Arno –Human Incognito (2016): Producer PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project (2016): Co-producer, various instruments, backing vocals Rokia Traoré – Ne so (2016): Producer Nadine Khouri – The Salted Air (2017): Producer, various instruments, backing vocals Aldous Harding – Party (2017): Producer, mix, guitar, piano, drums, synth, backing vocals This Is the Kit – Moonshine Freeze (2017): Producer Nada – È un momento difficile, tesoro (2019): Producer, various instruments Aldous Harding – Designer (2019): Producer, mix, guitar, piano, organ, mellotron, drums, percussion Jesca Hoop – Stonechild (2019) Arno – Santeboutique (2020) Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg (2021) The Goon Sax – Mirror II (2021) Aldous Harding – Warm Chris (2022): Producer, various instruments Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork (2022) Nadine Khouri – Another life (2022): Producer PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying (2023): Producer, various instruments A. Savage – Several Songs About Fire (2023): Producer Emily Loizeau – La Souterraine (2024): Producer

Featured musician on PJ Harvey – Is This Desire? (1998): Various instruments Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain (2000): Guitar, drums M. Ward – Transistor Radio (2005): Drums M. Ward – "Primitive Girl" on A Wasteland Companion (2012): Drums, percussion Perfume Genius – "Too Bright" (2014): Drums