Peter Parcek

Peter Parcek is an American blues rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, Parcek's album, Mississippi Suitcase was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Blues Rock Album' category. Parcek has released four albums since 2000, after spending time as a sideman for Pinetop Perkins. Buddy Guy once opined about Parcek, "You're as bad as Eric Clapton. And I know Eric Clapton."

In his career, Parcek has been the opening act for other artists who include Roy Buchanan, Son Seals, Susan Tedeschi, Lazy Lester, Joanna Connor, and others. In the early 1960s, Parcek was fortunate to relocate to England, and it became a life-changing period for him in terms of musical development. Suitably inspired, in the late-1960s, Parcek began performing his own small-scale gigs in and around London, both playing the harmonica and singing. Eventually though, when his lack of a British work permit was discovered by the authorities, he was forced to return to the States.

Upon resettling, Parcek continued his study of major blues artists in live shows, many of them at the 1970s Shaboo Inn near Willimantic, Connecticut. These included multiple performances from Buddy Guy, and shows from Matt "Guitar" Murphy with the James Cotton Band, Albert Collins, Freddie King, Roy Buchanan, Muddy Waters, Skip James, Albert King and B.B. King. Parcek later stated "I would sit as close as possible so I could see exactly what they were doing on the guitar. It was an amazing education." He relocated from Middletown to Boston, Massachusetts, and began to hone his guitar playing skills, by practicing up to 10 hours a day. Al Kooper made his second appearance on a Parcek album, specifically on the instrumental re-imagining of the Harlan Howard penned, "Busted." In a style of his own, Parcek described his music 'soul guitar', a fusion of blues, gypsy-style jazz, rock, funk, and shades of country.

His next release was Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (2017). The album was cited in best of year lists by Guitar Moderne, Blues 411 Internet Radio, Twangville, and Reflections in Blue. Parcek later had an injury to his wrist which curtailed further activity for three years. The album's tracks included Parcek inventive interpretations of "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Waiting for the Man." Mary Gunther wrote in Blues Blast magazine, "Boston-based guitar virtuoso Peter Parcek bounces back from a wrist injury that threatened to sideline him permanently with this powerful CD, celebrating the joy of living while baring the full, bluesy depth of the pain and struggle we all endure in these troubled times... A powerful album of blues-rock that was conceived out of his own personal struggles, the three originals and eight covers here span about 80 years of musical history, all of which has undergone thorough reinvention... Like Buddy says, Peter Parcek's a master."

Awards Parcek was nominated for 'Best New Artist' at the 2011 Blues Music Awards.

Parcek has twice been successful at the New England Music Awards, winning 'Blues Artist of the Year' and 'Blues Audience Guitarist of the Year'. and in three categories for Independent Blues Awards - Blues Rock CD, Blues Rock Band and Blues Rock Song.

Discography Albums Year Title Record label(s) 2000 Evolution Lightnin' Records 2010 The Mathematics of Love VizzTone Records / Red Star Records 2017 Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven Lightnin' Records 2020 Mississippi Suitcase Lightnin' Records